Beliefs and Ritual

Belief and Ritual

(Practice):
Clifford Geertz
• Belief & Practice - "a group's
ethos is rendered
intellectually reasonable by
being shown to represent a
way of life ... rendered
emotionally convincing by
being presented as an image
of the actual state of affairs...”
 Powerful, pervasive(পরিব্যাপ্ত/বিস্তৃ ত), and
long-lasting moods and motivations in
people

What is
Conceptions of a general order of existence

Belief? Auras (জ্যোতি/দ্যুতি) of factuality

Moods and motivations seem uniquely

realistic
What is religion?
a set of beliefs and practices (ritual) aimed at ordering the relation of human beings to
the supernatural

supernatural - powers believed to be not human or not subject to the laws of nature

• not all societies clear distinction

religion - belief and ritual concerned with supernatural beings, powers, and forces
(Anthony Wallace)

a basic congruence between a particular style of life and a specific

metaphysic/cosmology (the nature of being & the universe as an orderly system)
 • Definition given by Emile Durkheim:
“A religion is a unified system of beliefs and practices
relative to sacred things, that is to say, things set apart
and forbidden- beliefs and practices which unite into one
single moral community called a Church, all those who
adhere to them. “
Two elements from the definitions:
What is • Firstly, the beliefs and practice of sacred things,
reflects that there is a common understanding
Religion? among the people of a society/community about
based on what is considered as sacred and what is
profane.
• Secondly, the beliefs and practice which unite into
one moral community, reflects that religion is
inseparable from religious institutions like Church or
similar and this leads to understand further that
religion is eminently a collective thing/matter.
Clifford Geertz on Religion

• A religion is:
• "(1) a system of symbols which acts to establish powerful, pervasive, and
long-lasting moods and motivations in people by
• (3) formulating conceptions of a general order of existence and
• (4) clothing these conceptions with such an aura of factuality that
• (5) the moods and motivations seem uniquely realistic." (Geertz:90)
Explaining religions
Sociologically/Anthropologically

• perspective on religion:
• religion exists in all societies
• a place where all religions are equally accepted
• and equally subjected to analysis
• rejection that magic is somehow an inferior and prior belief system
before religion
• understanding the uniqueness and the similarities of beliefs and
practices of different human groups
Ritual: beliefs into action

• Ritual is a vital element in the processes that make and remake social facts and
collective identities everywhere (Comaroff & Comaroff )
• Ritual is the symbolic behavior through which religion comes alive
• Misconception: In so called ‘western’ or ‘modern’ thought - ritual is considered as a
mark of all that separates rational modernity from cultures of tradition
• the opposite of practical reason!
Features of Ritual:
Ritual is repetitive, sequential, non-ordinary, and “powerful”

Sequential: ‘amen’ or
Repetitive: no Non-ordinary: marked “Powerful”: power to
collective declaration at
innovation is tolerated in time or space change the world
the end
• by intervention of
supernatural entities
• transformation of the
participant
 Functions of ritual

Reinforce social bonds Relieve social tension Deal with life crises Celebrate life cycle ritual is also a way a
events society remembers
through habit
through bodily practices
Thank you!