SIG: This is significant because many American pagan religions contain different traditions that are similar to to others. Also traditions have been passed down for thousands of years.…
In the essay “Body Ritual Among the Nacirema”, anthropologist Horace Miner depicts a group of people known as the “Nacirema”, but is referring to Americans, whose cultural beliefs are deeply rooted in the perspective that the human body is prune to sickness and disfiguration. Consequently, a substantial part of their lives is spent on unusual rituals and customs to improve conditions of the body that are filled with magical components. Moreover, Miner uses the Nacirema’s unusual culture to establish his view that we simply could not judge another culture that it is different from our own, as opposed to another anthropologist Malinowski’s point that we can judge another culture since we are superior but we should not (Miner 173).…
In his article Body Rituals among the Nacirema, Miner effectively convinces his reader of the ridiculous nature of America’s obsession with the body’s health and visual appeal by allowing his readers to form an opinion about themselves without realizing they are their own subject. At first glance the reader may be convinced he is reading about magical beliefs and extreme practices of a little know civilization. Miner effectively employs an academic tone as he opens the paper with “[t]he anthropologist has become so familiar with the diversity of ways in which different peoples behave in similar situations that he is not apt to be surprised by even the most exotic customs.” Miner continues to use this tone throughout the article. Furthermore his statement “[t]he rites are normally only discussed with children… I was able, however, to establish sufficient rapport with the natives to examine these shrines and to have the rituals described to me” shows superior attitude to place his reader on the level of a scholar observing a native (Miner 503). Still even an inexperienced evaluator soon realizes the connection between the Nacirema and the United States. In fact, the word “Nacirema” is “American” spelled backwards. Miner further correlates the Nacirema to Americans by describing the location of this tribe to be in North America and refers to the feats of their hero whose name happens to be Washington spelled backwards (Miner 503).…
The growing practice of Neo-Paganism in America has caused many to turn their heads. The misunderstanding of the religion has caused many to equate the practitioners with the popular conception of typical "witches," that perform black magic rituals, satanic sacrifices, and engage in devil-inspired orgies. After many years, the Neo-Pagan community has cleared up many misconceptions through the showing that many of them do not engage in activities, and are rather participating in a religion, just as those would that participate in a Christian community. It 's unacceptance continues, perhaps due to its non-conformity to the ideal of worshipping a Christian God. Through the use of ethnography, anthropologists and sociologists are able to present the public with a much different view than what we are bombarded with in popular media.…
|Religion |Wiccan Pentacle Study, worship the|Gothic people are very weird and |Muslims are terrorist and women |…
“The Body Ritual” was written in 1956, a time when people’s basic understanding of different culture was insufficient. (Hyung Kim, 2012) The article focuses on the Nacirema and the strange beliefs and superstitions that happen within their culture. If someone is reading this for the first time they may not catch on to Miner’s satirical delivery and unknowingly assume the Nacirema is a Native American tribe. “Instead Miner was talking about common behaviors of Americans that he turned into supernatural and magical rituals. What this actually shows is how language can shape the reader’s impression of a culture in a way that causes people to understand in a totally different perspective.” (Hyung Kim). Miner tricked people into thinking that everyday people, places, and things were a part of a foreign culture. For example; calling bathrooms “shrines”, Doctors “medicine men”, pharmacists “herbalists”, hospitals “latipsohs” and thermometers “magic wands in the supplicants mouths.” (Miner, 1956)…
"...Religion is always a hot, controversial topic. Often times I receive strongly opposing views or negative comments about Shamanism, which makes me uncomfortable. I have come to realize that the customs, traditions and knowledge bestowed upon the newer generations are slowly dissipating. “Americanized” Hmong are forgetting their cultural roots. Conversions in religious beliefs often result in ignorant, incorrect views about Shamanism, and the education of Hmong cosmology is not taught widely, leaving younger generations with clouded views of their customs. To understand the ancient religion…
At first glance, it might seem that culturally-advanced and deep-thinking Americans have relatively little in common with the comparatively narcissistic, shallow, and primitive Nacirema, who carve out an existence somewhere between "the Canadian Cree, the Yaqui and Tarahumare of Mexico, and the Carab and the Awawak of the Antilles" ("Body Ritual among the Nacirema, p. 1). Who could even think to compare Americans, in our advanced state, with such a remote and isolated group? However, upon closer reflection, however, it occurred, much to the present author's surprise, that the Nacirema and Americans are in fact mirror images of one another.…
References: Molloy, M. (2010). Experiencing the World’s Religions Tradition, Challenge, and Change (5th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.…
This entire article is a satire on American culture disguised as a North American tribe. Upon reading the article for a first time, I only caught a few similarities such as the rituals in pure water, the use of charms to fight disease, and the means of having a “listener” to exorcise curses or demons. However, I had more of a religious view on the rituals instead of a cultural one. I originally linked those rites to baptism, crucifix symbols, and a priest at confession. Only once I read the article a second time could I clearly observe the parallels between America and the Nacirema description. Miner’s article is clever and witty to portray American culture with the lack of a “true” observation in order to portray how ethnocentrism can affect one’s judgement of another culture.…
“New religious movements are divided into five sets: groups associated with various Asian traditions of philosophy, groups associated with with the American human potential movement in popular psychology, groups associated with various forms of occult revival, so-called New Age groups, and groups that think their salvation depends on contact with UFOS and aliens.” (Dawson, 2006, Pg. 2). Cults gained a lot of people interest by furthering ideals on what the followers believed in. However, every great thing must come to an end.…
Many individuals today are brought up practicing religions that have been in their families for many generations. Among them is usually Christianity of some kind, Judaism, Islam, or one of the other larger, mainstream religions. But what about the smaller, less mentioned religions, such as Wicca, old deity worship, and other paths? For some individuals seeking enlightenment, these approaches may end up being far more rewarding than mainstream faiths. What it boils down to is the practitioner. Their lifestyle, personality, and personal upbringing all play a large role in finding the right religious path for them to take.…
Human nature has always instigated us to try and look for explanations for what happens around us. Psychology looks for the explanations for human behavior, meteorology looks for explanations for weather and the police now look for scientific explanations to solve a crime. The means we have today to investigate cause and effect are different from how they were even a decade ago let alone in the ancient civilizations when witchcraft and magic supposedly originated, not to mention that there are still tribes and peoples who live by the old traditions.…
In order to understand and reflect on religion development on humanity it’s important to start at the end of ones life then the beginning. This comes to terms with the description of Stone Age practices of burials. It’s at one end of life that someone seeks spirituality for guidance. Through the reading we are brought through each step in prehistoric cultures to find the link to religion. These links can be found in archeologist finds on paintings, clay figurines and engravings. These’s symbols left behind are like pieces of a puzzle yet to be unsolved. Though each pieces discovered we can try to relate the message the have left. Through the help of clues left behind we we’re able to base our selves on certain terminology to pin point characteristics of primal religion.…
It is also suggested by sociologists, like Heelas et al. in their Kendal study, that the holistic milieu and increased participation in NRMs and New-Age spirituality is evidence of a resacrilisation of society. However, critics argue that actual numbers are a small proportion of the population and that such groups still only have a marginal position in society. Bryan Wilson argues that NRMs are almost irrelevant to society, with Peter Berger describing them as ‘islands in a secular sea’. The Kendal study would seem to support this with only 2% of the population engaged in New-Age activities and only half of these individuals viewing their activities as spiritual. This supports Bruce’s view that the rise of New Age is not a threat to secularisation.…