Ancient Views on Life and Afterlife

Cultural relativism is the perspective of striving to understand beliefs from an insider's perspective, without imposing the definitions or assumptions from one culture onto another.

It is important for anthropologists to cultivate a perspective of cultural relativism in order to understand beliefs from an insider's perspective and to avoid imposing the definitions or assumptions from one culture onto another, which can lead to misunderstandings.

The issue with Sir James Frazer's early anthropological research was that he had minimal information about the beliefs he wrote about, and he was quick to apply his own opinions, leading to dismissive attitudes towards unfamiliar belief systems.

<p>Emile Durkheim viewed religion as not simply a belief in 'supernatural beings,' but as a set of practices and social institutions that brought members of a community together.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Understanding the concept of 'religion' from a cultural relativism perspective allows for a more inclusive and comprehensive understanding of the diverse beliefs and practices around the world, without imposing narrow definitions based on one's own cultural biases.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>They were preparing the deceased for an afterlife or a world beyond this one.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Thirty thousand years ago</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Fertility or motherhood</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Because ideas about the supernatural are part of every human culture.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The word 'religion' is not a universally recognized idea, and there are difficulties in defining the topic itself.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Burial of the dead with stone tools, shells, animal bones, and other objects</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Chauvet cave paintings of animals and abstract symbols</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Fertility or motherhood</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>It is part of every human culture</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Difficulty in defining the topic and the lack of a universally recognized idea of 'religion'</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>To avoid imposing Western definitions of religion and spirituality on other cultures, and to understand the context and meaning of supernatural beliefs in different societies.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>He dismissed spiritual beliefs as 'preposterous and absurd' based on limited information and his own opinions.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Tylor defined religion narrowly as 'the belief in supernatural beings,' while Durkheim recognized it as a set of practices and social institutions bringing a community together.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Early anthropologists based their work on limited information and imposed their opinions, while Durkheim emphasized the importance of understanding religion as a unified system of beliefs and practices within a community.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>To appreciate the interconnectedness and complex nature of supernatural beliefs and avoid oversimplifying them based on Western categories.</p> Signup and view all the answers