Smith, "Primal Religions" Chapter.

1) What are the principal ways that primal religions differ from historical ones?

2. Smith claims that "primal time focuses on causal rather than chronological sequence." Specify and clarify what this means in two areas of human experience:

 

• Renewal rites, and
• Relation to the Source.

3. What is Dreaming and how have Australian aborigines related to it?

4. Smith claims that exclusive dependence on speech bestows three "endowments." Specify and clarify these benefits. How would you describe the primal sense of sacredness in concrete and specific places?

5. Smith affirms that primal peoples "see distinctions as bridges instead of barriers." Specify and clarify the basic ways this worldview expresses itself in three apparent dichotomies:

• Humans/animals,
• Animate/inanimate,
• The world/other world.

6. In what ways does Smith suggest the "common stereotype" of primal religion as polytheistic to be qualified?

7. Smith discusses the "symbolist mentality" as "probably the most important single feature of living primal spirituality." Select one sentence from this section that best expresses for you this sense of "the things of the world as transparent to their divine source." Finally, describe the shaman in one carefully-worded sentence.

8. Read "Conclusion." Reflecting on this section and the chapter as a whole, what do you think of the place and significance of primal peoples in the world today?

Required Text: The World's Religions by Huston Smith

Answer:

1. What are the principal ways that primal religions differ from historical ones?

Answer: 

     The principal ways that primal religions differ from historical ones are as follows. First, primal religions came first preceding Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and other historical religions for at least about three million years according to Huston Smith. Second, primal religions have relatively small followers which is why Smith alternatively calls them "tribal religions." Finally, primal religions are usually oral in terms of source because of the absence of writing technology in the groups that practice them.

2. Smith claims that "primal time focuses on causal rather than chronological sequence." Specify and clarify what this means in two areas of human experience:

• Renewal rites, and
• Relation to the Source.

Answer: 

     In terms of the concepts of renewal rites, the statement about the focus of primal time on causal rather than on chronological sequence means that primal time is not a linear movement for practitioners of primal religions. It indicates that time is a matter of proximity between the people and what they call the Source. This "Source" according to Smith, refers to the gods who ordered the present structure and appearance of the natural world. Renewal rites therefore are regular attempts that worshipers perform in order to close their distance from the Source. Some examples cited by the author include the Sun Dance of the Plains Indians (also known as "the Dance for World and Life Renewal"), and the ritual of repairing boats from Polynesian Island of Tikopia.

     In terms of relation to the Source, the statement about the focus of primal time on causal rather than on chronological sequence means that there is value in being closer to the Source of life. This explains why worshipers in primal religions greatly honor their ancestors. They believe that their ancestors are closer to the gods than they are. To some extent, they are seekers of the same proximity that their ancestors have to the Source.

3. What is Dreaming and how have Australian aborigines related to it?

Answer: 

     The Dreaming is the term used by aborigines to refer to the other way in which they may experience the world. According to Smith, anthropologists call this the "mythic world" in an attempt to distinguish the religious/spiritual experience of the people from their ordinary life.

4. Smith claims that exclusive dependence on speech bestows three "endowments." Specify and clarify these benefits. How would you describe the primal sense of sacredness in concrete and specific places?

Answer:

     The three endowments that exclusive dependence on speech bestow are the versatility of the spoken word;  the exercise of the human memory; and the protection that it gives preventing the devaluation of verbal channels and misinterpretations. With regards to the versatility of the spoken word, Smith explains that there are features of the message that can only be conveyed orally (i.e. diction, pauses, gestures, etc.) and that by putting the message into writing will depreciate it. As for the exercise of human memory, Smith claims that being dependent on oral tradition greatly enhances the accuracy of a person's memory. He gave as his examples the blind people of whom he described their memories to be "legendary," as well as the New Hebrides report about the children being educated only through listening and watching, and still demonstrated mental dexterity in memorizing thousand myths. Finally, as for the protection that it gives to prevent the devaluation of verbal channels of revelation, and misinterpretation, the dependence on speech will ensure that none of the preeminent treatment that happened to the sacred texts of other historical religions will happen to primal religions. Moreover, because primal religions rely on oral traditions, the risk for misinterpreting the message is significantly controlled and managed.

     As to how I would describe the primal sense of sacredness in concrete and specific places, I will draw from Smith's description on the same objects. According to Smith, primal sense of sacredness is organically rooted to the native land of the worshipers. Unlike historical religions which require that worshipers transfer their focus to specific sacred places since their followers are vast coming from different locations, worshipers of primal religions are usually native of the land where they live. Living in this native land is what makes it a sacred place for them according to Smith as he cites Levi-Strauss.

5. Smith affirms that primal peoples "see distinctions as bridges instead of barriers." Specify and clarify the basic ways this worldview expresses itself in three apparent dichotomies:

• Humans/animals,
• Animate/inanimate,
• The world/other world.

Answer:

     A helpful theme that I found in Smith's discussion of the Primal World relating to this question is that of the embeddedness of humans to the rest of the natural world. In simplest terms, I would say that this embeddedness implies a very thin line that may distinguish one object from another. In the case of humans-animals dichotomy, the example that Smith mentioned is the totemism wherein figures of humans and animals are being merged in an attempt to represent the close connection between the two objects (animals usually functions as spirit guide, guardian, friend, helper, etc.).

     As for the animate-inanimate dichotomy, Smith claims that the dividing line is likewise "perforated." This is because in primal religions, even inanimate objects are alive (i.e. rocks, sea, water, etc.). One specific example that was mentioned by Smith is the Ayers Rock in Australia, who aborigines claim to be "divine." 

     Finally, as for the dichotomy of the world and the other world, the concept of the "Dreaming" that was explained earlier is an indication that even the mystical is embedded in the natural. It is only a matter of experience that makes a person transcend the bounds of the natural realm.

6. In what ways does Smith suggest the "common stereotype" of primal religion as polytheistic to be qualified?

Answer: 

     Smith suggested that it is qualified to stereotype primal religion as polytheistic only to some extent. However, the kind of polytheism that applies to historical religions like those in Greek mythology, is different to the polytheism that may apply to primal religions. This is because primal religions see all of nature as representations of the Source, or the divine, if not actually divine. Thus, Smith even suggested that some people may classify these religions as pan-monotheism in reference to the transcending property of the divine throughout all physical objects.

7. Smith discusses the "symbolist mentality" as "probably the most important single feature of living primal spirituality." Select one sentence from this section that best expresses for you this sense of "the things of the world as transparent to their divine source." Finally, describe the shaman in one carefully-worded sentence.

Answer: 

     Personally, one sentence from the section that best expresses the sense that "the things of the world as transparent to their divine source" is this: "Physical sight presents the water in a lake in existential isolation, for as far as the eye reports, the body of water exists as a reality in its own right." Smith stated this as part of his explanation of the relationship between the divine and the natural objects. This is illustrative of this relationship in that the sensory experience of sight, makes the water "real" to the beholder in the same way as the natural objects seem to make the divine "realized" so to say. 

     As for the shaman, this is how I describe it in one sentence: Shaman is a type of human identity or an entity that transcends the chains of time and space, fully grasping the meaning of symbolism and other spiritual realities.

8. Read "Conclusion." Reflecting on this section and the chapter as a whole, what do you think of the place and significance of primal peoples in the world today?

Answer: 

     I think that primal peoples have a specific place in our contemporary world as a reminder of our primitive roots. They remind us not of our uncivilized and savage roots but of our religiousness as members of the human race. As being the closest to the earliest expressions of spirituality, primal peoples may function as a template whereby we might compare and even improve, if possible, our present practices (religious or non-religious). To some extent I personally feel as if there is more to life than the material demands of our modern industrialized societies. Reflecting on their practices, I feel like I am connected to the Source no matter how distant.