Individuals participate in rituals for various reasons. As explained in Baseball Magic by George Gmelch, athletes often participate in rituals for superstition-based purposes. These athletes tend to participate in rituals or taboo in order to improve their performance on the field. Alternatively, The Adaptive Value of Religious Ritual, written by Richard Sosis, describes that participation in religion-based rituals is often with the intent of improving the communication and cohesion of a group. Although Gmelch introduces ritual participation in the context of individual performance and Sosis in the context of group performance, both authors explain how rituals can benefit a given group or scenario. As an individual who has both witnessed and …show more content…
It was not until I was older that I got more experience participating in rituals that were meant to create overall group community and cohesion. For example, as a member of a Greek organization, I regularly participate in my organization’s ritual, which is meant to bind our members closer. Because I do not participate in any religious practices, my organization’s ritual is the closest thing to religious practices that I have first-hand experience with. In the Greek-community setting, I have never viewed rituals to be “dumb” or “cult-like”, but instead have always viewed them to be unifying activities that motivate members to achieve common goals. This is quite different from how I have often viewed extreme religious …show more content…
Now that I am able to draw a parallel with something I am familiar with, Greek organizations, I understand the importance behind religious rituals. Although it can be easy to question the practices as an outsider, I know first-hand what it feels like to be better connected with other members and the institution as a whole through participating in ritual. I now realize that although some aspects of ritual might seem to be extreme, individuals often come out on the other end with a greater sense of purpose and devotion. As individuals participate in ritual, group morale is often augmented; just like a baseball player’s confidence and enthusiasm might be improved through participating in a daily routine. Reading Gmelch and Sosis’s articles consecutively allowed me to better understand the common elements of a given ritual. Gmelch’s article helped me attribute a humanistic aspect to religious ritual, since I previously understood sports superstition at a deeper level. By combining an idea with which I was familiar with an idea I did not have extensive knowledge of, my understanding of both topics
The symbolic anthropology is clearly depicted from even a baseball player hitting exactly four warm up shots every game and making it his current routine. By depicting each ritual, Gmelch really can show the upcoming audience what to expect.
The article Baseball Magic by George Gmelch is about an anthropologist who used to be a baseball player. So he knew about some rituals the players did from when he was in the pros. The article just described rituals the players do like eat at the same place before the games or the same type of food. Then he talked about Taboos which are things that the players didn’t do like he said he ate pancakes before a game had a bad game then never eat pancakes again before a game. Then he talked about fetishes like how the Hispanics would have a rosary and kiss it before they batted. The point the author was trying to make was that the author is focusing on how many people believe that magic can help them succeed.
Every Culture has a set of rituals that they partake in, that are often constructed over a long period of time. Simple Actions, and special moments contain so much meaning and make everlasting memories. All rituals despite the locations they originate from, or the location they are carried out in contain the same components, they are repetitive, symbolic, remind a certain group of people about their values and beliefs, and these rituals commemorate a significant moment. For example christians commemorate the birth of christ by attending mass, and many other cultures celebrate this moment in many different ways that have in depth symbolic meaning. In the book “Guests of the Sheik” by Elizabeth Warnock Fernea rituals play a major role. Fernea’s husband Bob is an anthropologist studying the occupants of a small village named El Nahra and their culture. Fernea has documented her experiences, and adventures, and her perspective of the many rituals that the townspeople participate in such as, Ramadan, Muharram, weddings, and pilgrimages. In Muslim culture pilgrimages are immensely important and can even lead to an elevated status. Such as the pilgrimage to Mecca. Fernea is able to participate in a pilgrimage to Karbala with a couple of the towns women she had befriended. The Pilgrimage to Karbala is a symbolic, and cultural ritual in the aspect that it is reenacted every year, and is full of symbolic meaning, commemorates an important occasion and reminds a culture about their
The baseball diamond has a magical effect on my emotions, which seem take over my body and mind. The effects seem to be an instant release of excitement and energy. Before the game begins I seem to get energy that take over my body. I could be tired from working all day and as soon as I step on or near the field my body just kicks into overdrive. The display of excitement is felt by many people sitting around me. The constant cheering and yelling gets others excited around me and just excite me more. Sometimes I do even think about what is coming out of my mouth, whether good or bad, I just keep yelling. Sitting down seems to be one of my biggest challenges during a ball game. I have to constantly be moving from standing up blocking others
In much the same way, religious behavior is also a “costly signaling theory of ritual”.[6] In an article called “Discipline and the Arts of Domination: Rituals of Respect in Chimborazo, Ecuador" written by Barry Lyons he examination shows potential associations between connections symbols crosswise over ritual works on, proposing a promising heading for future thought. Lyons takes after the association of whipping traditions in both works and religious, battling that the corporal routine of whipping over the way of life was entwined with social and typical importance. To make a "respect complex" that followed up on people's bodies and additionally upon their minds. Since participation is vital to a collective's survival, people utilized community
I have never been to a baseball game or even watched a baseball game on TV, but I can most definitely see how math is used in professional baseball to determine all those number that appear after a player's name. Baseball is more than a game it is game of mathematical numbers used to try and determine how players respond in certain situations. Teams keep all kinds of statistics on batters, such as: number of times at bat - AB, number of runs scored - R, number of hits - H, number of runs batted in - BI, number of walks - W, number of strike outs - K, and batting average - AVG. These are all used to determine the quality of a batter to be able to hit and score runs. Math statistics are also kept on the number homeruns divided by the number times
One of the instructors, Gary Kruger, claims that this institution uses the instructional period as a way to expose men to the reality that as Christians, they are in a spiritual fight and are called to fight the good fight of faith (Warren, 2011). Arya et al. (2010) argued that there is an experience within sports that can collectively transport the crowd from the state of ordinariness to a state of the sacred. She then continues to explain that rituals foster this passage from the ordinary to the sacred, where the ritualistic behaviour alters the individualistic identity to a collective experience, where the whole is greater than the sum. Girard (1972) discusses through his influential anthological book, Violence And The Sacred, the build-up
Sosis gives a few different examples of religious custom and calls attention to that each of them includes the individual loss of time, vitality, or assets, all of which would be required to decrease the weakness out of the groups. Religion capacities characterize bunches with what an individual human is related. Such gatherings need symbols to recognize who is and who not an individual from these gatherings so who is and who not a member of these groups so that group members will assist and aid only other group members. Analyzing Sosis' contention, there are one major issue miscreants. Religious ceremonies give such a signal to their members within their rituals. It would be simple to fake participation by wearing a material item and get the
Rituals is understood as finding a focus to being dedicated and doing sacred practices a way of worshiping in your own personal wellbeing. However, Protestant doctrines of Buddhism and Christianity of converting revitalization movements into many influences of God and Christian ethics, gave Buddhist Protestant a doctrine of
In researching this topic, one very significant academic work, “The Use of Prayer in Sport: Implications for Sport Psychology Consulting” by Nick J. Watson and Daniel R. Czech (2005) explores the new found importance of religion and spirituality in sports, and how the public interprets and observes an athletes religious rituals. As both Watson and Czech (2005) are sport psychologists, their research examines the importance of religion, its effect on an athlete’s psychological state, as well as the affect it has on athlete’s overall performance in competition.
Religion sacralizes the norm and values of establishing society, maintaining the dominance of group goals over individual wishes, and of group disciplines over individual’s impulses. It thereby reinforces the legitimation of the division of functions, facilities, and rewards characteristic of a given society (Thomas, Janet O’Dea, 1995). It helps to come together as one to have one belief. Our lord and savior is who we believe that is good in our life and that’s why we believe to meet up on 7th day of sabbath as a group and praise him and thank hims for giving his life for our sin. People may feel overwhelm on how each person praise for him but we see it as a thank you to him no matter how we do it. A lot of people feel that reinforcing little
To resolve these selection pressures, religion is composed of three major elements: the sacred, the supernatural, and rituals and beliefs about the supernatural. According to Turner, believing in the sacred, like objects and events that symbolize the supernatural, can be “a very powerful motivator of humans”. In fact, many times religion offers a system of values that provides guidelines to how one should act in order to be accepted into the after life. Rituals and beliefs about the supernatural vary within societies. Rituals can include anything from dancing, to singing, to praying, etc. and they serve to link the natural and supernatural worlds together. Turner states that such rituals can be calendrical or non-calendrical, where calendrical rituals are performed on a regular schedule, like mass, for example. The non-calendrical rituals are then performed on special occasions, like rites of passage. As stated, however, these vary widely across societies.
To see how athlete connect their spiritual self with their individual sports just what what some of these athletes do before and after their game and meets. We might see them pray as a group or individual, do the cross sign wear something that respect christ either around their neck finger, or even have a bible on their shoe etc. From the article by Edwards
A prime example is the women's choir, they gather and practice weekly. Their practices consist of not only signing but talking as a group of friends. This makes them feel important and apart of something bigger than themselves by helping the church but also group to connect with due to having many similar interests. Not only do they have just the ladies gathering but the church’s men softball team is another social event that also has similar characteristics. The most obvious is the member of the all every sunday most of the community gathers at the church to worship and feel apart of something bigger than themselves. The similarity and force of worshipping the same God brings them together and united. Even though they are all apart of the same church each person is unique, this is seen in the movie by each person's reaction to Colton’s experiences. This show functionalism being portrayed for example by them going to church every sunday and praying were seen to preserve their faith.
Hopkins, Pandey et al (2014), carried out a study about the Kumbe Mela, a mass Hindu pilgrimage. In which the kalpwasi identity. are required to live on the banks of the Ganges for a month long period and perform a number of religious rituals to develop their spiritual being. During this pilgrimage, the individuals are required to bathe in the river Ganges twice a day, including at night when temperatures drop close to freezing, in which they all support each other and follow the rituals. By watching other performs religious rituals it encourages others to imitate their behaviour. Those participating will generally be supportive of each other and will help each other achieve their desired goals. When it comes to the reactive forms of helping we describe, we would expect that to happen among in group members for any group (Levine, Prosser, Evans, & Reicher, 2005). This is an excellent example of in group membership as they are belonging to same religion, beliefs and gather at the same location for the same outcome. They may not know each other personally and are strangers to on another, but they still come together to help each other to develop spiritually. They see each other as group members because they are participating in the same religious practice and belonging to the same God.