Atonement and appeasement rituals as a platform for intra-group reconciliation
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| Year of publication | 2024 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
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| Description | Although it could be argued that the ubiquitous rituals of atonement and appeasement are merely a byproduct of human social cognition, I argue that those rituals offer an effective reconciliation platform. This is thanks to religious rituals representing a reliable and comprehensible form of communication of intentions. While individualistic religious traditions emphasize personal salvation and moral purity, other traditions stress avoidance of imminent supernatural punishment through appeasement and sacrifice. Beyond theological differences, there is also a variety of individuals' understanding of those rituals, their structure and exegetic reasoning concerning functions and efficacy. In this presentation, I aim to offer a preliminary descriptive model of those rituals and present exploratory ethnographic data concerning believers' intuitions about religious atonement and appeasement practices. |
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