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St Jude Worldview Essay

Decent Essays

In aligning St. Jude’s model of and model for with respective member’s worldview and ethos, the belief in symbols becomes intertwined with their perception of reality. Prayer through silent suffering acts as both St. Jude’s model of and model for, justifying the practicality of a religious ethos and confirming their worldview, essentially making this form of prayer, and their belief in St. Jude, as real as possible.
The model of and for becomes more easily identifiable with individual’s worldview as it becomes capable of interacting with ordinary objects. Geertz found that “true symbols” must be capable of “both shaping themselves to reality and themselves shaping it,” ultimately reinforcing the practicality of religious rules in society (Geertz 351). As societal expectations themselves are in a constant state of flux, the duality between model of and model for allows religious symbol and ritual to continue and stay pertinent. When in perilous medical situations, the “devout” would often “convince nurses and orderlies to apply St. Jude’s Holy Oil (Orsi 181).” The physical quality of this symbol allows the devout to easily incorporate models of and for into their daily routine, but most importantly, it allows them to easily incorporate their etho’s holy rituals and spiritual expectations into their worldview.
For women in the St. Jude’s community, the act of prayer through silently suffering allows them to actively exemplify Geertz’s “model for,” while simultaneously

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