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Impact of religion on culture
Impact of religion on culture
How does religion and culture influence society
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The body rituals that I had the privilege of reading in this article among the Nacirema people group were extremely shocking. In America we are sheltered from the information on how these other people groups live around the world. We live in a generation were different ethnic food is shocking, let alone something as intense as the practices of the Nacirema group. A portion of the reading, I found extremely interesting, was the Nacirema’s take on their appearances. It seems no matter where you are in the world; apperances always seem to chain people. It was very intriguing to read about how the people go about the care of their teeth. The “holy-mouth- men” was a vivid description of a very unhealthy approach to dental care. A lack of education
in personal hygiene such as person’s teeth can be deadly for these people. There were many things similar to the “holy-mouth-men” in this people group that need basic education for the sake of the people. I once heard a story from a missionary who came face-to-face with a medicine man, similar to the one that is described among the Nacirema people group. The medicine man in the story had an extreme status in the village preventing the missionaries from sharing the gospel. This story helped me make a great connection to this article. It would be extremely intimidating to share the gospel among the Nacirema’s because of the cultural differences.Alothough the cost of sharing the gospel to them can be death, but they need to hear about the love of Christ and his gospel. We are held accountable to present the gospel to these people. There are many more people groups in the world besides just the Nacirema group that needs people to send out and also bathe them in prayer.
“…The search for holiness is dramatized by their willingness to suffer terrible pain from snake bite, or even death itself, to get the feeling of God in their lives” (Daugherty pg.82 Para 2). Many individuals seem to search for this meaning, largely due to the fact that most are economically disadvantaged, work in extremely dangerous conditions (miners), and usually uneducated because of their rural isolated backgrounds. In addition, all of the aforementioned characteristics gave cause to the proliferation and acceptance of this faith basis because it’s not a private matter and their strife/frustration with life unites them on common grounds in praise. Mainly, as stated in the article, their powerlessness is taken out of the equation when they’re together in church and filled with the Holy Spirit (Daugherty pg.83 para 2), and in a sense the worship itself is based off of its people gathering together to uphold and uplift each other with their faith. Moreover, beside their ritualistic snake handling, is their tendency to drink strychnine and lye. This ritualistic habit is more puzzling in my eyes, because they’re essentially drinking straight poison that should kill a
In John Barker’s Ancestral Lines, the author analyzes the Maisin people and their culture centered around customs passed from previous generations, as well as global issues that impact their way of living. As a result of Barker’s research, readers are able to understand how third world people can exist in an rapid increasing integrated system of globalization and relate it not only to their own society, but others like the Maisin; how a small group of indigenous people, who are accustomed to a modest regimen of labor, social exceptions, and traditions, can stand up to a hegemonic power and the changes that the world brings. During his time with these people the author was able to document many culture practices, while utilizing a variety of
The focal point of the shrine is a box or chest which is built into
In this article, Miner gives a few hints that the Nairema are indeed Americans. The fact that Nacirema spelled backwards is American is a huge hint by itself. Another clue is the “holy-mouth-men.” If you sit down and think about it for a second it is obvious to realize that they are indeed dentists. Also the me...
“The Sambia: Ritual, Sexuality, and Change in Papua New Guinea” is a book written by Gilbert Herdt. It is based on a case study Herdt did during the 1970’s of the culture of the Sambia people. His study took place in Eastern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea. He didn’t know much about their language, however through out his time there he was able to learn their language and customs. As he settled into their village, he mostly slept in the clubhouse with the other Nilangu villagers; however, eventually they built a house for him to stay at. Herdt had a great interest in gaining new knowledge about the Sambia culture.
Rituals are held as a very important part of any society, including ours. They go back to ancient times or can be as simple as maintaining one’s hygiene. Non-western societies have rituals that may seem very foreign to us, but they have been engrained in their communities and are essential to their social structure. This interpretation will focus on the Great Pilgrimage, a ritual performed by Quechuan communities. We will be looking specifically at a community in the area of Sonqo.
2) There are many rituals carried out by the Indigenous people but in particular there is one called
“The contents of Vodou rituals – from private healing consultations to public dances and possessions-performances- are composed from the lives of the particular people performing them. When I began to bring my own life to the system for healing, I began to understand more of what it meant for Haitians to do that (Brown, 134).”
the deities and attempt to explain the psychological necessity of these rituals. An examination will be made of the typical forms of rituals, and cite their effects,
Considering descendants’ effort to bring this culture back in society, this entire dancing performance, masks, and the idea of interacting with the outside world must not have been merely correlated to their religious and spiritual ritual. It might have been their identity; a symbolic of their society which their ancestors had built and passed down to them.
The story conveys a message that traditions may be valued so highly that those in their practice may do everything they can to ensure that they continue in accordance. From this, a question arises. How far would one go to ensure their sacred traditions remain unscathed? For many, change is a cause of ignorance. Most of us fear the idea of change.
Myriad syncretic spiritual forms evolved during the era of colonial Mesoamerica, expressing both public devotional practices and private household rituals that many times were veiled from Church scrutiny (Carmack 308). These rituals, born in indigenous culture and adapted to the drastically changed socio-economic and political landscape of colonial life, represent some of the few remaining links to the region’s spiritual and historical past.
Body modification is defined as any deliberate alteration to ones’ physical appearance. Most people think that only tattoos and piercings fall into this classification, but this is barely grazing the surface of the extents that body modification can lead to. Anything from a simple ear lobe piercing to breast implants, or tattoos and scarifications are all considered as some form of modification. In western cultures, modifications are made for aesthetics and self-expression, but every culture is different. Native American tribes find spiritual clarity or vision in body suspension, where the body is literally hung on hooks, and in Imperial China's practice of binding the feet of women to represent wealth and beauty. In this paper we will not only look into different piercings, but the history behind them and tattoos as well, also the different modifications that various cultures practice, and why. I will explore tribes such as the Mursi tribe in Ethiopia and the Apatani tribe of Arunachal Pradesh, India. By the end you will have learned about various cultures and traditions, and have a whole new perspective of the art of body modification.
Bentley, Jerry H., Herbert F. Ziegler, and Heather E. Streets-Salter. Traditions & Encounters: A Brief Global History, Volume II, From 1500 to the Present, Second Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 411-29
There are many cultural differences of body modification in the Eastern world because the Eastern world’s views and ways of self expression are different to those in the Western world.