In a journal article, The Material Culture of Lived Religion: Visuality and Embodiment, David Morgan refers to the idea that religion is not exclusively a material phenomenon. Accordingly, his reasoning is linked to a concept that it involves all five human senses as well as abstract concepts, such as behavior, purpose, character. Moreover, the author argues that “One might say that material culture is the skeleton on which the thought-world and felt-life of religion take shape” (Morgan, 2020, para. 9). Thus, the purpose of this essay is to analyze Morgan’s approach and an attempt to present an object which proves that his statement is correct.
First, it is worth considering the desired goals of faith’s institution as a social phenomenon. In particular, the established life orders, which include several prohibitions on what the law suppresses today, are one of the weighty examples proving that religion was used initially to constitute clear orders in society. On the other hand, there were also rules aimed at building the institution of the family, a sense of statehood, and attempts to unite people under the auspices of religious holidays. In most cases, such events involve the interaction of unfamiliar people with each other. Thus, it can be concluded that religion had the main impacts precisely on the social branches of everyday life.
On the other hand, religion also has a material aspect, coherent with basic human senses. Numerous rites and rituals, adherence to certain areas of architecture in different religious denominations, and the frequent use of unique dishes and drinks were used to create a sense of so-called spirituality for religious followers. Moreover, specific rules of appearance for preachers of different religions prove that without visual differentiation, it would be challenging to separate believers and those who introduce people to confessional communities. As a result, the material aspect of religion has many manifestations, affecting the gustatory, olfactory, and visual aspects of human perception.
However, religion also embodies ideological dogmas unrelated to social constructs. For example, we can cite the principle of orthodox Christianity, in which revenge in any of its manifestations is considered a sin. On the contrary, in this denomination, forgiveness and mercy are welcomed, which, according to the scriptures, were peculiar to Jesus Christ. Thus, religion is also affecting the external perception of the world and the basic human principles of its followers, inclining them to a certain worldview which predetermines many life situations.
The object to be considered and analyzed, based on previous conclusions, should be the person themselves. Of all the manifestations of religion, material, behavioral, and social, it is the human who proves that religion has many different channels of influence. On the one hand, a person changes their way of life, starting to follow the prescriptions, and in the case of religions like Islam or Buddhism, they even build the daily routine following religious rules. Moreover, the appearance, behavior, manner of speech, inner attitude, self-awareness, and perception of most events occurring in everyday life also change when certain dogmas are adopted. In cases when a person joins a confessional organization, becoming a preacher, for example, all these factors multiply, turning an individual into an instrument whose purpose is to spread particular views on the world. Thus, the object represented by a person immersed in religion is the main proof of Morgan’s correctness in his statement.
In conclusion, the analysis of Morgan’s statements and the object given as an example fully proves his correctness and fully reflects religion’s essence. Moreover, analyzing its other aspects and considering individual confessions, trends, and interpretations, one can see how faith’s institution affects different channels of human perception. Consequently, a person modified under its influence, fully immersed in its foundations and dogmas, its faithful object, spreading it in society by the same methods that they were initially attracted.
Work Cited
Morgan, David. “The Material Culture of Lived Religions: Visuality and Embodiment.” The Jugaad Project, Web.