Religion and Material Culture - Essay Example

Religion and Material Culture Many people have defined religion differently. However, what comes out of the definitions is that religion is the belief in a supernatural being that controls the existence of the natural phenomena in the universe. Religion is common in the society where people believe their existence as an effect of powerful supernatural forces that they cannot comprehend or explain. Due to this belief, the natural being is worshiped in various ways in different societies. Consequently, there are many religions in different societies located in different regions across the globe such as Christianity, Judaism, Hindu religion and Islam. Many people are religious and have established a relationship between their social existence in the society and the unexplainable powerful force. Given that the society is made of culture and religion, it can be concluded that there is an existing relationship between material culture and religion. As examined in this article, religion might be impoverished by ignoring the material aspect of culture (Smart 1998, p. 51). Culture is used by people in the society to refer to symbols, customs and habits of a given group of people in the society. It is also used in some cases to depict things passed on from one generation to the other in the society. Material culture is a term employed in the description of the archeological artifacts of the society. Culture is identifiable to the behaviors and actions of the members of a society. For instance, the Irish culture could be said to be identified by their language accent and religion, which is Catholic. Therefore, other things in the society such as language, beliefs, norms and symbolism could also identify culture (Foucault & Carrette (1999, p. 86). Material culture involves material things and symbols used in a given society. The material things include artifacts that are archeologically identified and utilized for various purposes as identified by the society. Some of the materials culture identified with some cultures includes the homes that people live in, businesses, churches and Penticton. On the contrary, to the material culture, non-material culture may also include the values of people and morals apart from the language, norms and symbols as indicated earlier. The physical substances representing culture do not work alone and require non-material culture. For instance, seeing objects does not make meaning unless one reads and understands the meaning of the object, something facilitated using language (Smart 1998, p. 75). The examination of objects in the society helps us establish the purposes of the objects. A common example of material culture is the dress code practiced by different cultures across the world. The dress code could be used to signify different class of the society an individual is from, the purpose of the dress, the function and the era. For instance, the dress code of priests in a Christian church varies from the dress codes of the congregation. The lessons from existing material culture in the society imply that non-material culture and material culture must be integrated in the society for harmonious coexistence in the society. According to Smart (1998, p. 414), different societies and communities have integrated religious beliefs and practices with material culture. Physical objects are used for various religious purposes in the society. Religion is associated with the worship of the supernatural being and forces controlling the universe and existence of man. Just as different religions exist, there exists too different material objects associated with the religions. Buildings are some of the physical structures representing cultural aspects of religion used for specific reasons such as places of worship. The church is a common place of worship identified to Christians, a temple for the Hindu religion, a mosque for Muslims while a synagogue for the Jews. In addition, some religions use shrines. A part from the physical place of worship, religious activities are associated with things such as sacrifices that that involve material things. For instance, sacrifices in some religions require animal sacrifices while in others, things such as plant produce and money are used. According to Foucault & Carrette (1999, p. 89), the entire process of worship requires the support of material things. While the worship takes place in a specific place or building, seats are necessary in some religions such as churches while mats in others such as Islam. The official leading the worship function is required to dress in a given dress code such as robes. The altar is a common place that demarcates the center of worship and sacrifice in many religions. It is where the priest, Imam or main celebrant of the worship practice is located during worship (Smart 1998, p. 92). The official conducts the worship with the aid of some material things such as books, tables and fire. For instance, a bible is a very significant book in the Christian religion just like the Quran is in Islam. The above-mentioned material culture accompanying worship activities in different religions is void and irrelevant without the application of other non-material aspects of culture. Language is one of the most common factors in use in worship. It is presumed that through communication using a given language, the worshipers are able to communicate among themselves and the supernatural being. Symbolism is applied to every physical thing used in worship. For instance, the church is a symbol of Gods place of residence and is equated to the synagogue, temple and mosque. Different religions teach other value systems that are to be adopted by all believers. The value system and beliefs form the norms of a given society based on the society’s religion (Foucault & Carrette 1999, p. 107). From the foregoing discussion, it is evident that religion cannot be delinked from material culture. Non-material culture on its own does not make sense. For instance, a meaning must be attached to a given object, event or place. Similarly, only different objects and actions used in worship can symbolize a given thing. While language is necessary for communication, it cannot be used in religion when there nothing to refer to. Therefore, in conclusion, we can argue that religion must always be accompanied by both material and non-material cultures in order to serve the society well. List of References Foucault, F & Carrette, J 1999, Religion and culture, Manchester University Press, Manchester. Smart, N 1998, The world’s religions, 2nd edn, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Read More