1. Common Features of Basic Religions

2. Common Features of Basic Religions
Most basic religions have common features that appear in some form in the both the basic religions and in the so called advanced religions. Some of the common features also appear in some subtle form in modern culture as well. This slide show takes a look at each of those features. It will also provide examples of the feature both in the basic religions and in the so called advanced religions and cultures.

3. Animism Animism is the belief that nature is alive with spirits that
have feelings and can be
communicated with. It is often
believed that the earth itself is
alive and has anima (spirit). As
a result almost any animal one
can think of has been
worshiped. Mountains , trees ,
and heavenly bodies have also
been worshiped.

4. Examples of Animism Animism: The Druids were known to revere trees.
The stone formation at Stonehenge is also an
example of animism in basic religions.

5. Animism Christians use evergreens in celebration of the
birth of Jesus. Muslims
march around and kiss
their sacred stone in
Mecca. Hindus bathe in
their sacred river, the
Ganges. These are
advanced religion
examples of animism.

6. Magic
Magic is the belief that by performing rituals nature can be forced to act as desired and that God(s) can be influenced to act upon the behalf of the practitioners of the religion. The most common form among basic religions is imitative or sympathetic magic. In this form practitioners hope by performing an act on a small scale that the act will be performed on their behalf on a large scale by nature and/or God(s).

7. Magic In Voodoo practitioner use dolls to attempt to do evil
to their enemies. The
Pueblo Indians perform
a hunting ritual to insure a
successful hunt. A primitive
hunter carries his lucky knife
on every hunt. These are all
examples of magic in basic
religions.

8. The Herd Dance by Pablita Velardé
The basic purpose of all animal dances is to maintain harmony with the animals to be hunted and to honor them for the food and clothing they provide for the Pueblo people. The Herd Dance depicts a group of male dancers costumed as deer, antelope, and mountain sheep, led by two buffalo dancers. The male dancers wear the kilts and feather-trimmed headdresses common to many ceremonial dancers. With the exception of the buffalo dancers, they carry ornamental sticks, simulating forelegs, and are bent over in the position of four-legged animals. Pablita has painted herself as Buffalo Maiden, whose face bears a striking resemblance to her own.

9. The Herd Dance by Pablita Velardé

10. Magic Examples of animism in modern culture or so called
advanced religions are: the
lucky rabbit’s foot, a good luck
charm, a religious medallion.
Every one who has played
sports knows of some one who
did not wash their uniform or
parts of their uniform while the
team was winning. Recently in
baseball the Anaheim Angels
won a pennant with the help of
their Rally Monkey.

11. Divination
The predicting the future through divination is an important function of a priest or priestess in basic religions. This is accomplished in various fashions. Perhaps through examination of the entrails of an animal, observation of a flight of birds, or the casting of bones or sacred dice the holy person can predict coming events.
Knowledge was sometimes sought from one whom the group believed was possessed by spirits. The term shaman comes from this. The original meaning related to one who was possessed by the spirits and spoke their messages to the people. The priest or magician connotations it has today came much later.

12. Divination Examples of Divination from basic religions are:
In ancient China tortoise shells
were heated until they cracked and
then the patterns of the cracks were
interpreted; this later evolved into
what we today call I Ching.
In ancient Greece a priestess was
suspended over gas fumes at the
Oracle of Delphi and what was said
after she breathed the fumes was
used to predict the future.

13. Divination Examples in so called advanced
religions and modern culture are:
In Christianity and Judaism the
Prophets of the Bible predicted
the future and Daniel and Joseph
interpreted dreams that predicted
the future.
Many people today consult
psychics and horoscopes to
predict events.

14. Taboo
There are certain acts in all societies and religions that must be avoided; these acts are known by the Polynesian word tabu or tapu. Failure to obey these forbidden acts could provoke the spirit world and release harmful effects upon the individual or the group. In modern societies there are also taboos which are acts which are considered to be disgusting and harmful to individuals and the group.

15. Taboo In basic societies one does not touch the Chief nor enter
sacred areas without great
fear. Great harm could come
to any one who violated
tribal taboos. In some basic
societies the birth of twins is
considered to be taboo. So
the twins are either exiled or
killed. There are also taboos
about handling the dead,
menstruating women and
certain foods.

16. Taboo
In modern culture taboos are acts which violate socially acceptable ways of behaving and are usually illegal. Two well known modern taboos are incest and cannibalism.

17. Totems
18th century colonists in what is today the United States first discovered Totems. Totems were being used by Native Americans. Later it was recognized that various cultures through the world have used Totems. The word totem is a corruption of the Oiibwa word ototeman. Totems are based upon a feeling of kinship that humans have with animals and objects of nature. Generally it involves a form of identification with characteristics or traits that the object has.

18. Totems During prehistoric times many clans adopted an animal as its
totem. A Bear Clan would not
hunt bears but would hunt other
animals; they would consider the
bear sacred.
Native Americans have many
stories about animals. The
animals often take great interest
in human affairs and intervene to
assist those deserving help or
punish those who do wrong.
Sometimes the animal acts as a
spiritual guide or messenger.

19. Totems In the Northwest US, Native Americans produced Totem
Poles. Totem Poles are carved
from cedar trees, painted and
placed near the house or in
the forest. The poles are made
to:
Tell a family story or legend
Honor the dead
Commemorate a birth or event
Honor or dishonor some one

20. Totems MEANING OF FIGURES
Thunderbird - most powerful of all the spirits; it the personification of "chief."
Wolf - revered as a good hunter and associated with the special spiritual necessary to become a good hunter.
Killer Whale - legend says that whales could capture a canoe of people and drag it to an underwater village. Here people would be transformed into whales.
Raven - A cultural hero of the Coast Indian peoples who had magical powers and could change himself into anything.
Grizzly Bear - here it represents the clan of the people who made the totem pole. Attributed with many human-like qualities and much power.

21. The three traditional colors black. Paint was made from
Totems
TOTEM POLES
HOW COLOR WAS MADE
The three traditional colors
are red, blue-green, and
black. Paint was made from
natural materials and
mixed with salmon eggs
Red: Iron oxide or red ochre clay
Black: Cedar and charcoal
Blue-Green: Copper or clay

22. Totem Pole Myths:
Myth: Totem poles are a recent introduction to the Northwest Coast.
Fact: Native Northwest Coast oral histories tell us that tall carved poles have been made on the Northwest Coast since ancient times. The earliest European explorer's drawing of a Northwest Coast house frontal pole was made at Dadens village on Haida Gwaii (the Queen Charlotte Islands) in The size and number of totem poles did grow during the 1800s.
Myth: Totem poles can be read just like a book.
Fact: While it is sometimes possible to identify different animals, such as bears, ravens, eagles, it is not possible to interpret what the pole really means without knowing the history of the pole and the family that owns it.
Myth: The "low man on the totem pole" has the lowest status.
Fact: There is no universal significance to the order in which figures are placed on poles. Many times the lowest figure is the most important figure. Occasionally "ridicule" figures were carved to shame or embarrass a rival.

23. Totems In modern culture Totems are still
used today. The US uses the eagle
as a symbol, China, the dragon, and
Russia, the bear. Sports teams also
use totems; look at the local teams
logos on this page.

24. Sacrifice
Sacrifice is one of the most common practices in all religions throughout the world. Since the beginning of history people have offered sacrifices of every imaginable material to their God(s), spirits, demon(s) and ancestor(s). On rare occasions humans have been offered as sacrifices. Human sacrifice is usually regarded an extreme but effective method of persuading the gods.
The act of sacrifice has a variety of meanings. Originally it was a method of feeding the residents of the spirit world. At other times the sacrifice was a gift of some sort to the spirit world. Sacrifice establishes a bond of some form between the giver and the spirits.

25. Sacrifice In ancient times animals were often sacrificed; usually they
were slaughtered and then
burned or cooked and eaten
before the gods. Water, wine
or milk were poured over grave
sites to appease the deceased.
Other items were left in sacred
places to try to win the favor of
the gods. All these actions
were to try to establish a bond
between God(s) and humans.

26. Sacrifice the modern period of religion. In Islam one is to
Sacrifice is also a part of
the modern period of
religion. In Islam one is to
give alms to the needy and
fast on Ramadan. Judaism
and Christianity also have
fasting and giving alms and
offering as a part of their
faith. Jesus in Christianity
sacrificed himself to pay
human believers’ debt of
sin.

27. Myth
All religions both the so called advanced religions and basic religios use mythology. The word myth has in modern cultures the connotation of a lie, but in the study of religions it has another definition. Almost every religion has stories of God(s) dealing with humans. These stories are called myths; they are a poetic way of telling a great truth. Myths are a way of thinking in pictures as opposed to thinking in abstracts. Thus myths become a way of explaining beliefs from one generation to the next.
Religious myths are often etiologic; in other words religious myths explain the “hows” and “whys” of religion. So a myth may explain the origin of a group by tracing it back to creation through a story.

28. Myth There are many myths in basic religions. The story of Apollo
riding across the sky in a
chariot explained the rising and
setting of the sun. The Native
American story of “Wooing Wohpe”
explains how the four winds are
related to the four directions. This
story can be found in the text
following the chapter on Native
American religions or in the book,
Lakota Myth by James R. Walker.

29. Myth An example of a modern myth is the story of “The Little Train
That Could”. It is the story of a
little train that does not think it
can make it up a very high hill.
The little train does make by
reciting over and over: “I think I
can; I think I can.” This story
teaches children that they are
capable of reaching their
dreams if they keep a positive
attitude.

30. Rituals
Every religion has rituals. These rites range from the very simple to the complex. A simple meal time prayer is an example of a simple ritual. Other rituals may require years of study by a priest(ess) who performs the complex ritual. A Catholic wedding ceremony is an example of this type of ritual. Sometimes rituals are a reenactment of religious mythology. By acting out the story the participants of the religion identify with the divine characters in the story.A reenactment of the Birth of Jesus would be a modern example of this.

31. Rituals An example of a ritual from a basic religion would be the
Sun Dance which was
performed by various Plains
Indian tribes. Dance is an
important element of many
basic religion rituals. The
Navajos perform “The
Blessing Way” which is a
healing ceremony which can
be adapted to other religions.

32. Rituals An example of a ritual in the so called advanced religions
is the marriage ceremony,
baptismal ceremony, or a
funeral ceremony. Both are
rituals performed by almost
every religion. Each can be
very simple or very complex
depending upon what is
customary and what is
desired by the participants.

33. Rites of Passage
Rites of passage is another universal feature of religions. Certain rituals are established and are to be performed at key points in an individual believer’s life. The key points which are usually recognized are: birth, puberty, marriage, and death. Rituals carried out at these points the separation from a former status and transition to the new status; they recall myths of the culture and establish incorporation in a new group. Birth is important because the new born is recognized as a member of the community. Puberty marks the beginning of adult life in the community. Marriage is a celebration of fertility rituals which assure to continuance of the community. Death is important to assure proper burial and recognition of the deceased’s accomplishments.

34. Rites of Passage Native American youths Often marked the rite of
Passage from youth to
adulthood by living alone in
the wilderness for a period of
time and a vision quest.
Other basic religions and
older cultures required an
ordeal of some type for a
child to pass into adulthood.

35. Rites of Passage Rite of passages exist in modern culture and religion
as well. Examples for modern
culture are earning a driver’s
license at age 16 or graduating
from high school. Example for
religions are marriage
ceremonies, funerals, baptism,
Mitzvah, and confirmation.

36. Ancestor Veneration
Ancestor Veneration is the final common feature of basic religions. Many students of the origins of religion believe that ancestor veneration began when some prehistoric people dreamed of the deceased and thought that that the dead were not truly gone, but lived in another form on another plane. The dead therefore could either help or hurt the living. It became important to prevent the dead from returning and doing harm. So it became necessary to not speak the names of the dead and sometimes even burn their homes to discourage their return. Since the dead could also help the living great efforts were made to appease them. Their possessions and sometimes even spouses and servants were buried with them in elaborate tombs.

37. Ancestor Veneration In ancient Egypt elaborate tombs were prepared for
the Pharaohs that included
areas about them for
servants and possessions. In ancient China grave
mounds were rebuilt
annually and offerings of
food, drink, flowers, and
Blankets were left to
appease and comfort the
Dead.

38. Ancestor Veneration In modern cultures the family places flowers upon
the grave. There are many
make shift memorials at
the site of tragic accidents
or horrific crimes; the
street near where the Twin
Towers were in NYC is
such a site. There are also
beautiful memorials like
the Vietnam Wall In DC
where people remember
and honor the dead.

39. Common Features of Basic Religions The End