Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

The cult is intended to be the concrete form through which man expresses his veneration for a superhuman entity or force whom he believes superior and deems worthy of honor and devotion. With this term, one usually makes a reference to the relationship of dependence and adoration between man and the divine, be it a personal entity, a force of nature, or an ancestor's spirit. The cult therefore is placed in the center of every religion and carries across the ritual behaviors, which are usually presided over by a special individual believed to be particularly competent for the job: he can be a priest, a wizard, a shaman, or even a member of the group who is believed to be in possession of special gifts. It is interesting to note, especially for the consequences within the fields of the social sciences in general and of sociology in particular, that the term cult shares the same Latin root as the term culture : the recognition of man's dependence upon the divine, which he expresses in acts of adoration, supplication, and thanksgiving, forms, develops, and is an expression of different social and cultural contexts. It is precisely the different cultures that create and give meaning to the various ways of structuring the time and space of the cult, hence establishing which cult actions are most appropriate, which times are most opportune to celebrate the feasts, and which significant ... log in or subscribe to read full text