Sacred Vs Profane

Mircea Eliade’s The Sacred and the Profane analyzes a wide variety of components that are found within various world religions. Eliade uses the history of religion to support his ideas as the the book itself is a brief introduction to religion as a whole, particulary the religions of primitive societies. Nonetheless, when looking to the past one can see that mankind’s desire to associate itself with the sacred has been occuring for thousands of years. From temples to passages of intiation, religious man is a unique microcosm that follows and repeats the structure of the religious macrocosm, the creation of the cosmos. One can conclude that Eliade views religion as the “paradigmatic solution for every existential crisis.” (p210) and

On the other hand, Micrea Eliade approach to religion can be categorized as a phenomenological study. He was interested in universal patterns and commonalities amongst the world. Rather than looking at religion as a function that branched off of something else, he wanted to emphasis that the study of religion has it’s own right. The

Sacred texts and writings are very beneficial for Christian people since they are the word of God and can be deliberated as supportive indication of understanding the principle beliefs of Christianity which include the divinity and humanity of Jesus Christ, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the nature of god and the nature of trinity, revelation and salvation. This essay aim’s at assessing the significant role of the sacred text in providing authentic information in regards to sacred texts.

In Eliade’s The Sacred and the Profane, he accentuates the inevitable distinction between the sacred and profane.This develops when an individual tries to establish himself in his world and acknowledges his own individuality of the worldly and physical spaces he takes up. Chaos seems to be in the areas where the profane governs and there are no principles in a profane universe. The idea of the sacred comes from knowledge itself. The brahmanas defines religion and human existence with the sacredness embedded in water which brings forth life.

Elialde author of The Sacred and the Profane introduces a new model of the sacred and the profane. Elialde’s model is meant to be universal, therefore meant to be appropriate for any recognized religion. David Carrasco author of Religions of Mesoamerica and Kay Almere Read and Jason J. González authors of Mesoamerican Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs of Mexico and Central America, discuss their interpretation of the Mesoamerican religion although their views on the Mesoamerican religion differs in some aspects when compared to Eliade’s model of the sacred and the profane there are a few noticeable similarities between both views.

Religion manifests itself everywhere around the world. Although all beings are different we come together as one transcendence being the host. Sacred rituals are performed, honoring beliefs in accordance to ones religion. Rituals are performed for a wide array of reasons, some being a sort of rite of passage, healing the sick and even birth or death rituals. Judaism, Santeria, and Christianity all have ceremonies and rituals, some carried out as different as night and day, and some for the same purposes. These religions in depth have more in common than the eye can see, devotion, transcendence and worship to a higher absolute power. All participating in Sacred Ritual.

Scholars prefer to focus on religious traditions rather than just “religion” because religious traditions are “a tradition is an historical context or network of linguistic, personal, and cultural relationships” (Portier 19). Traditions can be limiting like the legal tradition in America where we carry it around because it shapes our ideas of what is right and what is wrong. Traditions can also be freeing like the civil rights movement which ended slavery and ended a limiting tradition. Traditions are used as a resource to answer the deeper questions about life. Also, scholars prefer to focus on religious traditions due to a problem associated with “religion”. The problem with “religion” is what does the term “religion” actually refer to?

Irrefutably spiritual possession has a rigorous history and is a near-universal phenomenon that has occurred in the majority of human cultures. The spectacle of possession has been portrayed as the main factor in the earliest daily life of a Babylonian. All types of evil possessions were ascribed from pestilent diseases, insanity, stirring up the passions, and an assortment of personal terrors in and out of the body; sometimes called ‘the seizer.’ Early magical texts and incantations in the Assyrian tablets offer the first written accounts for the treatment of illnesses; special gods and/or prayers to deities were called upon to help rid people of these overshadowing forces of possession.

In William Kirk Kilpatrick’s article, “Why the Secular Needs the Sacred,” the need for spirituality to be the basis behind the rules of this world is accurately presented. Six reasons the world rules need spirituality behind them are to: give a reason to the secular laws, give authority to parents, give a moral reason to keep the laws, instigate love and respect rather than hostility, give the power to discipline, and explain why things are done this way. Kilpatrick suggests that in order for one’s daily actions to make sense, one must recognize the sacred values hidden in them. Those actions will not make sense without

Spirituality and religion hold different values and truths depending on your personal beliefs. Being religious is a belief or practice that contains certain values one should follow. When looking deeper into religion you can find spirituality which is the part of religion that effects our spirit and soul, it is not tangible. “The Sacred within” is spirituality and pertains to God dwelling inside of our heart and soul. When looking at “the sacred within” there are certain senses that we can tap into so, we may obtain that sort of spirituality. Through solitude, silence, imagination, and nature, we can have a better sense of spirituality.

The sacred books are very important to the Hinduism religion. The sacred books are used for spiritual guidance and practical advice. It helps Hindus to understand their religions through stories. They are encouraged to follow their heroes, like, the story of Ramayana. There are many instructions in the book that teaches how to live and worship the life of Hinduism. The sacred text is treated with great respect. It can’t be put directly on the floor nor touched it with dirty hands. They are often placed on shrines and wrapped in beautiful silk clothes. In mandir, temple or special occasions, like, a wedding, the priest will often recite verses before reading the books. The priest read prayers and sing songs. In the past, a priest will recite at public ceremonies. He studies them and explains to those who seek spiritual guidance. The teachings are always remembered. Today, the stories are explained and learned through cinemas and television. Nevertheless, it’s still important and a big part of the Hindu culture.

Several people find Mircea Eliade’s view on religion similar to Emile Durkheim’s, but in truth, it is similar to Tylor and Frazer’s. One of Eliade’s major works was The Sacred and the Profane. In his writings he explains that his understanding of religion are two concepts: the sacred and the profane. The profane consists of things that are ordinary, random, and unimportant, while the sacred is the opposite. The sacred “is the sphere of supernatural, of things extraordinary, memorable, and momentous” (Pals 199). When Durkheim mentioned the sacred and the profane, he was concerned about society and its needs. In Eliade’s view, the concern of religion is with the supernatural. To Eliade, the profane doesn’t hold as

Our understanding and motivation towards political movements and action relies on our values that we hold (Marietta, 2012, p. 25). The use of sacredness assigns a value to the cause in question, such as the example of martyrs in the Euromaidan protest riots. By associating those that died at the hands of government and police at the Euromaidan riots with the term ‘martyr,’ we identify the cause that they have died for (Ukrainian independence of Russia and unification with the European Union) as of sacred importance (Shterin, 2016). This cause is now seen as an act of valor, and participation in it brings one a sense of righteousness, dignity, and moral pride, as described by Marietta (2012, p. 62). By associating a political movement with ‘the

The study of the supernatural can take many forms; a supernatural creature or phenomenon, religions, a rituals or religious practices, myths, and legends. For this essay, I will be looking a significant figure in the study of religion, and how they have influenced study of the supernatural. Mircea Eliade was a Romanian scholar who wrote fiction and non-fiction prolifically on religion and spirituality. To discuss Eliade’s views on the supernatural, we must first look at why he is influential in the field of religious study.

The sacred is saturated with being.  Sacred power means reality and at the same time enduringness and efficacity.  The polarity sacred-profane is often expressed as an opposition between real and unreal or pseudoreal...thus it is easy to understand that religious man deeply desires to be, to participate in reality, to be saturated with power (12-13).