On Wednesday we spoke about the Anglo Saxon World in connection with the Ethiopian version of The Queen of Sheba. The discussion led to the idea that religions find a way to associate themselves (rather than isolate themselves) to the world in a creative way. Is this what religions do? I don’t want to generalize, but in terms of the Geertz definition, I agree that this is what religions do. “A system of symbols which acts to establish powerful, pervasive, and long-lasting moods and motivations in men by formulating conceptions of a general order of existence and clothing these conceptions with such an aura of factuality that moods and motivations seem uniquely realistic.”- Geertz
The Anglo Saxons World finds a way to connect themselves in the 1950s, to the powerful figures in the bible. They have created their own Seal, suggesting that they are descendants of some sort. The creators of this Seal hit the Geertz definition right on the nose. They literally set up a system of symbols which motivates them and is the foundation of their beliefs. This is a veryyyy creative way to take on a religion.
The Ethiopian version of The Queen of Sheba also finds a very creative way to associate their beliefs to the world. The Queen of Sheba actually represents Ethiopia, which suggests that they are a nation of royalty. A story that had no sexual connotation in the Hebrew biblical version is turned into a very creative representation of Ethiopia.
They took a familiar story and created their own realm. Very interesting!
The Anglo Saxons World finds a way to connect themselves in the 1950s, to the powerful figures in the bible. They have created their own Seal, suggesting that they are descendants of some sort. The creators of this Seal hit the Geertz definition right on the nose. They literally set up a system of symbols which motivates them and is the foundation of their beliefs. This is a veryyyy creative way to take on a religion.
The Ethiopian version of The Queen of Sheba also finds a very creative way to associate their beliefs to the world. The Queen of Sheba actually represents Ethiopia, which suggests that they are a nation of royalty. A story that had no sexual connotation in the Hebrew biblical version is turned into a very creative representation of Ethiopia.
They took a familiar story and created their own realm. Very interesting!
Perfect! This is exactly the right direction to be thinking in..
ReplyDeleteI think you are right this one of the functions of religion. I also think you could go farther and say not just that the religion connects them to the world but also helps them explain or view it in a certain way, which we have talked about before. I agree with you it is very interesting to see how people can interpret things differently to find connections with their world. I think that is one thing the article on conceptually blending was trying to tells us.
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