Indeed, the implicit hypothesis that “there is little possibility, if any, for the Pedi traditional healers to experience the supernatural form of healing without performing music and dancing to it” raises the issue of “What makes the dance potent as a healing therapy?” or ‘What is the role of music in such healing processes?’. This article is a result of a guided investigation carried out in o...

In this article I explore the function that religious rituals play in the context of poverty amongst the members of the Corinthian Church of South Africa based in Durban, South Africa. I seek to address three questions: what generates friendship, what enhances fellowship, and more importantly what fosters service in the Corinthian Church of South Africa in Durban, KwaZulu– Natal and the worship...

My concern in this work is to analyze the interplay of gender and power relations in the Yoruba religious sphere. The work examines the status and role of women in Yoruba religion, social structures, liturgical practices, and rituals. In addition, it attempts an appraisal of the place of women in Yoruba Christian tradition, especially as this concerns gender and power relations. My aim is to pu...

Social psychologists have often followed other scientists in treating religiosity primarily as a set of beliefs held by individuals. But, beliefs are only one facet of this complex and multidimensional construct. The authors argue that social psychology can best contribute to scholarship on religion by being relentlessly social. They begin with a social-functionalist approach in which beliefs, ...

Assam had a tradition of public celebration of puberty, known as tuloni biya. Tuloni biya is ceremonially symbolic to wedding which is celebrated seven days after a girl attains her puberty. In present times, however, one can hardly see any public celebration of puberty. This practice of celebration of tuloni biya has undergone significant changes. Celebration of puberty is becoming a close fam...

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection commonly causes "cold sores" (HSV type 1 [HSV-1]) and genital herpes (HSV-1 or HSV type 2 [HSV-2]); HSV infection in newborns can result in death or permanent disability. During November 2000-December 2011, a total of 11 newborn males had laboratory-confirmed HSV infection in the weeks following out-of-hospital Jewish ritual circumcision, investigators from ...

BACKGROUND A range of studies has demonstrated the efficacy of the psychoactive Amazonian brew ayahuasca in addressing substance addiction. These have revealed that physiological and psychological mechanisms are deeply enmeshed. This article focuses on how interactive ritual contexts support the healing effort. The study of psychedelic-assisted treatments for addiction has much to gain from eth...

W hat goes inside a Maya building is just as signif icant in determining its function as a building's architectural plan and external appearance. Structures are not alike in their contents. Some hold in-terments and caches; some contain earlier buildings; others are single or multiple construction efforts with no contents other than f ill. Artifacts are found littered on the f loors of some bui...

This article surveys the current pervasiveness of the phenomenon of sacred trees in the Holy Land, with special reference to the official attitudes of local religious leaders and the attitudes of Muslims in comparison with the Druze as well as in monotheism vs. polytheism. Field data regarding the reasons for the sanctification of trees and the common beliefs and rituals related to them are des...