Basic Religion
Summary
TLDRDr. Owen Anderson explores the concept of 'basic religions,' identifying common structures across various cultures. He discusses the existence of an original deity, lesser spirits guiding humans, and the importance of rituals for salvation. The video delves into the roles of priests, the presence of magic, and the quest for insight through religious experiences. Anderson also touches on reincarnation and the afterlife, comparing these elements to Christianity and examining how European Christians may have adapted their faith to align with pre-existing basic religious beliefs.
Takeaways
- đ Basic religions are shared belief systems among various people groups, with a similar structure despite differences in language and cultural details.
- đ The concept of an original deity coexists with a beginningless material substance, which is used to form the world and everything as we know it.
- đź Lesser spirits or gods are created by the original deity to shape the world and guide humans, while the original deity remains distant and often unaware of human affairs.
- đ Prayers are directed towards lesser deities, spirits, or even deceased ancestors who act as spirit guides and intercessors in one's life.
- đ Salvation from suffering is believed to come through the performance of rituals, which are thought to bring blessings and positive outcomes.
- đ The necessity of rituals leads to the existence of a priestly class, who are trained to perform these rituals and are set apart from the rest of society.
- đ§ââïž Some individuals are believed to possess magical powers that can be controlled and learned, often requiring specialized training or contact with powerful entities.
- âš There are two types of magic described: one is an occult force that works at a distance, similar to gravity, and the other is personal magic that involves making deals with demons or other entities.
- đż Insight and spiritual experiences are often sought through extreme physical stress or the use of hallucinogenic substances, which are considered more real than ordinary life.
- đ„ Reincarnation or an afterlife is a common teaching, where the soul continues its journey, cleansed through rituals and experiences to eventually reach a higher state.
- đ Beliefs about the soul's journey often include the idea of purgation or cleansing rituals to prepare for spiritual acts or to ascend to a higher spiritual plane.
- đ The script discusses the comparison between basic religions and Christianity, questioning how much of Christianity is a call to repent from these basic religious practices and how much it adapts to them.
Q & A
What is the concept of 'basic religion' as discussed by Dr. Owen Anderson?
-The concept of 'basic religion' refers to a set of fundamental beliefs shared by numerous people groups, which may vary in details and names due to language differences but maintain a strikingly similar structure across different cultures and regions.
What is the role of the original deity in basic religions according to the transcript?
-In basic religions, the original deity exists alongside a beginningless material substance, which is often considered as the deity's body. This substance is used to form the Earth and the world as we know it.
How are lesser spirits or gods related to the original deity in basic religions?
-The original deity creates other spirits or gods in basic religions. These lesser beings are responsible for making the world and guiding humans, while the original deity remains distant, hidden, and often unaware of humans.
What is the significance of rituals in basic religions?
-Rituals in basic religions are crucial for salvation from suffering and evils. They are believed to bring blessings when performed correctly, and thus require a priestly class trained in their duties.
How do people in basic religions interact with the spiritual world?
-People in basic religions often interact with lesser deities, spirits, or even dead ancestors who take on the role of spirit guides. Prayer and rituals are common methods of interaction.
What is the role of the priestly class in basic religions?
-The priestly class in basic religions is responsible for performing rituals and maintaining religious practices. They are set apart from others due to their specialized knowledge and role in connecting the community with the spiritual world.
What are the two kinds of magic mentioned in the transcript?
-The two kinds of magic mentioned are an occult force that works at a distance, similar to gravity, and personal magic that involves contacting powerful forces, often requiring something in return, such as a deal with a demon.
How do special religious experiences provide insight in basic religions?
-Special religious experiences, often induced by drugs or physical stress, are believed to provide true insights beyond ordinary living experiences. These experiences are considered more real and are highly valued in basic religions.
What is the concept of reincarnation or an afterlife in basic religions?
-In basic religions, the concept of reincarnation or an afterlife involves the soul's journey, where it continues on after death to make up for past mistakes and be cleansed through rituals.
How does the idea of purgatory relate to the concept of cleansing rituals in basic religions?
-Purgatory, as a concept, is similar to the idea of cleansing rituals in basic religions where the soul goes through a process of purgation to be cleansed of evil before it can reach a higher spiritual state.
How does Dr. Owen Anderson suggest comparing Christianity with basic religions?
-Dr. Owen Anderson suggests examining Christianity for its similarities and differences with basic religions, particularly looking at how European Christians adapted Christianity to their prior beliefs and practices, and how it was presented to other cultures, such as by the Franciscans in the Southwest.
Outlines
đ Basic Religions and Deities
Dr. Owen Anderson introduces the concept of basic religions, which are shared by various cultural groups despite differences in language and specific details. The structure of basic religions typically includes an original deity and a beginningless material substance from which the world is formed. Lesser spirits or gods are created by the original deity to shape the world and guide humans. The regional deity is often distant and hidden from human interaction, with rituals being performed by a priestly class to ensure blessings and salvation from suffering.
đ§ââïž Magic, Rituals, and Spiritual Insights
The script discusses the presence of magical powers in the world and the existence of two types of magic: one that operates like a force at a distance, similar to gravity, and another that is personal and involves making deals with powerful entities, often at the cost of one's soul. Additionally, the paragraph explores the idea of special religious experiences that provide insight, which may be induced by physical stress or the use of substances like peyote. These experiences are considered more real than ordinary life, and the paragraph also touches on the concept of reincarnation and afterlife, where the soul continues its journey and undergoes cleansing rituals.
đ Purgatory, Reincarnation, and Adaptation of Christianity
In this paragraph, the concept of purgatory is presented as a place of purification where the soul is cleansed before it is ready for heaven. The idea of transmigration of the soul or reincarnation is also discussed, with the ultimate goal being to escape the cycle of rebirth. The paragraph then shifts focus to the study of how Christianity has been adapted by European Christians, particularly the Franciscans and Jesuits, when they encountered indigenous peoples in the Southwest. It questions whether Christianity was presented as a call to repent from basic religions or if it was adapted to fit the existing European version of basic religion, complete with Spanish names and cultural practices.
Mindmap
Keywords
đĄBasic Religions
đĄOriginal Deity
đĄLesser Spirits
đĄPrayer
đĄRituals
đĄPriestly Class
đĄMagic
đĄSpecial Religious Experiences
đĄReincarnation
đĄCleansing Rituals
đĄChristianity and Basic Religions
Highlights
Basic religions share a similar structure despite differences in details and language.
Original deity exists alongside a beginningless material substance, forming the world out of the deity's body.
Creation of lesser spirits or gods by the original deity, who then shape the world and guide humans.
Regional deity is distant and often unaware of humans, with interaction primarily with lesser spirits.
Prayer to lesser deities, spirits, or dead ancestors for intercession and help in life.
Salvation from suffering is achieved through rituals performed by a priestly class.
Rituals are necessary for blessings, such as rain, and require a specialized knowledge of religious duties.
Gifted humans can access and control magical powers, with two kinds of magic described: occult forces and personal contact with demons.
Insight through special religious experiences, often induced by drugs or physical stress.
Special religious experiences are considered more true than ordinary living experiences.
Teaching about reincarnation or an afterlife where the soul continues its journey and is cleansed.
Cleansing rituals are common to set individuals apart for special religious acts.
Belief in the transmigration of the soul and the goal to escape the cycle of reincarnation.
Studying a given religion involves identifying similarities and differences with basic religions.
Christianity's call to repent from basic religions and the adaptation of Christianity by European Christians.
The encounter of Franciscans and Jesuits with Native Americans and the adaptation of Christianity to fit a European version of basic religion.
The Spanish identity as Christian Crusaders and their influence on the interpretation of Christianity for other cultures.
The potential for Christianity to be perceived as another version of basic religions, especially in non-European contexts.
Transcripts
welcome this is Dr Owen Anderson and
we're talking about basic religions
this assumes that we already know what
religion is that religion's a set of
basic beliefs that we use to give
meaning to our experiences and so we
want to look at basic religion or basic
religions as sort of religions that
numerous people groups sharing comments
even though some of the details and
obviously the names because of the
language differences those things are
different there's a very strikingly
similar structure
I want to get to know what that is so
that when we encounter it in one area of
the world and then we encounter it in a
completely separate area of the world
that's not in contact with the first one
uh we could say yeah that's that's basic
religion they have that in common
even though it didn't seem to have a
contact that we know of
so some features of this
one the original deity
exists
alongside
a beginningless
material substance
so two things
or is that substance
such as uh the deity
and his body
so that the world is formed
the Earth and as we now know it
out of this substance or the body of God
I'll say the deity because we're going
to use the word god differently
so this deity
creates
other spirits
or gods
who then are the ones who make this
world and guide humans
the regional deity
is now distant
hidden
unaware of us
some version of that
so we'll see that when we look at what
are called The hohokum Chronicles
where the world is made out of the stuff
of the world is made out of the original
deity's body
but then lesser Spirits are created to
form that stuff into what we now see
around us
and so human interaction is almost
always just with these other Spirits or
gods
you don't you don't have any interaction
with that original deity or very little
second
prayer
to these lesser deities
or spirits
or dead ancestors
because the dead often take on that role
of one of these Spirit guides also
so you pray to a dead relative
for intercession
to help you in this life
very common and that the dead may
require rituals out of you that's the
next one salvation
from suffering
is through
suffering and evils is through rituals
you have to perform certain rituals
exactly right
and if you do that then the blessing
happens like rain comes
and so this requires
performance of rituals
requires a Priestly class
trained in their
duties
so you have to have priests who are
especially religious they're set apart
from everyone else
and they know the rituals and you don't
so you better make sure the priests
don't get unhappy with you
or it goes the other way too if the
priests are doing their work but they're
not doing the outcome that your culture
wants
then the culture can get mad at the
priests and and execute them and sorrow
new priests
so you have um
gifted humans
who can access
magical powers in the world
and learn to control these
so there are magical powers in the world
and
you want to learn to control them
I'm going to say two kinds of magic here
you want to learn to control them and so
you might have to send your kid to uh
training school
to learn how to become a witch and use a
wand and and uh say spells
people really like that kind of story
and only special people can do that the
ordinary people you can even have a term
for the ordinary people can't do it
and there's two kinds of magic what I
mean by that is sometimes magic is a
force not unlike gravity
it's called Uh I put a parenthesis
within a parenthesis an occult Force
at a distance
so
just like gravity you might say without
touching the Moon
Earth keeps gravity in its orbit
gravity seems to work at a distance like
that
so there's this kind of magic where
I don't have to push your shoulder I can
say some word and go like this and
across the room you get pushed away
right
Abracadabra boom and you fly over there
that's just a force you just got to know
the right words and it happens but then
there's also magic that's personal
where you contact something often called
a demon and you say look if I promise my
soul can I please get a girlfriend
and they'll say yeah sure sign right
here in your blood and you get a
girlfriend so that's not the same as the
first kind but that's another view of
magic is that you're you're contacting
powerful forces
they can do things for you
and they often want something in return
so gifted humans
who can access those things
then there's um insight
through
special religious experiences
often brought on by drugs
or physical stress
you uh distress your body
maybe you get super dehydrated
super tired and super hungry you don't
eat you don't sleep and you don't drink
water
and you go wandering in the desert and
in that condition a spirit talks to you
and gives you some insights
or you use peyote
or Soma
you throw the Soma in a fire
and as it burns and you're inhaling the
smoke you're dancing around it which is
also making your body exhausted
and dehydrated and the combination of
breathing in the Soma fumes and being
dehydrated again you're spoken to by a
spirit
and you get insights so the idea is that
these special religious experiences
are more true
than our ordinary living experience
rather than the other side you might go
the other way and say well obviously
that's a hallucination right there's
nothing to do with reality I was tired
and breathing in Soma
this is reality my normal experiences
but in these religions they invert that
and say no this is when you're actually
in touch with reality
some teaching about reincarnation
or an afterlife
where you continue on your Soul's
Journey
and make up for past mistakes
your soul has to be cleansed I should
put this up here real quick
through rituals
very common are cleansing rituals to set
you apart for special religious Acts
and I put that up there cleansing
rituals to set you apart for specialist
acts first you go through the cleansing
ritual then you go on your your uh
Journey
we're dehydrated et cetera you have the
special related screen so that comes
down here this is a continuation of
of uh cleansing
or purgation
of your soul
so you'll find that in the Roman Church
the teaching of this exact word
purgatory
you're not stuck in hell forever but
you're not good you're not ready for
heaven so you go somewhere else where
evil is burned off of you
you go through purgation
so you're ready
to climb the mountain
and and view God
who's distant
to climb a mountain to get to God
so some belief about that the
transmigration of the Soul
reincarnation usually means I was in
another body now I'm in this one then
I'll be in another one but usually in
any reincarnation system the goal is to
get out of your body
to go on this kind of Journey
you don't just want to reincarnate
forever
then eight
I said that's seven that's why I have
seven I'm gonna say um
so when we're studying
a given religion we can see
similarities
with this basic religion
there's gonna be differences but there's
I would argue more similarities
and so in our case we want to look at
ways where Christianity
how much is Christianity a call to
repent from this religion
and how much did European Christians
adapt Christianity
to their uh prior
European version
of
basic religion
you understand the difference between
those that's
uh
to what extent is Christianity saying
repent
from idolatry
and return to the Living God
versus when we encounter Christians
let's say the franciscans in the
Southwest
and when they're explaining Christianity
to the Pueblo
the way they're explaining it sound just
like another one of the basic religions
the European version with European names
particularly Spanish names
the Spanish at that time had been in a
long uh conflict with Islam
they had just
retake in the Iberian Peninsula from
Islam
right before Columbus sailed
and so they view the sailing of Columbus
as another part of the Crusades against
Islam
and so they're very set on their
identity as Spanish Christians
so then they encounter other peoples and
we're going to look in the details of
you know what did the franciscans first
and then Jesuits tell
the Native Americans the Southwest
and to what extent was that another
version of the basic religions versus
biblical Christianity
so basic religions and we could do that
in numerous parts of the world
not just the Southwest that's one area
of research right now for me but we can
look at that in other areas as well
so basic religions
not every basic religion has all of
these but they have most of these in
some variation
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