A Religious Overview: Eliade, From The Sacred and the Profane
In the reading, Eliade compares two experiences: one which involves sacred space and one which involves profane space. Sacred space is used to create meaning in the world through religious traditions and myths. Profane space is a lack of those same religious values which are meant to create a deeper understanding of the world in which we live. Eliade argues that in order to understand religion, there must be an understanding of the difference between what is sacred and what is profane, as interpreted by the religious man and the non-religious man.
The religious man seeks to understand an absolute reality, through universal beliefs and practices by religious peoples. For religious people, there are objects and characters which they interpret to reveal the truth of world. One example given in the reading is the door to a church, temple, or any place of worship. The door is seen as a threshold which separates the sacred from the profane. Not only is the church a place of worship and judgment, it requires a right of passage, such as a bow or a hand shake, before allowed entry into the holy space. The purpose of the right of passage is to make sure that only those worthy enter the sanctuary. In the catholic religion the sign of the cross is done, typically on ones forehead, before entry.
In addition, the church is a sacred place which connects heaven and earth, or the two worlds. In the reading, Eliade explains how the sacred pole of the Achilpa represents the formation of life and the connection to the sky (32), while those in Kwakiutl believe in a cooper pole which passes three levels: underworld, earth and sky, both of which are similar religious beliefs that make the connection with the different worlds. A home is also a sacred place for religious people, typically having an opening to the sky like a home with a chimney or an Indians teepee.
Non-religious men do not give meaning or value to any aspects of life because they live in profane space. All space is the same and there is no sacred space. A home may have personal meaning to the non-religious person, yet it is not seen as a center of the world, or manifests any connection to the world we live in. Eliade explains how a home for a non-religious people has no value or function in modern society; it is simply a mass-produced machine in an industrial society, much like a refrigerator or car (50-51).
Sacred space gives people a sense of belonging, a purpose in life, and a connection with the world they live in and heaven. Life is not simply about survival and profane space; humans give life meaning by having a purpose and avoiding chaos, which can lead to death. We as individuals want our lives, including our behavior, to have purpose in life. We try to understand why we are here and how we got here, and those rooted in religion draw conclusions using their religious beliefs and traditions. Those that are not deeply rooted in religion are not thirsty for meaning or belonging so they make no connections and come to no conclusions.
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Those that are not religious may have come to that realization through much more reasearch and in-depth study than those who grew up in a household that practiced a certain religion, and now simply follow the herd because they do not know any better. For example, Professor Ormsbee grew up Mormon, yet made an educated decision to leave the church, and is now a professor of religion. To say that those who are not deeply religious are not thirsty for religion and make no connections and come to no conclusions is ignorant. Why do you think some of us agnostics are taking this class? I say those who follow a religion blindly, without question, are the ones who have no thirst for meaning.
ReplyDeleteI believe that article suggests that if you are not deeply-rooted in religion then you would not make connections and draw conclusions between the meaning of life and your religion, because you would have no religion to base your findings on.
ReplyDeleteFor example our professor at one point was a Mormon and so he can understand sacred space because he learned, through his religion, about sacred space. According to the reading, someone who has no religion and was never exposed to religion does not hold the same value for something that is considered sacred, like a bible.
Non-religious people might be thirsty for meaning, but it is not their religion that generates that thirst. If you use religion to understand your being or your purpose in life ,then I think Eliade would classify you as a religious person. When he says non-religious, I think he means not having any belief in God or religion what so ever.
I liked how this essay gives the reader a definition of sacred space and profane space, and then gives examples of each. I found the article to be very intriguing because of the different ways in which people choose their sacred space. I also found it interesting how people choose a sacred space and then build their homes and society around that sacred space. I never really thought about sacred or profane space before, and this article really sparked my interest.
ReplyDeleteI liked how this essay gives the reader a definition of sacred space and profane space, and then gives examples of each. I found the article to be very intriguing because of the different ways in which people choose their sacred space. I also found it interesting how people choose a sacred space and then build their homes and society around that sacred space. I never really thought about sacred or profane space before, and this article really sparked my interest.
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