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Encyclopedia of Religion, Second Edition, Volume 9: Mary - Ndembu Religion

As odd or superstitious as it may appear to a scientific, secular view of nature, many religious images and objects are
capable of great efficacy and able to protect against evil or misfortune, promote prosperity, heal illness, prompt fecundity, communicate favorably with the dead, or secure divine blessing. In fact, it may even be that such purposes constitute the greatest occasion for images in religious life. The reasons for attributing this kind of power to images or sculptures are as diverse as the psychological and sociological models for explaining their appeal. To those engaged in the visual practices of efficacious images, the reason is probably straightforward: properly crafted and consecrated, images are connected by virtue of tradition, ritual, and likeness to the realities to which they refer. They direct devotion, petition, and desire toward their intended end. And when that end is not achieved, it is not due to the failure of the image as a metaphysical device, but to the inappropriate ritual preparation of the image or the petitioner, or to the intervention of another will, human or divine. Even failure affirms the cultural system of efficacy—in the same way that a failed bridge does not move people in an industrial society to scrap bridge-making, but to reapply the principles of engineering and the methods of construction to create a more reliable bridge.

Ketersediaan

Informasi Detail

Judul Seri

-

No. Panggil

Online

Penerbit

Michigan, USA : Macmillan Reference USA., 2005

Deskripsi Fisik

697 p. : 29 cm

Bahasa

English

ISBN/ISSN

0-02-865742-X

Klasifikasi

NONE

Tipe Isi

text

Tipe Media

electronic

Tipe Pembawa

online resource

Edisi

Second Edition

Subjek

Religion
Encyclopedias
Religion Encyclopedias

Info Detail Spesifik

Since this page cannot legibly accommodate all copyright notices, the acknowledgments constitute an extension of the copyright notice. While every effort has been made to ensure the reliability of the information presented in this publication, Thomson Gale does not guarantee the accuracy of the data contained herein. Thomson Gale accepts no payment for listing; and inclusion in the publication of any organization, agency, institution, publication, service, or individual does not imply endorsement of the editors or publisher. Errors brought to the attention of the publisher and verified to the satisfaction of the publisher will be corrected in future editions.

Pernyataan Tanggungjawab

Jones, Lindsay

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