Section A: 2.2 Spirituality in contemporary culture



There is an unprecedented spiritual hunger in our times. The increasingly irrelevance of religion in contemporary culture may be perceived as evidence of a lack of interest in spirituality. However, it could be argued that the disappearance of religious institutions and the erosion of a shared religious identity has created a spiritual hunger in modern Ireland.
Past Exam Question

In society today an interest in spirituality can be seen in different ways. Assess the evidence for this statement making reference to two ways that an interest in spirituality can be seen in the lives of people today.

Eastern spirtuality

In the absence of traditional forms of worship an increased interest in Eastern spiritual practices is evident. This may be seen as a mystical approach, desiring to interpret mystery outside of organized religion and restrictive moral codes. One can clearly see why Buddhism (more akin to a philosophy than an institutional religion) would seem more appealing in our increasingly secular society. The importance of an individual approach and emphasis on the spiritual journey may be more appealing than a rigid routine of prayer and ritual. 

The practice of mindfulness, meditation and yoga can be seen as spiritual responses to the challenges of our age, and have replaced Christian rituals in the lives of many. These more holistic approaches, which people associate with a sense of ‘well-being’, connect with those experiencing disenchantment with our anthropocentric, conformist, materialist culture.

Worship and pilgrimage

The continued practice of traditional forms of worship and ritual is also evident – though it  often highlighted as evidence of people ‘believing but not belonging’. For example many people still identify personal prayer as an expression of their spirituality, despite the decline in attendance at mass. This suggests that spirituality is becoming more individual. 

The ancient practice of pilgrimage is another indication of spiritual expression – it involves a removal from the cycle of everyday life and immersion in physical activity. Sites of pilgrimage such as Croagh Patrick and the Camino de Santiago are popular destinations for those seeking spiritual renewal. Finally the practice of rituals to mark key events in the human life cycle (birth, marriage, death) is evidence of the human need to interpret mystery and attach meaning. These ceremonies that celebrate transition, surely point to some spiritual need. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Section A: 4.2 Secular sources of communal values

Image
In the medieval world communal values were shaped, almost exclusively, by institutional religion. In the case of mainland Europe Christianity cast a particularly long shadow – dictating cultural and behaviour norms, as well as codes of ethics and moral theories.  The Enlightenment heralded the emergence of a secular worldview – and in doing so, severed links between values and religious belief. Beginning in the 16th century we can identify a number of cultural changes that led to the development of non-religious communal values. Past Exam Question The development of non-religious communal values can be traced back to moments such as the rise of humanism, existentialism etc. Profile how any two such moments contributed to the development of non-religious communal values Renaissance The Renaissance is a time of innovation in the arts and human sciences. It represented a 'rebirth’ after the long slumber of the dark ages. The scientific discoveries of Co...
Read more

Section A: 2.2 Early religious behaviour

Image
Religious behaviour is founded upon belief in a power greater than ourselves and manifests itself in codes of moral conduct and rituals that offer praise or worship to this higher power. Archaeological studies of ancient civilisations have uncovered behaviours and practices which can be considered religious in nature. Examples of burial rites, sacrifices and rituals that mark times of transition point to a sense of spirituality in pre-historic societies. Past Exam Question Since ancient times people have used rites to mark key events in life - rite of burial, rite of sacrifice, rite of passage : Explain how evidence of religious belief can be seen in one of the above rites associated with people who lived in ancient times. Through archaeology and historical research we find much that suggest religious behaviour on the part of ancient people. ‘Religious’ means they attached meaning to key moments in their lives, both as individuals and as a community. Events marked thr...
Read more

Section C: 1.2 Influence of primal religions

The term primal religion refers to the practices of pre-historic, pre-literate groups, whose rituals and beliefs have been preserved through an oral tradition. These groups are disparate and can be identified in several different parts of the world, including; the Yoruba tribe in west Africa, the Maya in central America, the New Zealand Maori and the Australian aborigines. Though there was no connection between these groups there are striking similarities in their major beliefs and the expression of their religious faith. Primal religion was practiced by agricultural societies, who lived close to nature and sensed its power. They believed in a spiritual world of beings stronger than mankind. These groups shared similar traits, namely; recognition of the all-encompassing power of religion, with no boundaries between sacred and secular, the use of oral rather than written sources, rituals depicting myths or narratives centred on the human-divine relationship. The main chara...
Read more