The Relationship Between Culture And Culture

There is a story of three blind men and an elephant. Each man touches a different part of the elephant to learn what an elephant is. One man touches the trunk and defiantly says that the “animal is similar to a snake; it is long and round, and very strong.” Another touches the leg; it “resembles two big trees without any branches” he says. The third man touches the tail of the elephant. This man proclaims that an elephant is “like a straw fan swinging back and forth to give us a breeze.” Finally, the men come together to compare their experiences. Predictably, the men are in disagreement as to what an elephant truly is.

Just as the men in the story are blind, so is humanity. However, rather than touching an elephant, mankind reaches for religion.

While the relationship between religion and culture are intertwined and “extends well beyond texts,” one could argue that religion is not a holy, divine thing, but a byproduct of culture— a manmade construction. While the connection between culture and religion is more complex and substantial than what the simple study of literature such as the Bible provides, this symbiotic relationship between culture and religion forms a jumping off point into the study of religion and a clue as to what is often described as

Christians in East Asia and Christians in Alabama both prescribe to the teachings of Jesus Christ), religious beliefs, rituals, and practices are fairly localized. The localization of religion has occurred since ancient times. Even in Ancient Israel, the line between culture and religion was not clear. In the bible, ancient “Israelites, particularly those associated with the Jerusalem Temple… [appeared to be] strict monotheists.” However, “archaeological evidence (and the Bible, too, if read closely enough) suggests that the monotheism of many Israelites was far from pure.” Often, just as in ancient times, the actual application of religion and its impact on the society and culture, varies from geographical location to geographical location. Understanding this interdependent relationship between culture and religion, where they shape one another, is key to studying and defining both religion, in general, and specific