Week Reflection No.4

When we talk about religion, we also need to discuss the sacred and profane factors of it, and how they differ when compared. In this week's class of Study of Religion, we examined the sacred and profane and how it makes up religion. As a matter of fact, the sacred and profane does not only have to affiliate with religion, and it can be as simple as eating, because eating is a ritual. If we were to list the sacred and profane factors of eating, we could for example say that something sacred about eating is that it gives nutrients and fulfilment for your day, and on a profane factor, it can be addictive or sometimes unhealthy if done too frequently. 

Christian extremist 'Anders Breivik' displaying a manifesto only hours before his massacre

Therefore, if we are to discuss a prime example of the sacred and profane, compare the differences and similarities and then justify it in our topic, we can examine what has been happening in the media recently. The Norway massacre. Now, the Norway massacre itself is quite profane, whereas the prayer gathering afterwards was quite sacred. At the prayer gathering, religions of all kinds and denominations united and prayed together for the deceased, who were killed by a Christian extremist called Anders Breivik. A double bubble-map has been drawn up to illustrate the differences and similarities.

If you read carefully, clearly this diagram poses some issues. Yes, the profane and sacred differ quite greatly and are clear enough, however there are a few similarities. First, religious warfare. Religious warfare is certainly profane in any form, but can actually be considered sacred as well, as it is a devoted act in the name of God to do whatever is necessary. Sometimes, Muslims refer to this as what is called a "jihad" which means holy war. It is a holy war, because the enemies are considered infidels or oppositions to the God, and therefore his follower/s are compelled to do a violent act to quell this "threat" and preserve their religion. If we also look at religious pride, we understand that most people are religious are also proud of their God and what they stand for. The reason why this is both profane and sacred, is because it is the opposite of humility, but at the same time expresses a loving of their God. As for religious motive, this has somewhat already been discussed, but it is both sacred and profane because it is expressing "any action" through a means to be faithful to God.

The people of Norway mourn for the deceased in the previous massacre

As you can see, the sacred and profane illustrates some of the key factors of religion and spiritual events, but also poses controversial issues when they conflict.