This lesson explores how anthropologists define religion and distinguish it from spirituality and worldview. These distinctions matter because people’s beliefs may not fit neatly into a single category.
Religion includes beliefs, practices, social relationships, emotions, and symbols. No single definition captures every experience, so anthropologists often use more than one approach.
All flashcards
What is Durkheim’s definition of religion concerned with?
A unified system of beliefs and practices about sacred things that brings adherents together as a moral community.
How does Geertz explain religion?
As a system of symbols that shapes conceptions of existence and generates powerful, lasting moods and motivations that make those conceptions feel real.
What is spirituality in general terms?
A usually less formally organized set of beliefs and feelings about relationships between the natural and supernatural worlds.
What does worldview mean?
A learned outlook or orientation toward life and the world, with both individual and collective dimensions.
How are nones different from atheists?
Nones lack religious affiliation, but may still hold religious or spiritual beliefs. Atheism is a position that denies the existence of a god or gods.
Quiz questions
What three components of religion does Durkheim’s definition emphasize?Answer: Shared beliefs, practices concerning sacred things, and a moral community.
What is central to Geertz’s approach to religion?Answer: Symbols that shape conceptions of existence and create powerful moods and motivations.
A person has no religious membership but believes in a spiritual force. Which description best fits?Answer: The person may be unaffiliated, or a none, while still holding spiritual beliefs.
Why should anthropologists define terms such as religion and spirituality carefully?Answer: Their meanings can vary among people and change with social and political conditions.
What is the usual distinction between witchcraft and sorcery?Answer: Witchcraft uses intangible means, while sorcery uses material elements.
Based on Introduction to Anthropology by Jennifer Hasty, David G. Lewis, Marjorie M. Snipes (OpenStax), licensed CC BY 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.