CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1.0 The Study of Religion: Definition

1 1 CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION The Study of religion : Definition religion , which is a matter of belief and practice, is a universal social phenomenon which seriously concerns almost every living man. Generally, religion is understood by many as a belief in the Supernatural power or the Supreme Being and their relationship with the nature that surrounds them. Man, being a social animal, is also, therefore, considered a religious being. religion is also accepted as one of the strongest sources and means of social control. It is considered as one of the earliest institutions of mankind and is found in all the societies of the past and present. Scholars from the different disciplines of Sociology, Anthropology, Ethnology, Theology and Philosophy conceptualise the elements of religion in their own context; as a result there is no single uniform theory or Definition on religion .

2 Besides, religion being one of the earliest institutions is also one of the oldest subjects in human history that is taught and is most widely spread and universally discussed at many levels. Numerous scholars have explained the origin of religion from different perspectives and some of the approaches are discussed below, but let us first look into the definitions given by these scholars. The term religion carries a different meaning for different people. Ronald L. Johnstone puts it in this way, The English word religion has a Latin root, Religare meaning, to bind together (suggesting the concept of a group or fellowship) , (1961: 7). Therefore, because of the richness and variety of the subject matter, opinion and understanding differ in theoretical conceptualization.

3 Emile Durkheim in, The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life (1915) conceptualised religion as a dichotomy on the basis of social facts by studying of the indigenous Aborigines of Australia and arrives saying that religious phenomena are naturally arranged in two fundamental categories of beliefs and practices , the first being the states of opinion in the representation of the mind; the second determined modes of action which is the practical side of life (1915: 36). Durkheim s religious concept is focuses on the importance of the Aborigine s totem a symbolic representation of their clan or society where he sees nothing in the practical meaning of the rites and rituals; rather he believes that it is in the sacredness of the totem that the rites and rituals are practiced to reinforce their group cohesion and solidarity which is seen to be the expression of collective consciousness (ibid.)

4 : 37). Accordingly he states that religious representations are collective representations which express collective realities (ibid: 10). Therefore, he claims that, all known religious belief 2 systems, whether simple or complex, present one common characteristic that presupposes a classification of all the things as real and ideal , into two classes or opposed groups designated by two distinct terms or words profane and sacred (ibid: 37). Thus, Durkheim gives one of the most convincing definitions of religion as: A unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things, that is to say, things set apart and forbidden, beliefs and practices which unite into one single moral community called a church, all those who adhere to them (1915: 47).

5 Durkheim s religion is focused on the dichotomy of beliefs and practices (rites) embodied in the objects of the sacred and profane which is generally accepted as the essence of all religion , irrespective of whether being a simple or complex society. Universally, belief is an aspect of a powerful conviction upon something, a conviction that has the potential and capacity to create a strong faith. Hence, belief is understood to be the manifestation of conviction; faith and values consecrated in the sacredness of the object that is revered and honoured with adoration. For example, the Arc of the Covenant, sacred texts like the Gita, Quran, Bible, etc.

6 , besides these, there are also some objects considered to have endowed with certain power and having certain indispensible values for an individual or society, that have been conceived as sacred, like totems: bear, crow, tiger, beaver, etc. According to Durkheim, anything which is not sacred is profane . So, we see that no society or culture is completely free from the elements of sacred and profane and hence, the treatment of sacred things differs from one culture to another but generally honouring sacred things or objects may involve simple to complex religious activities or rites and rituals, for some they may be an obligation carried out in the form of certain socio-religious norms or moral principles.

7 According to James G. Frazer, religion is a belief in a power superior to man, which is believed to direct and control the course and nature of human life (quoted from Rao 1990: 446). Elizabeth H. Nottingham, on the other hand defines it from the perspective of emotional and sentimental attachment of the traditional practices of the past as the determining criteria for religious belief. She says, religion is for many people so much an affair of the heart, so often inexplicable even to themselves, so coloured by their own special feeling for the particular belief and ceremonies that have become sacred to them through long association (1971: 4).

8 Another view closer to the above Definition given by Malcolm Hamilton is that religion is seen to be the product of psychological factors inherent in all human beings and on the other it is seen as providing support for social values and social stability (2001: 133). He believes that religion originates from the mind out of fear and security for the group cohesion guided by the moral principles of 3 social values to stabilize the social system. Considering the above given definitions and many others that are excluded here shows there is no consensus among them. As Lucy Mair states, anthropologists have always agreed on the importance of the practice, but their treatment of the beliefs has been very different at different times (1972: 211).

9 Therefore, on the above statements Roger A. Johnson combines all the elements of religion into one aspect and states that religion is an extremely complex phenomenon. It encompasses beliefs and doctrines, myths and rituals, sacred scriptures and cultic objects, and the manifestation of transcendence in these many aspects (1973: 9). On the other hand, religious practices are all aspects of religious behaviour which is characterised by peculiars acts or practices, observances and performances executed under the umbrella of religion , such as moral principles or morality, socio-religious norms, ceremonies, magic, rites and rituals, taboos, superstition, etc., where the believers consider it an obligation or feel indebted to it for their life as they have faith in it.

10 In this Study the term indigenous and tribe are used as interlinked conceptual terms for identification and description as both the terms in application are argued as true for the Chothe. The most cited description on the concept of the indigenous is given by Jose R. Martinez Cobo, the Special Rapporteur of the Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities of the On the basis of this, Roy Burman says that there are two definitions widely accepted in the international parlance on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples that are contained in ILO Convention 107 of 1957 and ILO Convention 169 of 1989 (1994:15-16).