Riligioun

Content

1. Animism..................................................................2

2. Basic beliefs of animism.........................................2-3

3. Animism...................................................................3

4. The basic beliefs of Hindus......................................4

5. Demons: .................................................................4-5

6. Souls........................................................................5

7. Ghosts biography...................................................5-6

8. Ghosts....................................................................5-6

9.Tricksters................................................................6

10.Witches.................................................................6 

trickster /ˈtrɪk.stə r / /-stɚ/ noun [ C ] disapproving

a person who deceives people

a confidence trickster

animism /ˈæn.ɪ.mɪ.z ə m/ noun [ U ] specialized

the belief that all natural things, such as plants, animals, rocks, thunder and earthquakes , have spirits and can influence human event 

demon /ˈdiː.mən/ noun

1. [ C ] an evil spirit

2. [ C usually singular ] approving a person who does a particular activity with great skill or energy

She works like a demon.

Stefan has a demon serve.

3. [ C ] a person who behaves very badly

humorous That's the last time I look after her kids - I'll be glad when the little demons go home.

4. [ C ] a negative feeling which causes you to worry or behave badly

She had her demons and, later in life, they drove her to drink. 

witch /wɪtʃ/ noun [ C ]

witch

1. a woman who is believed to have magical powers and who uses them to harm or help other people

a witch on a broomstick

Witches were persecuted all over western Europe from the 15th to the 17th century as it was claimed that they had dealings with the Devil.

2. informal disapproving an unpleasant and ugly woman

                                                            Animism

In order to live in peace and harmony early man had to have an understanding of animals and nature. He realized that the world around him was alive. He had to find a way to live with nature. However, this was not always easy. Sometimes the sun smiled and the world appeared friendly. At other times there were many hardships. Storms raged. Rivers overflowed. Trees refused to bear fruits. Caves where early Man lived collapsed on top of him. Man imagined that around him were spirits, who could not be seen. They lived in trees, rocks, rivers and, in fact, in all things around him. He thought that if he angered the spirits, they would bring him hardships .if he pleased them, then the spirits would reward him

So, in times of hardship, early man performed special ceremonies to please the spirits. Soon, a new character appeared who claimed he heard voices of the spirits. He told the people what to do and what no to do. He was called the witch doctor.

The belief that everything in nature has a spirit is called animism. In Asia today, animism still exists. On roadsides, in parts of Asia, one can see signs of spirit worship. An offering of flowers or fruits and a couple of joss sticks indicates a shrine to please a spirit.

Do you believe in ghosts?

1.      It is from animism that the belief in ghosts originated. Ghosts in Indonesia and Malaysia are called hantu. There are many folk tales about the hantu in the traditional literature of the Malays and the Indonesians. Find out more about stories of hantu from your school or local library.

2.      Superstition is part of animism. The Australian culture has many rituals and beliefs, such as throwing rice or confetti at a wedding and the unlucky number thirteen. These are all based on the same idea as animism-to please the spirits. Write down as many superstitions as you can find. Some of you may want to read them aloud to the class.

3.      Have you heard of the ‘kadaitcha man’ in aboriginal culture? Do you know what happens to an aboriginal if he has been ‘sung to’ or if a ‘bone-pointing’ ceremony has been carried out against him?
            In order to
          hardships.hardship /ˈhɑːd.ʃɪp/ /ˈhɑːrd-/ noun [ C or U ]

(something which causes) difficult or unpleasant conditions of life, or an example of this

economic hardship

 Storms

storm /stɔːm/ /stɔːrm/ noun VIOLENT WEATHER

1. [ C ] an extreme weather condition with very strong wind, heavy rain and often thunder and lightning

A lot of trees were blown down in the recent storms.

They're still clearing up the storm damage.

storm /stɔːm/ /stɔːrm/ noun EMOTIONAL REACTION

2. [ C usually singular ] a very angry reaction from a lot of people

There was a storm of protest when the new tax was announced.

 raged.

rage /reɪdʒ/ verb [ I usually + adv/prep ]

1. to speak very angrily to someone

He raged at (= spoke angrily to) us for forgetting to order a replacement.

2. to happen in a strong or violent way

The storm raged outside.

A flu epidemic is raging in/through local schools.

The argument rages on (= continues strongly) .

-rage /-reɪdʒ/ suffix

describes situations where people become extremely angry or violent

road-rage

trolley-rage

air-rage

overfloweoverflow /ˌəʊ.vəˈfləʊ/ /ˌoʊ.vɚˈfloʊ/ verb TOO FULL

overflow

1. [ I or T ] When a liquid overflows, it flows over the edges of a container, etc. because there is too much of it

The milk overflowed when I poured it into the jug.

Because of heavy rain, the river may overflow its banks.

refused 

refuse /rɪˈfjuːz/ verb [ I or T ]

to say that you will not do or accept something

He asked me to give him another loan, but I refused.

He's in trouble but he's refused all (my offers of) help.

[ + to infinitive ] On cold mornings the car always refuses to start.

[ + two objects ] The local council refused him planning permission to build an extra bedroom.

refuse /ˈref.juːs/ noun [ U ] formal

unwanted waste material, especially material that is regularly thrown away from a house, factory, etc.; rubbish

garden/kitchen refuse

angered

anger /ˈæŋ.gə r / /-gɚ/ verb [ T ]

to make someone angry

The remark angered him.

It always angers me to see so much waste.

angina (pectoris) /ænˌdʒaɪ.nəˈpek.tə.rɪs/ /-tɚ-/ noun [ U ]

a disease which repeatedly causes sudden strong pains in the chest because blood containing oxygen is prevented from reaching the heart muscle by blocked arteries (= thick tubes carrying blood from the

 roadsides

roadside /ˈrəʊd.saɪd/ /ˈroʊd-/ noun [ S ]

the edge of a road

The car pulled in at/by/on the roadside.

We stopped at a roadside café for lunch.

roadster /ˈrəʊd.stə r / /ˈroʊd.stɚ/ noun [ C ] old-fashioned

a car without a roof and with only two seats

 sticksstick /stɪk/ noun THIN PIECE

1. [ C ] a thin piece of wood

The old man was carrying a load of sticks.

Police said that the child had been beaten with a stick.

Find some dry sticks and we'll make a campfire.

A lollipop is a sweet on a stick (= a short thin piece of wood, plastic or paper) .

See picture stick

2. [ C ] mainly UK a long, thin wooden pole that especially old or injured people use to help them walk

a walking stick

At 84 he's still quite active, although he walks with the aid of a stick.

See picture stick

 folk  folk /fəʊk/ /foʊk/ noun PEOPLE

1. [ plural ] ( mainly US folks ) people, especially those of a particular group or type

old folk

Ordinary folk can't afford cars like that.

2. folks

a. [ as form of address ] informal used when speaking informally to a group of people

All right, folks, dinner's ready!

b. mainly US someone's parents

I'm going home to see my folks.

Superstition

superstition /ˌsuː.pəˈstɪʃ. ə n/ /-pɚ-/ noun [ C or U ]

belief which is not based on human reason or scientific knowledge, but is connected with old ideas about magic, etc.

According to superstition, if you walk under a ladder it brings you bad luck.

I don't believe in the old superstition that the number 13 is unlucky.

superstitious /ˌsuː.pəˈstɪʃ.əs/ /-pɚ-/ adjective

based on or believing in superstitions

superstitious nonsense

Some people are superstitious about spilling salt on the table.

 rituals

ritual /ˈrɪt.ju.əl/ /ˈrɪtʃ.u-/ noun [ C or U ]

a set of fixed actions and sometimes words performed regularly, especially as part of a ceremony

Coffee and the newspaper are part of my morning ritual.

The birds were performing a complex mating ritual.

ritualistic /ˌrɪt.ju. ə lˈɪs.tɪk/ /ˌrɪtʃ.u-/ adjective

ritualistically /ˌrɪt.ju. ə lˈɪs.tɪ.kli/ /ˌrɪtʃ.u-/ adverb

 throwing throw /θrəʊ/ /θroʊ/ verb threw , thrown SEND THROUGH AIR

throw

1. [ I or T ] to send something through the air with force, especially by a sudden movement of the arm

My friend threw the ball back over the fence.

The coat was thrown over the back of the chair.

[ R ] She threw herself into a chair, exhausted.

The rider was thrown as the horse jumped the fence.

He threw a punch at (= hit) his attacker.

 confetti

confetti /kənˈfet.i/ /-ˈfet ̬-/ noun [ U ]

confetti

small pieces of coloured paper which you throw at a celebration, especially over two people who have just been married

confidant /ˈkɒn.fɪ.dænt/ /ˈkɑːn.fə-/ noun [ C ] ( female also confidante )

a person you trust and share your feelings and secrets with

a close confidant

Basic beliefs of animism

In anthropology, animism can be considered to be the original human religion, being defined simply as belief in the existence of spiritual beings. it dates back to the earliest humans and continues to exist today, making it the oldest form of religious belief on earth. it is characteristic of aboriginal and native cultures, yet it can be practiced by anyone who believed in spirituality but does not proscribe to any specific organized religion. The basis for animism is acknowledgment that there is a spiritual realm which humans share the universe with. The concepts that humans possess souls and that souls have life apart from human bodies before and after death are central to animism, along with the ideas that animals, plants, and celestial bodies have spirits.

            Animistic gods often are immortalized by mythology explaining the creation of fire, wind, water, man, animals, and other natural earthly thing s. although specific beliefs of animism vary widely similarities between the characteristics of gods and goddesses and rituals practiced by animistic societies exist. the presence of holy men or women, vision,  trancing, dancing, sacred items, and sacred spaces for worship, and the connection felt to the spirits of ancestors are characteristic of animistic societies.

Animism

Both in the island world of Indonesia and on the indo-china mainland the people who inhabited these lands in the pre-Christian era were largely animists. The people believed that inanimate objects had spirits which could affect the well-being of those around them. There were also considered to be spirits in trees, rocks, mountains as well as people. Animism entailed worship of ancestors and spirit worship. in modern Thailand, both in the cities and in rural areas, each home will have erected in the comer of the garden, a spirit house (in Thai called Phra Pume).

Animism or Spirit worsyhip is often accompanied by ritual chants and dances, special folk drama or masques such as the shadow play. Burial mounds usually include special items to honour the dead or assist them in their next life such as the bracelets and utensils found in the prehistoric site of Ban Chiang in North East Thailand, a site which goes back, it is thought to around 3, ooBC. Animism is commonly found throughout agricultural, rice-growing communities of SE Asia, and among the often nomadic rural, hill tribes’ peoples, both on the mainland and in the island world. Spirit worship in these communities gave rise to a body of social and religious responsibilities which in Indonesia came to be called the Adat. Animism is said to be more obviously part of village life rather than town life and in Indonesia is associated with the Abangan traditions. These social and religious beliefs originating in animism have persisted since ancient times and have become part of the syncretic system of SE Asian cultures. two thousand years of penetration by Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and both .catholic and protestant Christianity have not annihilated animistic beliefs and practices from the normal, everyday world of SE Asian peoples, whether they live in the Indonesian world or on the Indochina peninsula.

            Animism is characteristic of primitive social structures in tribal, often nomadic communities. It is typically associated with the early Bronze Age cultures of the pre-Christian era which lacked a writing system or written history. without such written records, archaeologists piece together suggestions of what the societies practicing animistic beliefs must have been like base on the artifacts found in burial mouns or excavations and the rituals and folk beliefs which have survived to the present time through the syncretism system which is religion in modern day SE Asia.

            There are no exclusive symbols representing animism. A common feature is the spirit house which can be made of various materials and in various styles and is common in mainland SE Asia. Another feature is the sacrificial animal pillar characteristic of Indonesian cults.

            The number is unknown. Almost all practicing Buddhist, Islamic, Hindu and Christian devotees of present day SE Asian societies also include in their belief systems elements of animism.

            There is no one centre of animism. Its geographical distribution would include the village and rural communities of certain Tai hill tribes in the mountainous parts of northern Burma, Thailand, Laos, Viet Nam and Cambodia as well as the rice growing and agricultural communities in the Indonesian island world animism today has been assimilated to the mainstream script religions of Buddhism, Islam and Christianity.

The basic beliefs of Hindus

There are three main ideas in Hinduism. The first idea is that of rebirth. According to this idea, all living things have a soul. A soul is the spiritual part of the human being. Hindus believe that in death the soul and the body are separated. The soul is reborn in another person or living creature, creating new life.

            The second idea is that of karma. According to Hindus, what determines that form in which a person will be born in his next birth is his karma. Hindus believe that every action brings about certain results. Thus, karma is the balancing of good and bad deeds over many life times.

            The third idea is that of dharma. Dharma is a set of rules that each person must follow in order to be reborn a better person. Dharma is performing one’s duty to the best of one’s ability. If you are a soldier you may think your dharma is wrong. This is not true. Your dharma is to fight as a good soldier.

            What then is the final goal of all Hindus?

The goal is never to be reborn. hindus wish for their souls to reach god . This state of never being born again is called moksha.

           

Demons

The word demon is used to denote a negative, evil being .most systems that have gods or goddesses also have one or more demons demons may try to steal the souls of people and force them to commit evil antisocial acts. They are powerful and can change form, and they often do so to trick and lure human .they provide a culturally appropriate explanation for people’s inappropriate behavior. Demons are responsible for bad events that befall humans. In the Christian belief system, the devil is a demon that tempts humans to stray from the right path and commit sins.

Souls

The soul is considered the supernatural component of humans and sometimes other animals. This component is believed by most peoples to be what gives life and makes us what we are. The soul’s existence is taken on faith, and the teachings of many of the world’s belief systems describe how the gods and goddesses give humans their souls. There are many debates, even among theologians, as to when souls arrive in the physical body at the moment of conception, when the fetal heart begins to beat, or at the moment of birth. Some cultures believe that the soul arrives at a designated point after birth. Elaborate parties and celebrations are held at that times, and a name is bestowed upon the child. It has been noted that societies that believe in late soul arrival are often societies with high infant mortality rates.

            There are also many variations of beliefs regarding what happens to the soul at death. Among the Yanomanmo Indians of Brazil and Venezuela, the central part of the soul escapes the body at death and goes to a layer that exists, according to Yanomamo cosmology, above the earth. We can see the underside of this layer (the sky) from earth. Arriving there, this part of the soul travels down a path until it reaches a fork in the trail, where a spirit inquires whether the soul has been generous or stingy. Stingy souls are sent on a path to the place of fire, and generous souls go on another path, to a place of tranquility (chignon 1997:112).the Yanomamo soul concepts are elaborate. Another portion of the soul is released at cremation and continues to live on earth and wander in the jungle.

            The Begawan of Borneo believes that at death a person’s soul undergoes a transformation in a spirit that will pass to a place where only the dead reside. Because there is a period of time before a person’s body completely disappears (putrefies) and only bones remain, the soul will linger and be responsible for causing illness among the living (Metcalf 1978:6_12).

Ghost’s biography

Ghosts are a British indie/pop band from London, and were ninth on the BBC's Sound of 2007 poll. Before signing with Atlantic Records in November 2006 they were previously known as Polanski. Their sound has been compared to Keane, Thirteen Senses, The Bluetones and Radiohead. The band formed after meeting at school in Guildford. Their first single "Stay the Night" began gaining heavy national radio airplay in January 2007 on the Dermot O'Leary show on BBC Radio 2, and then on 9 February 2007, Ghosts made their first television appearance on The Friday Night Project. On 22 February 2007, the members of Ghosts, three of their roadies and Claire Fowler were arrested on suspicion of stealing beers from behind the hotel bar, and broken lamp in the hotel reception. One of the hotel rooms was flooded during the night by a broken toilet (the hotel was going through refurbishment). Both incidents looked very suspicious, causing the hotel manager to call the police. They were all subsequently released without charge. As it turns out, the hotel night porter had given the band permission to help themselves to the beers in the fridge and keep a tally,

Ghosts

After the death of the physical body, souls are believed by many societies to transform into ghosts. Many societies, though not all, use the term ghost in place of the term soul after death. Ghosts are often viewed as beings with the potential to cause harm to the living. Anthropologists have suggested that this is one of the reasons for funeral rituals _a sendoff for the soul, now a ghost, to the next place before it can cause trouble among the living. Drawing on the functions of supernaturalism outlined previously, we could suggest that belief in ghosts serves as an explanation for bad things that happen, just as the Berawan attribute difficulties for the living to the lingering, transforming souls of the dead.

Tricksters

Most societies have one or more beings that fit this category. Tricksters are beings that play tricks or practical jokes on people. They typically mean no real harm and are more bothersome than anything. The trickster known as Coyote (or Old Man Coyote, or Old Man) lived among Native American cultures from the Pacific to the Great Plains. This trickster being was believed responsible for wickedness such as seducing women or being deceptive so that he could win races. He is also sometimes virtuous and often stupid. One story tells if Coyote diving into water to retrieve food that he sees there. The food he sees in the water is actually a reflection of the food he is carrying. Coyote also served as a negative role model, to show how a person should not behave in life.

Witches

In a historical and cross-cultural analysis, witches are super-natural beings. As such, theses beings have power to affect the lives of humans, often in negative ways, but they never admit that they are witches. Even when condemned to death, real witches will deny being witches. At the present time, Hollywood films and the current interest in Neopagan Wiccan groups has muddied the understanding of witches. An individual who practices supernatural arts of magic and spells is not a witch in the historical and cross-culture meaning of the term. The understanding of what constitutes a witch is a good example of how language and culture change over time. For more on the anthropological, historical, cross-culture perspective,

References

1.      McDowell, Josh and Don Stewart, Handbook of Today’s Religions. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1983. Twelfth printing, June 1992.

2.Michael Ryan, Lenkeit and Roberta Edwards, published by McGraw-Hill, Avenue of the Americas, New York, 2001-2004-2009.