Sacred Space Essay

The deer is revered by many cultures. Southwest Native Americans, and a handful of Mesoamerican tribes, in particular, especially sanctify the animal (“Native American”). Assyro-Babylonians described deer as a link between early life and the netherworld, and Norse mythology details their ability to move between the worlds (Thompson)(“Stories, Legends, and Teachings). Throughout the nations, deer are viewed as symbols of kindness, peace, caring love , and fertility . Cervines have long been a symbol of the interconnectedness of humankind and nature, since they are intimately interwoven with the fate of mankind.

In chapter 3 of the “Sacred Quest” the book discusses “the ways in which the Sacred is manifested in the world of human experience” (39). In particular, the book discusses examples of sacred persons, objects, time, and space. The Sacred Quest states that there is a pattern in religions and breaks them up into 3 types of sacred appearance: prophetic, sacramental, and mystical. The first, prophetic, is associated most with Judaism and Islam, focusing on a person or prophet. The second is most apparent in Christianity, which emphasizes the presence of the sacred through aspects of material reality and stresses the role of priests. The last is the most characteristic of Buddhists and Hindus, which has to do with the quest of enlightenment. Each

“Nature’s first green is gold, her hardest hue to hold. Her early leaf’s a flower; but only so an hour. Then leaf subsides to leaf. So Eden sank to grief, so dawn goes down to day. Nothing gold can stay” Robert Frost. The words of many authors, poets, and songwriters can influence certain aspects of a person’s life. One may simply admire the work because of the inspiration or beauty behind the piece, but others take the words to heart and live their lives by it. A fan of many transcendentalism authors Chris McCandless wanted to live his life with the same simplicity they did. After finding the inspiration in the works of Jack London and Henry David Thoreau McCandless ventured out into a two-year-long journey to find happiness in the Alaskan Wilderness. McCandless had the bravery to follow his own dream and was willing to risk his life for true happiness. McCandless is admirable because of his generosity, positivity, and courage to follow his own dream.

The Dreaming gives the Aboriginal people a way to explain on how the world came to be.

At the point when religious debate inside the Christian culture turned into a staggering standard, assortments of reconstruction were pervasive in Western Europe. In England, the Protestant Reformation started with the Act of Supremacy in 1534, making Henry VIII the leader of the Anglican Church. The general population of England faced drawbacks under the power of Thomas Cromwell, for the land of the Catholic church was seized and religious communities brought around the legislature. Cromwell, as Henry's Lord Chancellor and leader of the King's Council, started strategies that soon prompted complaints and equipped challenges from his residents. The Pilgrimage of Grace permitted general society to effectively pass on their worries and desires

Religion was created as the understanding of the totem changed. Durkheim states, “religious force is none other than the collective and anonymous force of the clan, the totemic emblem is so to speak the visible body of the god”. The overwhelming spiritual feeling surrounding the totem that is now understood as some form of religion. It becomes more complex over time and creates a hierarchy and order which results in knowledge, a way to organize and understand the world much like the sciences. Both science and religion are a way of knowing, but religion has a stronger emotional pull due to being created through the collective effervescent. “There is no gulf between the logic of religious thought and the logic of scientific thought, both are made up of the same essential elements”. Ultimately, religion gave the people a way to create a division from what is considered sacred and profane in

In both the Edlund and the Warden articles they discuss how in Etruscan society everything was sacred and under “divine protection” and that there was no division between the divine and the earthly. In a society where there is no distinct line between sacred and secular, meaning everything is somewhat

Since religious experiences are inevitably connected with the given locations and thus cultures, they naturally impose the existence of the social relations redefined from the perspective of worship. Therefore, by invoking to the religion, the participants correlate the symbol to the macrocosm it actually represents (Greenwood, 48). This serves as a fundamental reason for using a religious symbol by an individual experiencing personal challenges. The change of perspective allows for creating its total opposite. Therefore, by “[converting] patient into priest,” victim is transformed into a powerful religious entity (Obeyesekere, 393). On the example of Karunavati, her feelings of guilt and loss morph into the spiritual success, a victory over her negative past (Obeyesekere, 391). This way, the symbol is able to synthesize divinity and humanity, proving the impossible in Maniyo’s

(2001). Contemporary Philosophy of Religion: Issues and Approaches. International Journal for Philosophy of Religion,50(1/3), 1-7. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.ucc.idm.oclc.org/stable/40020979

The religious arguments precisely mean that experiences are part of religion and contribute towards ups and downs of faith, achievement and doubts. The religious experiences are ones which are connected to God or God’s action.

Eliade begins his text by making a distinctive divide between the “sacred” and the “profane” and thus grants them a definition. The sacred in order to maintain its sanctity is a separate, abstract entity. It is kept away from the profane in order for it to not become immersed in the mundane. The sacred can be manifested in various forms such as stones and trees. But it never emerges as a sacred entity on its own- the form it acquires (such as that of the stone or tree) acquires a sacred value and thus becomes that entity that is to be worshipped.

Society today is made up of a mosaic of different cultures and religions. Visitors to the U.S. can see the incorporation of many traditions and rituals from other countries. Throughout history there have been many refugees who leave their homelands which has led to the spread of different cultures and traditions around the world. For Jews, the spread of Judaism was caused by diaspora, or dispersion of people outside their countries, which happened several times in history. Even though Judaism is widespread, there is a consistency in the basic traditions and holidays that are celebrated. Many rituals and traditions that are a part of Judaism are still preformed, like bar and bat mitzvahs,

If someone was to ask me what anthropology was, prior to this assignment, I would have probably taken an educated guess such as “the study of life”. In a sense that is correct but not entirely accurate. Anthropology is defined as, “The study of human kind in all times and places” (Haviland, Prins, McBride, & Walrath, 2017). After an extensive analyzation of my experiences, I concluded that I don’t practice anthropology in my life enough. In addition, I discovered that my life doesn’t have much diversity in it. With that said, I am moving forward with an open mind towards new cultures and am eager to learn more about the people that make up this planet.

Culture and Religion seem to be working hand in hand in society, when looking at culture we look at characteristics and knowledge of a particular group of people, defined by everything from language, religion, food, social habits (things that are done natural e.g. saying please and thank you), music and arts. With religion people often use the word to mean the worship of a god or gods. However, some religions do not have gods. One thing that all religions have in common is that they help their believers to find meaning and comfort in the world by using some aspects from that particular religion.

Reflecting on one’s religious experiences growing up can be a rigorous task but can also provide a self-reflection if the one reflecting looks at the events in a non-bias manner. I grew up in a non-structured home when it came to religion. My first experiences of religion came from my Dad’s stepdad. He owned a farm out in Bolton and when I was little I would go to the farm on the weekends and assist them on the farm and maybe see my cousins while I was there. At first, I didn’t go to church with my grandfather, but I would watch the religion channel since they only had one tv and it was on what he wanted if it was on at all. Memories are still engraved of watching sermons of John Hagee and others. He stuck out the most to me because he kind of reminded me of my grand