Native American: Religions - Religions of World | REL 1000, Study notes of Anthropology of religion

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Native American: Religion + Religions  Difficulties Studying Indians o The Myth of the Indian o Shattering the Myth o Textual Differences o Secrecy  Communities are growing larger  Many Indians were illiterate, so didnt write down many stories o But there are European documents  Native americans not always willing to talk due to past betrayals o Hide their religions because considered it their ‘own’  Diversity o Cultural + Religious variations  Hard to get accurate #’s o Population o Languages  Pre-Contact : 250 discrete Indian languages. 50 yrs ago, 150 languages still used.  5 Major Language Groups : Algonkian, Hokan-Sioux, Uto-Aztecan (W + SW), Athabascan (SW + NW), Penutian (NW), Eskimo-Aleut (Alaska)  Penutians Totem Poles  Hawaiians not considered Native Americans because cant buy them land for reserveations  Cultural Diversity o Food o Organization  Patrilineal vs. Matrilineal  Patrilocal vs. Matrilocal (Husband’s Dad) (Wife’s Mother) o Arts/Technology  Weave baskets  Pottery o Architecture  Tepees (Sioux Group)  Wigwams  Brick o Foreign Policy  Some tribes didn’t interact much; strict isolation  Some constant contact w/ others  Native American Religion? o Based on Euro-Americans o Religion  point of cultural collision o Who should be privileged?  Common characteristic of Native American Religions? o Ancestors + kinship o Nature o Transformation (Improvement) o Hunting + War o Shamans + Healing (Professionals)  Ancestors + Kinship o World = bound by ties of kinship  Nature, humans, supernatural o Efficacious ancestors (actual family members)  Guidance  Success + Healing o Nonhuman Spirits  Nature o Web of family relations o Creation myths o Native American more focused on ‘Natural World’ Christian Science  Founder  Mary Baker Eddy o Contains popular philosophy of 1800s  Early Life: July 16, 1881 o Born in a congregation community o Father was a strict Calvinist o Pale; illness o Received a home-education because always sick  Relationships: quareled with father about religious difference o 1st marriage only lasted 7 months, but became pregnant o I’ll, pregnant, penniless; gave up the child o Civil war came through o Married 3X: Gilbert Eddy o Quimby: known as a healer; cure other people’s illness  Mind-cure  Hypnotism; becomes well o Lynn, Massachusetts: Mary slipped on a patch of ice; said she would never walk again  Instantly healed after reading Bible o Published a book: “Science and Health”  432 New Additions o Church of Christ, Scientists  formed after gathering publicity o A group – any group or community that bears your commitment – any organization, city, or nation – though we will die, they will continue o Mankind – even if our family or group dies, we want mankind to live, and we may be able to live through them o Life itself – even if there is no humanity, we live on as long as there is life still in this universe, things will evolve and change, but some part of us will continue with life o Physical Universe – space, time, energy, life – we are here now and we are a part of the universe o Spiritual Beings - o Infinity – if it exists, we must be a part of it or it wouldn’t exist  Central Ritual into scientology o Auditing – someone who has joined and has become a part of scientology – works with a clear, with the use of an E-meter, to get rid of engrams – engrams are the results of bad memories that can keep you from living effectively – Things such as being hurt in a first romantic relationship keeping you from fully committing in another relationship is an engram, memories of your parents beating you that you may not even remember because you were young, it would be an engram still that effects your life – E-machine is a modified polygraph machine, measures stress, they see what topics make your body stress out  Pharmacology – 4/22/09  Know the 5 language groups of Native Americans  Know the 8 dynamics of scientology  Who wrote the book of Mormon? Mormon wrote it o That book was translated into English by Joseph Smith  Maronih is the angel that revealed the location of the tablets to Joseph Smith – he is the son of Mormon  Mormon is the main script  Pearl of Great Price is Mormon script  Mormon afterlife – (setting aside darkness, and ones own planet) o Eternal life in a heavenly realm in the presence of God called Celestial o Terrestrial – on earth ruled by Jesus o Telestial – below earth, not in the realm of heaven  Hieroglyphics  The Fall in Lynn – read the bible on the way home after – Christian Science  The healer Quinby lead her on that path  Main book called Science and Health  Readers – leading people who read lecture sermons  Native Americans  Transformation is the central theme of NA, whether it is a person healing others or spirit changing - blah blah  Shawmut’s are healers – equivalents of priests  5 fundementals – know them o implicit things that define them – know them as well  verbally inspired by god therefore accurate  no such thing as progress  end of the world is around the corner   Liberal and conservative – no  Who is the founder of the PTL network – Jim Baker  Christian broadcasting network – pat robinson  Moral majority 911 comments – jerry fallwell  Jimmy swager ministries – jimmy swager  The leading perponent of distansations – john nelson darby  The perponent of Princeton theology of study of bible, not with reason - Hash  Brought the word fundementalism to usage - Curtis lee – title of fundemental Native Americans: Religion and Religions Wednesday, April 01, 2009 9:37 AM • Difficulties Studying Indians • The Myth of the Indian • The image that we have in mind when say Indian • Native American, Indian = image of a lone Indian warrior; feathers, headdress, spear • Old Native American woman, wrinkled, holding baby • They are a dying people; gradually decaying culture • Shattering the Myth • Native Americans are not a dying people; growing; population numbers grew more in the 20th century • Minorities are becoming less minority • Not all Native Americans look like that (headdress, feathers) • Textual Difficulties • Illiterate; come from European sources; written in E language; language barrier • cultural barrier - behave, practice - the way Europeans view it; any other people who aren't like them are savage • Religion is different; can turn to archaeology and anthropology; artifacts don't tell us what happened, just not facts • Secrecy • Practitioners are not always willing to talk about it • NA have turned to religion as the last thing that Americans have not taken from them • They don't want to share it with Europeans or Americans so that they won't steal/diminish their practice • Diversity • Cultural Variation • Population of Native North America was as densely populated • Tribe/clan - our attempt to label them and how they view their community • Names we gave them (tribes) are not the names they gave themselves • Groups shifted and renamed themselves • Religious Variation • Population • Languages • 250 languages; French and Spanish are non-discrete languages; 250 discrete languages • 5 Major Language Groups • Algonkian • Hokan-Sioux - dominated central plains • Uto-Aztecan - Southwest (south of American border) California • Athabascan - language spoken by southwest and north west (Washington) - totem poles • Penutian • Eskimo -Aleut - don't include Alaska in the US borders • Why aren't Hawaiians not included? • NA communities have been taken; reservations are too expensive in Hawaii • Cultural Diversity • Food • Organization • Patrilineal vs. Matrilineal • Patrilocal vs. Matrilocal • Arts • Some communities developed basket weaving that an hold water • Some communities developed pottery; concrete • Architecture • TP - not all used TP's • Woodwong • Brick structures - abode • Cabin is a Native American invention • Foreign Policy • NA are not warlike or peacelike • Some were strictly isolationist (don't speak to other communities) • OR trade networks • Embraced war as a lifestyles; some go to war every year with the same tribe; just a lifestyle • Native American Religion? • Bias • Based European American understanding • Not all cultures had a concept like we do of religion • Either a real religion or not a real religion (European view) • Saw them as not having religion • Religion = point of cultural collision • Governor kicked them out and declared Mormon wars - they tried to hunt them down and kill them because Governor declared it a heresy • Ended up in Nauvoo, Illinois - the 10th largest city in US; the next metropolis in America • Thought that America, itself, was the promise land • Joseph Smith lost when he ran for Governor; ran for president of the US; arrested for messed up charges; able to overcome the police station; lynching; he was killed in 1844 • Leadership fell to his assistant named Brigham Young, lead the community out of Illinois to Utah • Canaan and Desert looked the same as far as geography; this was the new promise land (Salt Lake city) • Scriptures • Book of Mormon - 60% is word for word from the King James version of the Bible • Holy bible (King James version) accepted • Pearl of Great Price - collection of other scriptural writings that JS recovered; parts of Genesis and Matthew that he recovered and JS biography • Doctrines and Covenants (name of book) - lost the first half; teachings of JS; how to live a life as a Mormon • JS received visions; when he died that ability passed to BY (head of the Mormon church is called the president) inherits the ability to speak with God; revelations can occur at any time • Essentials • God • Monotheistic; God in three parts; not an omnipotent God; the universe has always existed; God created the world but doesn't have every part under his control • God the Father - once a mortal figure - gained merit(as God was, man is; as God is, man can become) • Jesus The Son - son of God • The Holy Spirit - the presence of God here on earth • Internal Focus and External Focus - when judgment comes you will be judged based on the sins you have committed; judged by your own actions; original sin is absent in Mormonism • Faith in Jesus does allow to achieve forgiveness for the things you do • General behavior of Christians • Same moral teachings as Christianity • Several Taboos - abstain from excessive alcohol; abstaining from sex outside of marriage • Practice • Baptism - sacrament, however humans can achieve baptized for those who are dead; want to be Mormon; being baptized for them, those that weren't Mormon • Mormon church run geneology websites • Can be baptized for their ancestors; wants someone else to have a better afterlife • TJ, GW are Mormon - most of the leaders were baptized Mormon by other people • Sealed Marriages - only married till you die; sealed marriage will carry over to the afterlife • Can only achieve the best afterlife if you are still marriage • You must be married • Children must be had so more bodies and souls can go on achieve higher exaltation • There is no hell in Mormonism • Three major afterlives • Celestial - heaven in the presence of God; feeling the divine presence of God; live the perfect live and are Mormon • Terrestrial - eternal life here on earth overseen by Jesus; all people that are good in a special kingdom • Telestial - reject God; eternal life on earth just not in that chosen kingdom • Highest afterlife - you receive your own planet and you can populate the planet is you so desire Fundamentalism Monday, April 20, 2009 9:42 AM 1. Fundamentalism - applied in relation to Islam; term came from Christianity to identify themselves 2. Origin: Terms and History • Tradition began in America at the end of the Civil War • Premillenial dispensationalism - second coming of Jesus • When? 1000 years of peace to happen at the end, Jesus will come before this peace period; world will continue to fail and go to hell until Jesus comes; you can never make the world peace • Postmillennial - Jesus comes after the 1000 years of peace • Darby - Age right before the dispensation millennia - God has interacted with man in different ways at different times; God chooses to act differently to different people • Time where the true church (true believers) will be gathered to Jesus and meet him in the air (rapture) • Then the antichrist will come - battle of Armageddon (battle of good and evil) • Hodge - rationalistic study of the bible - approach bible as accept scientific and historical truth of the bible and start study from there • Encourage the idea of literalism in the study of the bible; no one is literal in the bible - synonyms, ileums • Came to prominence in the 1920's - to restore the fundamentals of Christianity • <---------Liberal-----------------------------Conservative----------------------------- Fundamentalist----------> • Fundamentalism shouldn't be put in this spectrum because it makes it seems that F is different from L and C • Curtis Laws - rejected terms like Premillenial and dispensationalism • The Fundamentals - written by a man named Stewart; Laws brought the language to people 3. Early Fundamentalism • 5 things agreed upon to be a Christian • Holy Scriptures are without error • Jesus was fully embodied God • Virgin birth happened • Jesus dies as a substitution for the sins of mankind • There was a bodily resurrection and will return (imminent 2nd return) • Every translation is what God wanted to be said • There is no progress that things are getting better is a lie; things are getting worse - end of the world is near; and sign of things getting better is an illusion 4. 20th Century • John T. Scopes trial - Monkey Trial - on trial for violating the Tennessee State's Butler Act - Forbade the teaching of evolution; clearly guilty • Trial was not whether or not he was guilty; trail was really whether or not evolution can be taught in class; whether fundamentalism was worthy; made fundamentalism look bad; scopes was guilty and paid fine; but they won in some sense; made any law and any religion against look bad; can't take bible literal • National Association of Evangelicals formed • Evangelicals - refer to practice of non-denominational Christianity; free will; revivalism • Now Progressive Fundamentalism with a social message; embrace change • Response to modern forms of view • Rejecting modernity; embrace modernity to a point • TV became a big deal • Free of charge if had Public Broadcasting • Preaching of style would be publicized and spread Christianity • Billy Graham - most well known - seen as a moderate at the time • Fundamentalists had to pay to televise • Cheaper to raise money to buy a station • Christian networks • CBN - Christian Broadcasting Network founded by Pat Robertson • PTL - Praise the Lord or People that love founded by Jim Bakker • F on the rise • Jim Bakker - scandals regarding not paying taxes • Jim Swagger - Another for taxes and prostitutes • Public apologies by both these televangelists • Value based broadcasting - 7th heaven, growing pains; values that fundamentalists can agree with • Became more popular after scandals 5. Pat Robertson used to have financial advice, and discuss political issues and Jim Carter wasn't the president he liked because not Christian views 6. Jerry Falwell - organized the Moral • 4 million members • Renamed group Liberty Foundation • Lobby to make laws for Fundamentalist views