Primary Elements of Religion

Well, here's my Religious Studies blog!

For your inaugural blog read the chapter on "Paleolithic Art and Religion" and take a virtual tour of the Cave of Lascaux, then from your impressions of these write about what you see as the primary element of religion. Your thoughts should in some way respond to our readings...

I think it's interesting that so much of what I read in the article about Paleolithic Art is relevant to today. For example, "Religion was not a 'free-floating', optional extra to society; it was embedded in the social fabric." I think one could apply this today based on one's definition of religion. For example, if one defines religion as something that a person believes in as a central part of how they see the world and himself/herself within it, then this definition still holds for today. The primary element of religion is belief. Whether this is a belief in a structure of reason to the universe, a higher power, or even the absence of one, belief is a central element. Through belief, religion affects the way individuals interpret the world and see their own place in it.

The people who painted the inside of the Cave of Lascaux may have seen the world through a supernatural lens or as completely naturalistic. But if religion is defined as a belief system through which one sees the world then many interpretations fit, including ones mentioned in the reading.

http://www.culture.gouv.fr/culture/arcnat/lascaux/en/