In many areas of the globe, specifically the West, there is a new focus on individualism rather than seeing religion as an all-embracing principle. However, religion undoubtedly performs a social function to some extent in all religions, especially when analysing ideas surrounding death. Dumont argues that there has been a shift from ‘religious truth to a purely social fact’. (1970)
For Durkheim, religion is an eminently social thing. ‘Religious representations are collective representations which express collective realities’ (Thompson, 1982, p. 125 [excerpt from The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life]). This is expressed in Parry’s monograph through multiple examples. For many Hindus, filial duties are of utmost importance. These duties
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Furthermore, the way that we act out practice and perceive the world is shaped by our particular position in the social structure. Thus, death is an apt topic to review religion as a social function, as funeral rites and expressions of grief reflect a lot on specific societies and are culturally relative. Firstly, funeral rites are indicative of gender relations in wider social life. The roles for men and women when it comes to coping with death are clear cut. As in non-religious life, women are seen as more faint-hearted than man, thus, their job is to simply grieve. Parry notes many instances of women breaking into ‘sing-song wails’ (Parry, 1994, p.153). Men, on the other hand, are seen as more spiritually capable, and so they are able to perform rituals, they also do not openly express grief. Parry concludes then, that the ‘legitimate expression of grief is structured by gender’ (Parry, 1994, p.155). It is important to question whether these displays of emotion, or lack of, are socially constructed. Take, for example, Kamla, the son a recently deceased woman. During her funeral procession Kamla is seen looking very solemn and silent, Parry wonders if perhaps he wants to express his grief, but knows that he can’t due to social traditions. Through all castes in Banaras, the separation of genders in matters of grieving is continuous. Secondly, religion repeats social structure. Those without sons cannot …show more content…
For residents of Banaras, the rituals of death are continued time and time again. Whether they are directly involved or not, funeral practices underpin life in Banaras. The continuity of funeral practices over time means they gain importance, and are seen are imperative to the society. Parry discovers that ‘enquiries about the purpose of this or that rite commonly meet with the terse response that it has been ordained by the scriptures and handed down by ancestors’ (Parry, 1994, p.1). This further reinforces social cohesion during mourning periods. In some way, these funeral practices are comparable to Webb Keane’s theory of the ‘bored schoolboy who has memorised a credo which he recites by rote’ (Keane, 2008, S116). Clearly, it is possible for people to engage in funeral practices without fully understanding, or even believing, in them. If this is the case, then it is especially useful to consider religion as performing a social function. One variety of funeral practice, is performed by the Mahabrahman, the funeral priest. In this practice, the Mahabrahman will eat the ground up bones of the deceased. This process serves as a social function as it is not ‘merely a matter of the Mahabrahman representing the deceased’ there is ‘some kind of identity between them’ (Parry, 1994, p.77). Though the Mahabrahman finds the act disgusting, he will still carry it out, as he recognises the overwhelming importance in the
The Asabano traditionally believed that once an individual passes, they are biologically dead but they are not ‘socially’ dead. For this reason, dealing with the remains of the deceased was considered very sacred. It was believed that how the remains were handled would either lead to a positive or negative future relationship with the departed indivi...
“In most human society's death is an extremely important cultural and social phenomenon, sometimes more important than birth” (Ohnuki-Tierney, Angrosino, & Daar et al. 1994). In the United States of America, when a body dies it is cherished, mourned over, and given respect by the ones that knew the person. It is sent to the morgue and from there the family decides how the body should be buried or cremated based on...
In the beginning observations of this story, I learned the unique set of structure used. She started of early in the story stating “43% of American’s who died last year were burned instead of buried”. This represents the idea that there is a significant change in the way we dispose our bodies. The author also introduced a change of traditional methods to modern methods in the structuring of the text. Authors key focus was cultural change. Readings show that people who don’t believe in Christ(Atheism) rose thirteen percent in 2012-2013. This change and rise resurrected ne ideas about our bodies. Traditionally people will get buried as form of laying your body in the ground for the coming of Christ. Since the rise of atheism, however, people think as they don’t need to bury themselves and can use an alternate way they feel that suits them and their body when they
―"Religion in “Brave New World“." Religion in Brave New World. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May 2014.
Deaths were a form of social event, when families and loved ones would gather around the bed of the dying, offering emotional support and comfort. Myth, religion, and tradition would combine to give the event deeper meaning and ease the transition for all involved. The one who was dying was confident in knowing what lay behind the veil of death, thanks to religious faith or tradition. His or her community held fast to the sense of community, drawing strength from social ties and beliefs. (“Taboos and Social Stigma - Rituals, Body, Life, History, Time, Person, Human, Traditional Views of Death Give Way to New Perceptions" 1)
According to a study, many difficult cultures have the tendency to establish their methods of coping, whether it is through religion, culture, or/and personal ideologies (Chen, 2012). Mourning and burial ceremonies play a pivotal role for Lossography due to individuals having the ability and liberty to express melancholy and sometimes jubilation during the times they once had with their loved one. These types of beliefs and practices used as coping mechanisms can be very meaningful and profound for the comfort of the individual who’s going through a mournful experience (Chen, 2012). These types of coping mechanisms is important for Lossography, due to the fact that individuals are able to convey emotions through traditional practices, archaic arts and crafts, and spiritual rituals to fully find meaning with the death of their loved one. In addition, having established beliefs can definitely change the perception of what death signifies based upon religious and cultural expectations of the afterlife. However, not all cultures and religions put much emphasis into the afterlife. For instance, the monotheistic religion Judaism does not contain any interpretation of what happens after someone dies. Judaists believe that nothing happens after death, death is considered a taboo and not something that is commonly talked about for these religious individuals. Lossography, in religion may take on many forms for how death is perceived and for what actions can people take to ensure that their death will bring them to a place of peace, joy, and everlasting life. Lossography regarding religion, gives individuals hope that death is not the end, it gives them hope that knowing that person may not be here with us in the flesh, but that person is somewhere smiling down. Lossography in religion,
The crux of Emile Durkheim’s The Elementary Forms of Religious Life lies in the concept of collective effervescence, or the feelings of mutually shared emotions. Through a hermeneutical approach, Durkheim investigates the reflexiveness of social organization, the balance between form and content, and the immense cooperation in collective representations. In his work, society is the framework of humanity and gives it meaning, whereas religion acts as the tool to explain it. Since society existed prior to the individual, the collective mind must be understood before the concept of the individual can be grasped. However, one component seems missing from his social theory – what underlies society in terms of rituals and rites?
When death occurs, the body is prepared for viewing. People of the same gender prepare the body by laying their “hands across the chest, closing the eyelids, anointing the body with oil, and placing flower garlands around it.” (Leming & Dickinson, 2011, pg. 384). According to Leming and Dickinson, Hindus believe that cremation is “an act of sacrifice” because they are offering their body to God. The body is usually cremated on the bank of a sacred river. The book, Understanding dying, death, and bereavement offers an “invocation” that would be close to what a priest would recite, “Fire, you were lighted by him, so may he be lighted from you, that he may gain the regions of celestial bliss. May this offering prove auspicious.” Leming and Dickinson (2011) state that between 10-31 days post cremation, a feast (shraddha) is shared among mourners and priests. Shraddhas can last hours to days, depending on the wealth of the family. Once this shraddha is over, the mourning period comes to a close. It is said that the funeral is the second most important ritual, following a wedding, and that many families spend all the money they have on them, leading to impoverishment (Leming & Dickinson, 2011, p.
Funerals are very important ceremonies in Hindu tradition. Hindus see cremation as an act of sacrifice to God and...
In discussions of the world would be a more peaceful place without religions, one controversial issue has been placing blame on one 's own religion when wars or conflict ending in violence has occurred. The question is asked. Does religion play a role in the violence going on around the world? On the one hand, many people may agree with this belief and argues that religion in a way always has played a role in the amount of violence in our society. On the other hand, the public contends that as humans we know what were are doing and our religion has nothing to do with the violence that we create. Others even maintain that we use religion as an excuse or as an answer to why we created so much violence. My own view on this topic is taking away
Religion has stricken much debate over its origins. Some finds propose that some sort of religion was present since the beginning of mankind. Evidence of sacrificial ceremonies can relate the relationship between man and animal, and between man and his natural environment. Another theory of the birth of religion came from the “Near East” from the polytheistic views of the Hindu. They believed there were gods and goddesses of fire, wind, rain, and earth which lead to them making ceremonial prayers for rain, sunshine, or health. The pantheistic views, from African and American Indian cultures, briefly meant all is God. And the monotheistic views which is believed to have come from 2000BC. One can only question, what purpose does religion serve in today’s society? And what does society, as a whole, feel it needs to know?
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
The concept of human mortality and how it is dealt with is dependent upon one’s society or culture. For it is the society that has great impact on the individual’s beliefs. Hence, it is also possible for other cultures to influence the people of a different culture on such comprehensions. The primary and traditional way men and women have made dying a less depressing and disturbing idea is though religion. Various religions offer the comforting conception of death as a begining for another life or perhaps a continuation for the former.
Ideologies creates a sense of community, purpose and order. Similarly, I find that my religion provides me with the conceptual frameworks in which to ground my life. My life revolves around my Islamic commitments, even school and work is set around my Islamic timetable. So to me, Islam is not just about praying, fasting and so on. Yet, it’s also about my moral conduct, the education that I seek and my worldly actions. Growing up in a community that practices an Islamic lifestyle and culture has convinced me that Islam is one of the exceptional religions which stress the development of the positive moral and ethical. I was taught to live peacefully, help each other and also tolerate with other religions. Not only that, Islam also governs all facets of my life such as moral, spiritual, physical, intellectual, social and economic via the Quran and the Hadith. I also learnt the true values of my faith which is Islam is not only for the Muslim world, it is to be practiced wherever I am.
Religion is the one element of life that has connected the races and societies of the world for hundreds of years. It has given meaning to lives that may seem otherwise hopeless. Religion has provided for a universal language and culture among those who believe in a higher power. The spirit or being receiving the worship and praise may not be the same, but the practices are usually similar and serve the same purpose--to give direction, insight, courage, and a divine connection.