The role of the supernatural is an integral component of the human experience. In our fast-paced, chaotic world, many of us, regardless of our faith, seek to find refuge in a transcendental existence apart from that of our own. A large proportion of our society view this immaterial otherworld as a bastion of peace and tranquillity, either headed by supreme beings or lacking thereof. This supernatural space of security has long been questioned by both believers and non-believers alike, but yet continues to retain its innate role in the human experience.
For those who choose to believe, the supernatural aspect of religions forms the inter-cultural framework for individuals to forge a deeper connection to their God or supreme being. It shelters them with a sense of safety and trust in the belief that their deity/supreme being is taking care of them from an extra-material realm apart from the observable universe, as such providing these believers with
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For non-believers, the supernatural realm does not consciously bear as significant a meaning as it would for a believer, but its integral role in the human existence even in an atheistic or agnostic sense is undeniable. Non-believers may oftentimes turn to the supernatural in various forms (eg. luck, fate, destiny) when they bear the need to find a reason or scapegoat to explain ill-fate or suffering. Non-believers can be apathetic to the role of the supernatural, even though it plays an integral (albeit subtle) role in their everyday lives. We as mere humans often forget the very small role that we ourselves serve in the grand scheme of things in our ever-expanding universe. We grow apathetic and self-loathing as we view that world at the hands of the supernatural is a dire existence. We often question “Where is God” in the context of ill-fate and suffering, yet seemingly fail to realise the more relevant proposition of “Where is
The unknown in the universe makes humans uncomfortable. Throughout history, people have emerged with answers to mind-boggling universal life questions. Why do humans exist? Are supernatural forces real? How was the earth created? People have attempted to answer these questions with science, theories, and most of all religion. But humans don’t always get the answer to the mind-boggling universal questions right. Salem’s colonial witch trials were horrific examples of religion encouraged by fear of the unknown and imagination. The Salem Witch Trials were a direct result of religious extremism, fear, and delusion.
of England. Their hope was to return to the more primitive ways, to reject the
In order to break the cultural norms of psychics, con artists, paranormalist and faith healers, James Randi debunks frauds by criticizing religion. As a debunker, Randi emphasizes that trusting fakers give them superiority to control a spectator’s
The supernatural culture has been in our society for decades and as it looks it will be part of our society for a long time to come. The supernatural has greatly influenced our society by entertaining, creating an unrealistic ideal life for individuals and the supernatural theme is so popular businesses take advantage of it and are able to make profit out of it.
Everyone has a slightly different interpretation of the supernatural but the interpretation which we can start with is Shakespeare’s. Everyone of Shakespeare’s time found the supernatural fascinating. Shakespeare interpreted the supernatural as witches, magic, unnatural and evil and he expressed his beliefs in the play, “Macbeth” very clearly, as he portrayed the three deformed women with control over the weather and the ability to predict the future. These three evil witches with magical powers were the creation of Shakespeare’s interpretation of the supernatural. Shakespeare’s contemporaries believed in the supernatural very strongly and a majority of them were frightened of it, including the king of that time, King James I of England.
Throughout the ages, mankind’s fascination with the unknown has resulted in the beliefs of different theories of magic, sorcery and other supernatural activities. While it is a natural trait for humans to be curious of what they do not know, there is something to be said for the mass conviction in these paranormal topics. It’s a mystery in itself how groups of people of all ethnicities and nationalities can have the same beliefs and interest in these topics. From witchcraft to UFO’s, it can be seen all throughout history that humans have been attracted to the unexplained.
the world, are obstructed by his faith in the supernatural; the observance of religious norms, particularly
Religion is an organized collection of beliefs and cultural systems that entail the worship of a supernatural and metaphysical being. “Religion just like other belief systems, when held onto so much, can stop one from making significant progress in life”. Together with religion come traditions that provide the people with ways to tackle life’s complexities. A subscription to the school of thought of great scholars
Spirituality can be defined as ‘‘ways of relating to the sacred’’ (Shults and Sandage 2006, p. 161) that involve the experience of significance (Zinnbauer and Pargament 2005)”. (Jankowski and Vaughn, 2009, p.82).
The Exodus of the Hebrew people out of Egypt as depicted in the Holy Bible is controversial. A literal, Biblical reading depicts inexplicable supernatural events suggesting the influence of the God of the Hebrews. There are three main theories about the Exodus Event. The first is that the event occurred exactly as accounted in the Bible, miraculous events included. Secondly, that the Exodus did occur, just not as the Bible describes. The last is that the event never occurred. The explanation of these theories will be presented in this paper.
Lehmann A. C. & Myers J. E. Magic, Witchcraft and Religion – An Anthropological Study of the Supernatural (Fourth Edition) (Mayfield Publishing Company, 1997). Miner, H. Body Ritual Among the Nacirema. American Anthropologist 58 (1956). Tambiah, S. J. & Co., Ltd. Magic, Science, Religion and the scope of Rationality (Cambridge University Press, 1990). Taylor, C. Rationality.
III. Smithson, Jayne. “Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion.” Class lectures. Anthropology 120. Diablo Valley College, San Ramon 2004.
In a functionalistic view religion provides focus and purpose to a society and assists its leadership in controlling the society. In other words it helps society stay on course with the path that its leadership has deems important or suitable. Practicing, praying or preaching a religious belief contributes to the norms of a society, possibly mostly a societies’ mores (Schaefer, 2009). Since religion in itself usually instructs its followers to practice the ideologies of peace and to be submissive to their god and leaders, this helps society be passive on a global level. Many religions that are practiced today are embedded with customs, traditions, an...
This essay explores the research question “In what ways does the use of supernatural elements in literature serve to reflect the nature of humanity?” and focuses on fairy tales, Hamlet, and Macbeth. It begins by outlining and examining the role of supernatural elements in promoting struggles between both the characters and groups within the plot. It then proceeds to showcase how using these elements to create struggles within the plot helps the author to outline the societal struggles of his or her time period within the work of literature. This essay then goes on to consider how and why the use of supernatural elements plays a role in a literary work’s adaptability over time and region. From there, this essay explores how important supernatural elements are in making the stories that they are a part of more intricate and interesting. The role of supernatural elements in aiding character development and the role of certain characters within the plot is examined afterwards.
there is no longer either need or room for the supernatural. The earth was not created, it evolved” (Kautz, 2008).