Different cultures have different ideas that determine their way of life. Similarly, various religious affiliations carry out different rites as forms of worship and acts of reverence. Cultural relativism requires us to examine both our own culture and those of others objectively to develop a balanced point of view. Anybody who tries to change aspects of culture or religion that are not acceptable is met with resistance, and some people follow cultural and religious practices without questioning or reasoning out their decision. Even though some people choose which aspects of religion or culture to practice, religious beliefs have the same basis as cultural beliefs and practices because redundant practices have stood the test of time. This paper explore aspects of my culture from an etic perspective and compare aspects of another culture from an emic view. The paper will examine the perception of Christianity in America and how Islam is affected by some of these ideas. The paper will also demonstrate how culture has become synonymous with religion.
Part 1
In this section, the will examine culture from an etic perspective. This means that the will present the two cultures from an outsider looking in. First, the paper will use Miner's article to create the potential scenarios. Then it will follow it up with an example from America. Both of these scenarios will show how other people's beliefs are viewed from the outside.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
A story is told of the Nacirema who is a North American group that lives in Mexico, Antilles, and the Canadian Cree. They were first introduced to the anthropological world twenty years ago. One of the things they believe is that the human body is prone to disease and it should frequently be treated. This is done through the regular cleansing and healing rituals done at the shrine. The shrine is used as an outward display of the family’s wealth. The shrine is often a large one for affluent families, and they adorn and beautify all their temples. Low-income families do whatever is possible to make their temple attractive. Although the shrines are owned by families, the rituals performed inside them are shrouded in secrecy. Each person carries out their specific rituals alone, and children only witness this when they are being taught or inducted into the ritual. The shrine has a box in the wall that acts as an altar. It holds all the charms and objects that the Nacirema believe are responsible for their well being (Ryan, 2011).
Though there are 'powerful' medicine men would supply this charms and herbs to the people, then the person creates their concoction. The medicine men and the herbalists may produce an ingredient list or recipe and supply it at an additional cost. Both the herbs and the ingredients list are sold in exchange for a gift. After the charm is used, the remaining products are retained in the shrines charm box for future use on similar problems. The charms are not often used again, but they are believed to have protective properties. Miner claimed that the Nacirema also believe that excretory functions and bathing are rituals that should take place in a rhetoric shrine. The male's excretory products are collected by a temple maiden, and the medicine nan uses them to determine the cause of illness. For an ailing female, her naked body is prodded by the medicine man to find a cure (Mine, 1956).
Miner demonstrates that some of the functions of the temple were more harmful than beneficial. For example, the daily routine carried out by men involves scraping his face with sharp objects. Then the women's ritual which is not as often involves them baking their heads in an oven for about an hour. The children seemed to be the most perceptive as they resisted the shrine and referred to it as the place where one went to die. The Nacirema people believed that their rituals were right although the evidence was contrary. Some even paid to have ritualistic ceremonies performed to cure their serious ailments. The treatments involved extreme insertions and forceful feedings and lacerations all done on a naked body. Payment was made on entry and exit from the temple shrine. The Nacirema people also paid for exorcism services as they believed that the parents sometimes enchanted the children. The exorcism sessions 'revealed' bewitching during birth, weaning, and many other natural functions(Mine, 1956).
This writing by Professor Linton is a rhetorical representation of how outsiders view of someone else's culture. This gives some perspective on how we view the things we don't understand. Nacirema is in fact, America when the letters ate rearranged inside out. Though some of the practices that Nacirema carry out seem barbaric, they are similar in compliance with the modern day religions practiced today. An article that highlights American Christianity sheds more light on this topic ( Messerly, 2016).
Christianity is one of the oldest and most widely practiced religions in the world. Though it claims to be the religion of relationship, Justin Fung points out that it has become a way of life and a cultural defense for many. He is an American citizen, who studied in London though he grew up in Hong Kong. Fung describes an America that uses God as a chip during arguments and as an excuse to take a side. He describes the scene after the 911 bombing in 2001 when Christians could not make sense of how a loving God could allow the senseless and brutal killing of hundreds of people. He compares the counter-reaction in supporting the war that followed a direct reaction that equated the love of God, with the love of country. He states that in supporting everything that is associated with God, the person adopts a cultural patriotism that precedes religious logic (Ryan, 2011).
The act of limiting God to one section of the population is not only ironical, but it is also unbiblical. It does not observe the outlined guidelines found in the Bible, but it follows the trends of the day. Fung describes the original Biblical ideals that showed the universality of religion through inclusion. By comparing the original ideals of Christianity with the current projections, Fung then equates religion with politics or culture. He insists that the world cannot pick which side God is on because he has worshipers on both sides. He finishes by stating that God, as is currently portrayed, is a partisan ruler who chooses who to support. America has turned Jesus's image into a semblance of Julius Caesar. Christianity has therefore turned into a culture of convenience (Crapo, 2013).
This article is relevant to the topic of religion because it demonstrates how religion impacts decision making just as culture does. It brings out cultural relativism in that two people with very opposing views lay claim to the same Christian God. It becomes impossible to define which person is right or wrong because they are both backed by the Bible. For example, maybe both these Christians pray and abide by most of the church rules. The only thing that tears them apart is their opinion on a secular issue. In Fung's case, this issue is the war on terror. Cultural relativism requires both of them to continue existing in a world where they must agree to disagree (Mine, 1956).
In the same way that cultural practices are replaced by new cultures, religious expression takes different forms with each changing generation. This means that there will always be people who hold on to the old order while others embrace the new. This is why some redundant cultures and religious practices still stand. The following article on Islam holds similar views.
Part 2
This section will describe the perception of Islam from the perspective of an insider. Ryan begins by defining normal as the social constructs that a majority of the population adheres to. Abnormal is therefore the opposite of those guidelines. Stigma is therefore developed from this abnormal situation. The increase in terror attacks as well the government's response to the same has created some apathy against members of the Islamic community ( Messerly, 2016).
The ladies in question were intelligent and hardworking members of society who are made to feel like outsiders in their homes. One middle-aged lady from London was concerned by the media portrayal of Islam as a religion of extremists. This was regardless of the individual’s level of religiosity. Most of the women interviewed argued that extremists were not real Muslims because they had lost the real ideals of the religion. The women, in turn, labeled or stigmatized the terrorists as bad Muslims while they were the good Muslims being punished for the sins of the bad. With the attempt to disassociate themselves from the bad, the women are attempting to be accepted and returned to the list of the normal (Fung, 2010).
Muslim women are beginning to abandon their ideals such as wearing a hijab so that they can be accepted in society. This has led to a quagmire where the religious being is forced to choose between normalcy and religious compliance. One lady describes herself as a chameleon who wears hijab with her Muslim friends while wearing lipstick and high heels with her non-Muslim friends. Ryan concludes that stigma is rampant on Muslims living in western nations. He describes their personal opinion on their normalcy as a range between being religiously conservative to being secular. This left a big margin of the disparity between what is abnormal and what warrants stigma (Mine, 1956).
The women in Ryan's article show an insider’s perception of stigma. It also shows the way each person views their submission to their religion. Two different people will view themselves as devout religious beings while their conduct is as different as night and day. An observer may have his additional view that defines these people entirely differently. None of this people will accept that the other one's perception is right because change is always opposed. In addition to this, cultural relativism accepts all their positions as right (Fung, 2010).
From the discussion it is evident that there are two main similarities between Ryan's and Fung’s articles. First, both this authors’ view religion from the present cultural perspective. They both examine the conduct of followers of both religions in the context of a secular world. Second, both authors record a conflict in the ideology. In both articles, the followers do not want to abandon their ideals, but they still want to pledge allegiance to the faith of choice. These two similarities show direct relevance to the concept of cultural relativism. Miner's nation of Nacirema is also similar to modern to religion where the believer has a place of worship, and they practice giving. Thus, the examination of various religions from different points of view helps us understand the similar challenges we all face.
References
Crapo, R. H. (2013). Cultural anthropology [Electronic version]. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/
Fung, J.B (2010) whose side is God on? An outsider’s perspective on American Christianity Retrieved from https://www.justinbfung.com/2010/03/30/whose-side-is-god-on-a-perspective-on-american-christianity/
Miner, H. (1956). Body Ritual among the Nacirema. American Anthropologist, 58(3), 503–507.
Retrieved from https://www.msu.edu/~jdowell/miner.html
Ryan, L. (2011). Muslim women negotiating collective stigmatization: ‘We’re just normal
People.’ Sociology, 45(6), 1045-1060. Retrieved from the SAGE Journals Online database.
Messerly, J. G. ( 2016). Cultural Moral Relativism. The Meaning of Life, 2016-11.
