What specific Beliefs and Values are reinforced by the rite?

Purpose:To observe, analyze, and critique a central ritual in a religious tradition (other than your own) with a view toward understandinghow the religion takes shape in the actual “performance” of the rite. You will want to refer to Ronald Grimes “Mapping Ritual” and “Modes of Ritual” PDF’s in the Canvas Module. On a separate title page be sure to list: your name, name of the site visited, religion of the site (including branch, denomination or sect if applicable) address and contact information (phone, email) for the site, date and time of your visit, names of any staff or officials at the site with whom you communicated. There are 3 parts to this project, each with its own set of questions to address as follows:
PART I: THE DESCRIPTIVE TASK Key Question to ask: “What is going on here?”[Note Well: This segment should be answered strictly on the basis of what you saw, not on the basis of previousexperience, theoreticalknowledge or questioning of the participants]The purpose of this section is to give a complete description of what you observe. Give a narrative account from beginning to end of the sequence of events which you observe, including a list of the various parts of the ritual (eg. Opening Prayer, Song, etc.). Be as thorough as possible (without spending more than 1000-1500words on this section).Use Ronald Grimes’ article, “Mapping the Field of Ritual” (found in Canvas)to describe each of the following. Pay special attention to the questions he asks surrounding each of the following:•Ritual Space•Ritual Objects•Ritual Time•Ritual Sound•Ritual Language•Ritual Identity•Ritual Action
PART II: THE ANALYTICAL TASK Key Question to ask: “What does it mean?”[Note Well: These questions should only bereviewed and answered once the first part (writing down your Observation) has been completed]1.Where, if anywhere, is the sense of the “sacred” manifested? How is it marked-off and distinguished from the “profane”? How is it acknowledged? (Verbally? Gesture? Ornamentation?Other ways?)2.Briefly, what images/concepts ofGod/Divineare fostered and conveyed by the rite? How does this occuror get accomplished?3.What specific Beliefs and Values are reinforced by the rite? How does this process occur? In other words, how is it accomplished?What beliefs and values are censored-out or negated by the rite?4.Where and how, if at all, is the sense of “liminality” (time out of time) apparent? How was it created?Make sure you use Tom Driver’s material to define/explain liminality.5.Every religion/ritual has an “official”meaning (usually found in the textbooks onreligion dealing with dogma andtheory). In contrast to this, there is also a “pragmatic”meaning (which usually isthe “actual preferred meaning”for the group or individual as practiced).It is this latter one (the pragmatic meaning) that this final project focuses on. In light of this, the final question in this section is: Is there any “ritual dissonance”that you became aware of; where what you learned on a theoretical level is different from the actual practice of the religion (as experienced in the ritual). Ie., what you saw vs. what you read. For this question you should referto your textbook, as well as other bibliographic materialsyou have researched, in contrast to the “participant observation”of the rite
PART III: THE CRITICAL TASK Key Question to ask: “Does it work?” “How/how not?”[NB: To be done only after part I and II are completed]1.Does this rite, both in its form and content, express the essence of this religion?(a brief explanation of what is the essence of the religion may be necessary)2.Do any parts of this ritual “subvert” or “undermine” the sense of the divine/God or core valued?3.Does it produce “communitas” (a la Victor Turner)? Cf. Driver 152-165. How might it be improved?Thisquestion will require you to clearly define what is meant by “communitas”and then apply it to this project. Pay close attention to Tom Driver’s material on Liberating Rites (in Canvas). Does this in fact occurin the ritual you observed?How so? How not? How might it be improved so that it does in fact occur?4.Finally, does this ritual produce/engender personal and social transformation? Is there an efficacy to the ritual? How might this be improved?

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