SOR2 – Notes On Religion & Non Religion

Resource Description

Animism 

• The belief that all-natural objects, including living creatures, had a soul or spirit called ANIMAE

• This spirit exists separately and independently of the physical being
• The animae controlled the natural world; weather, natural phenomena 

• Displayed in prehistoric communities
• Apart of Australian aboriginal and Torres strait islander spiritualities through the totemic system of kinship → this animism is about sustainability and respect rather than ‘mysticism’ and ‘magic’
• Animae were revered and eventually worshipped, in hope of controlling their influence on the natural world
• The connection between the dreams of dead people and the belief that their spirits live on, thus explaining their presence in the dream
• All facets of the natural world considered of equal importance since all had spirits = animals and the natural world all treated with respect 

 

What happens after death?

• The spirit of a supernatural being that inhabits both animate and inanimate agents survive physical death, with the soul moving onto a better place, or continuing to inhabit (in spirit form) the physical space 
• Contact with spirits is through shamans or priests who possess supernatural powers

• Dreams or trance states are important, as spirits may have been endowed with human emotions; this links with the development of polytheism 

 

Polytheism 

• The belief in and worship of multiple Gods or deities (contrasts to monotheism)
• Generally believed to have developed from animism → suggested that monotheism developed from polytheism 
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• Deities are more personal and accessible than the typically distant ‘high God’ of monotheistic religions 

• Polytheistic divinities are rarely all-powerful and all-knowing

• Divine realm resembles human beings (with special “powers” or “skills”, immortality)

• The existence of multiple divinities necessitates a highly stratified and structured divine world 

• Each god is allocated a specific position in the pantheon 

• More advanced societies of history were polytheistic.e.g. Greco-Roman