Why We Should Not Be Considered A Primitive Religion

The indigenous tribes of North America have much in common with the indigenous religions of Africa but there are also many differences in the belief of an afterlife, supreme deity, and the daily practices of each. Today many of these lesser known religions are hardly ever studied but they exist and are still practiced all over North America and Africa. We will discuss how these religions differ in their main beliefs and practices, and we will also discuss how they correlate with one another on smaller aspects.

1). Tribal religion is practiced by people in the tribe that has occupied that region of the world for centuries, possibly thousands of years. The indigenous religion may be something of a hybrid of religious beliefs or ideas because of the exposure to missionaries and other forms of indoctrination. Indigenous religion often is viewed as using witchcraft, magic, belief is spirits, and medicinal altering of the mind.

With the major religions constantly crashing together, the principles and customs of each religion seem to always build similarities each time you study them. This is what occurred to me when i began reading “Living religions” studying practices and rites. Beginning with the traditional indigenous groups - descendants of the original inhabitants of lands now controlled by larger political systems in which they may have little influence (33) -, I observed the common rites performed by the different indigenous groups. Many groups lean on the word “spiritual”, rather than “religious”. There’s really no clarification as to why this is the case, but the author, Fisher addressed that religion has

Every person on this planet has a set of beliefs and values that they implement into their daily lives, helping them understand the world, humanity, and themselves. This set of beliefs and values can be called a worldview. The worldviews and ways of knowing of Indigenous Peoples (in this paper, specifically Indigenous Peoples of North America) have existed for centuries, yet often they remain in juxtaposition with Western (in this paper, specifically Eurocentric) ways of knowing and Western worldviews. One way of knowing is reliant on science, order, and the

spirituality. Aboriginal spirituality is passed on orally by elders through myths and rituals. Without knowledge of their traditional languages, young people could not learn about the spiritual beliefs of their people. This spirituality was all encompassing, affecting not only their thoughts about the spirit world but also their knowledge of places, plants and animals and traditional skills such as fishing, trapping, and tanning (Blair et al., 2002, p. 96). As Steckley and Cummins have pointed out, without access to the elders’ knowledge of nature, young people lost access to the beliefs and practices their people had developed over thousands of years (2001, p. 17). Therefore, the loss of language led to the loss of traditional spiritual beliefs and

In the study of religion, one can quickly discern that there are two major differentiations between the anthropological definition of religion, and that of religion in the context of belief systems. Religion, in the context of anthropology, can often be related to social institutions. On the other hand, religion in the context of belief systems indicate faith in something or someone...such as oneself, a god, or object. As identified by scholar Clifford Geertz, the anthropological definition of religion is “a system of symbols which acts to (1) establish powerful, pervasive, and long-lasting moods and motivations in men by (2) formulating conceptions of a general order of existence and (3) clothing these conceptions with such an aura of factuality

''In both tribe's, religion is an integral part of their daily life''(Encyclopedia Britannica #1). This conveys that religion is an essential factor of their daily routine, furthermore it also explains that their lifestyle is revolved around their ethnicity. Both practice their beliefs through dances, festivals, ceremonies, feasts, prayers, and stories. ''Their religions' central belief is that all humanity and nature should be respected and appreciated for''(Grumet, Robert S. #6). This establishes that both the tribes are regardful about human nature and keen on religion. The Chilkat Tlingit's believe in the creator ''Raven''. They describe him as the supreme being who brought the world into existence. Both Indian tribes respect and acknowledge Mother Earth, because they believe she supplies their life with soil, water, air, trees, and many other necessities. The Sioux Indians are vastly religious, for

The author’s purpose in writing this article was not to show the “Nacirema” as an example of how extreme human behavior can become, but how an outside perspective can affect your perception of an alien culture. If one were to look at the “Nacirema’s” cultural behaviors regarding physical appearance and health without any insight or knowledge of the specific beliefs or values of that culture, they might seem bizarre and even incomprehensible. By showing behaviors and “rituals” performed by this unknown tribe, Miner allowed others to see that the way studies were representing distinctive cultures was narrowminded and defective. Without the proper comprehension of the basis of any society, huge cultural misunderstandings could occur. Of

Vine Deloria discussed and elaborated on many issues in God Is Red: A Native View of Religion. The Indian movement within America has many difficulties including how the Christian and Native perspectives on many issues, including history, time and land, was informative and enlightening. The issues between the conflicting viewpoints on creation, history and how it effects our present American culture has been an interest to me. I want to focus on the chapter on Death and Religion where the contrast between the Christian worldview and the Native worldview have informed and influenced our cultural as a whole and on a personal level.

Many indigenous religions and cultures viewed the earth with great respect and reverence. This can be seen through their kinship with the land, their belief in animism, their hunter/hunted relationship, and their origin stories.

Another characteristic of an indigenous religion deals with the emphasis placed on the spiritual specialists. The general consensus is that anyone can have personal or direct access to spirits or that which is unseen, yet felt (democratized shamanism). There is no special requirement in most indigenous systems that stipulate ‘who’ can commune or interact with spirits, however, as a general rule, many feel that it is best to leave interactions with spirits to those that have been taught or trained through ritual or purification of some sort. Most indigenous religions are not written down, but based on oral

Indigenous religions exist in every climate around the world and exhibit a wide range of differences in their stories, language, customs, and views of the afterlife. Within indigenous communities, religion, social behavior, art, and music are so intertwined that their religion is a significant part of their culture and virtually inseparable from it. These religions originally developed and thrived in isolation from one another and are some of the earliest examples of religious practice and belief. The modern world; however, has taken its toll on these groups and many of their stories, customs, and beliefs have been lost to, or replaced by, those brought in as a result of popular culture and the missionary work of Christians and Muslims.

Religion is a fundamental element of human society. It is what binds a country, society or group of individuals together. However, in some instances it destroys unity amoungst these. Religion is a belief in a superhuman entity(s) which control(s) the universe. Every religion has its differences but most strive for a just life and the right morals. The three major groups are the primal regions which consist of African, Aboriginal and Native American religions, Asian which consist of South Eastern Asian religions and Abrahamic religions which consist of Middle Eastern religions. The foci of this essay are the differences between the Abrahamic religion, Christianity, and the Asian region Buddhism as well as making reference to the Islamic

One would not or should not consider indigenous religions primitive. A religion not having a doctrine does not make it uncivilized or in a sense savage. As well as, it doesn't make it any less of a religion compared with newer religions. It is sad that a lot of the indigenous religions are starting to die out because, of the younger generation and not keeping with the traditions but, most of these religions are still very much being practiced and could by definition not be considered primitive. This thinking as in the book has left people trying to find different words to call this religion such as non-literate, primal, basic, etc. When first read, I was even thinking along the lines of prejudice which isn't right at all. If someone has a

You make some really good points. There are some points that you included that I did not but think are very important in setting apart the primal religions. The ideas of time and place are very complex and things that I do not fully understand due to the differences in todays modern American culture. In response to your question, I do not think the primal religions are completely outdated. Yes, there are some practices from primal religions that could be viewed that way simply due to the progress that the world has made over the years. For example, I do not think that certain religions could survive without a written word. Like you said, in Christianity the main focus of their practice is the Bible. Without this form of written word, Christianity