Religion Exam Article Review Samples

“Myth” by Eliade describes myths as a sacred history. They are stories that are the beginning of all people. Essentially, the describe a time before what people remember, and even times before they existed. They often explained the world’s structure, why the sun rose, and set, where the dead went when they died, or why the seasons changed. The myths help people relate to a god, or gods and spirits, because the myths always pertain to the natural world, and the eternal soul within everything, as well as the afterlife. There is an all-knowing being in all myths, and an afterlife. There is also a respect given to all living and even non-living things because they are connected to humans through their soul. Many myths are inherently the same, explaining our history in the same manner, allowing religion to maintain the same trustworthy character.
Myths often operate on a cultural reflective, structural, or psychoanalytical mode. For example, Australia’s, “In the Beginning” operates on a structural mode, attempting to explain the formation of the world, as well as the Earth. “The Creation of the World,” is a more culturally reflective mode, as it attempts to convey the formation of the world, but it uses animals specific to the region it is speaking of. “The Emergence,” attempts a psychoanalytical mode, however, as it struggles with not only the formation of the world, but also how humans interacted with one another, even tackling difficult themes for primitive societies, such as adultery and how even though that action is considered unclean, they continued to do it. This concept delved into the human psyche, exploring the idea that humans were capable of making up their own minds, rather than only following the rules myths set for them.
Concerning myths and religions, there were many rituals that took place. One example is the daily prayer, performed by Muslims in the morning, midafternoon, evening, and nightfall. This is commanded by Mohammed, their religion’s prophet. Another example of a religious ritual would be the Inuit’s seal hunt, which was connected to the Mother of the Sea’s benevolence. If they had appeased her, the hunt would go well, and if they had not, the hunt would go poorly. The hunt was a rite of passage, with the Inuit believing the tribe must behave and the Mother of the Sea’s hair must be “neat” in order for the seals to be hunted successfully. A final example of rituals is the Australian Aborigines bone-pointing ritual, otherwise known as a cursing ritual. The Aborigines used kangaroo bones, sharpening one end, and drilling a hole in the other. Using an individual’s hair to thread through the hole, the curser points the bone at the person to be cursed in public.
Symbolism is important during rituals in many cultures. They represent historical identity, healing, puberty, and many other essential properties cultures attempt to attain during these specific rituals. Bowen speaks about an amulet worn by healers that contains a piece of paper inside. The piece of paper even has a symbol written on it, further lending to the idea of symbolism in rituals. Turner describes how the mudyi tree is used extensively as a symbol in many rituals concerning both boys and girls, for fertility, as well as hunting rituals. Myerhoff suggests the deer symbolizes earlier hunting in the Huichol Indian society, therefore representing historical identity in their rituals.