Chapter Goals

After studying this chapter, you should be able to do the following:

1. Define religion, ritual, and myth and explain their social functions.
2. Describe the history of anthropological studies of religion.
3. Understand Clifford Geertz’s definition of religion as a cultural system.
4. Explain the relevance of anthropological study of religion for Christian life.

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Chapter Outline

Introduction

Studying Religion

Religion, Magic, and Witchcraft

Early Anthropological Approaches to Religion

Functions of Religion

Religion as a Cultural System

Ritual Change

Christians and Religion

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Terms

animism

atheism

cultural materialism

fetish

initiation rituals

liminal period

magic

mana

monotheism

myth

polytheism

reintegration

religion

rites of affliction

rites of intensification

rites of passage (or life-cycle rituals)

ritual (or rite)

separation

sorcery

symbol

taboo

witchcraft

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Discussion Questions

1. What is distinctive about studying religion from an anthropological point of view? How is the anthropological view different from a theological view, or a historical view?
2. What does it feel like to subject your own religion to anthropological scrutiny? Does scientific scrutiny demean or disrespect religion, and how? Is scientific scrutiny helpful to religion, and how?
3. Tell a story about a ritual that was important in your life. It should be a rite of intensification, a rite of affliction, or a rite of passage, and may be secular or religious. What factors make ritual meaningful for individuals and for communities?

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