DOCSLIB.ORG

2. the Cult of Santa Muerte

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
2. the Cult of Santa Muerte Assignment: Master Thesis Name: Laura Hurkxkens Date: 19-12-2016 Wordcount: 28.239 (excluding footnotes and bibliography) Supervisor: Prof. dr. Gerard Wiegers Second reader: Dr. Ulrike Popp-Baier 2 Content Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 4 The cult of Santa Muerte ....................................................................................................... 5 Academic context and research question ............................................................................. 8 1. Popular and public religion ......................................................................................... 11 1.1 Popular religion .............................................................................................................. 11 1.2 Public religion ................................................................................................................. 15 2. The cult of Santa Muerte .................................................................................................... 20 2.1 Death and its centrality in Mexican culture ................................................................... 20 2.2 La Santa Muerte ............................................................................................................. 21 2.3 History and origins ......................................................................................................... 23 2.4 Santa Muerte today ....................................................................................................... 26 2.5 Beliefs and practices ...................................................................................................... 29 2.6 Key figures ...................................................................................................................... 33 3. Struggles and Conflict surrounding Santa Muerte ........................................................ 36 3.1 Santa Muerte and the Mexican Roman Catholic Church .............................................. 36 3.2 Santa Muerte and the government of Felipe Calderón ................................................. 40 4. Santa Muerte in Mexican newspapers ........................................................................ 47 4.1 El Universal ..................................................................................................................... 49 4.2 Reforma .......................................................................................................................... 52 4.3 La Jornada ...................................................................................................................... 56 5. Analysis and discussion ............................................................................................... 60 5.1 Public religions in public debate .................................................................................... 60 5.2 Symbolical resistance: But to what? .............................................................................. 65 5.3 The status of Santa Muerte and her cult ....................................................................... 74 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 77 Bibliography ................................................................................................................... 81 3 Introduction In 2007, the Mexican Roman Catholic Church published a special edition of its magazine “Desde la Fe” (“From the Faith”), devoted to a rather extraordinary Mexican saint: La Santa Muerte. The edition of the magazine was titled Santa Muerte: Ignorancía, Confusión e Idolatría (Santa Muerte: Ignorance, Confusion, and Idolatry), and one of the articles described the veneration of Santa Muerte as “the cancer that has infected most of the neighborhoods.”1 The main article of the edition was dedicated to convincing believers that they had to renounce Santa Muerte and “return to Christ,” by going to Church, kneeling at Jesus’ feet and, claiming to “renounce Satan” and “all amulets and paranormal objects that lead me to stray.”2 Santa Muerte (which can best be translated as “Saint Death”) is a popular saint with Mexican roots, who functions as the protectora of the outcast and marginalized. Her presence is strongest in Mexico, but she is gaining an ever-increasing following in the United States as well.3 Santa Muerte is the personification of death, and is usually embodied by a skeleton wearing either a bridal gown or a habit, combined with colourful jewellery. Her followers are mainly people from the brims of society – such as the extremely poor, prostitutes, transgender people, homosexuals and criminals – who do not feel that the Roman Catholic Church can offer them all that they need, or who feel that their lifestyle is being condemned by the Roman Catholic Church.4 Also, in contrast to traditional Roman Catholicism, the veneration of Santa Muerte is highly egalitarian: everybody is welcome and treated equally, regardless of race, sexual orientation, or additional religious affiliation, and there are no official hierarchies, theology or teachings.5 In addition, Santa Muerte is perceived as a saint that is ‘like’ her followers, and one that does not judge them, and does not expect them to be perfect all the time. Most of Santa Muerte’s followers do, however, identify themselves as both as Roman Catholics and followers of Santa Muerte.6 1 Translation from Pamela Bastante and Brenton Dickieson, “Nuestra Señora de las Sombras: The Enigmatic Identity of Santa Muerte,” Journal of the Southwest 55:4 (2013), 452. Original online accessible at: http://www.churchforum.org/santa-muerte-ignorancia-confusion-eidolatria.htm 2 Ibid. 3 Carmen Sesin, “Growing Devotion to Santa Muerte in U.S. and Abroad,” NBC News, December 29, 2014, accessed Februari 18, 2016, http://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/growing-devotion-santa-muerte-u-s- abroad-n275856. 4 Ibid. 5 Laura Roush, “Santa Muerte, Protection, and Desamparo: A View from a Mexico City Altar,” Latin American Research Review 49 (2014), 137. 6 R. Andrew Chesnut, Devoted to Death: Santa Muerte, the Skeleton Saint (New York: Oxford University Press, 2012), 115. 4 The cult of Santa Muerte In this thesis, the movement surrounding Santa Muerte will be labelled ‘the cult of Santa Muerte’. The Brill Dictionary of Religion defines “cult” as “a religious group or organization that has beliefs differing from conventional religious organizations and is considered deviant.”7 In addition, the dictionary notes that “the term ‘sect’ is sometimes used in relation to ‘cult.’ The difference is the novelty of the belief systems of cults, as compared to sects, who are best characterized as deviant organizations within traditional beliefs.”8 Finally, the dictionary also notes that the term ‘cult’ may “be used to denote a set of beliefs and rituals surrounding a certain object of worship […] like the cult of Virgin Mary”9 (or like the cult of Santa Muerte). The American sociologists Rodney Stark and William Bainbridge define the three primary terms used to ‘label’ a religious movement – church, sect, and cult – in a similar fashion: A church is a conventional religious organization. A sect movement is a deviant religious organization with traditional beliefs and practices. A cult movement is a deviant religious organization with novel beliefs and practices.10 ‘Deviance’, then, is defined by Stark and Bainbridge as “departure from the norms of a culture in such a way as to incur the imposition of extraordinary costs from those who maintain the culture.”11 These costs, then, fall into two categories: Either exchanges with other parties may become more costly, or the ‘deviant’ may be punished in one way or another. Firstly, exchanges with other parties (aligning more with the dominant culture), may become more costly because the ‘deviant’ and the other party no longer fully adhere to the same norms, and thus their interaction will generally be characterised by more uncertainty and mistrust than interaction between two people who adhere to roughly the same norms will be, according to Stark and Bainbridge. Secondly, the ‘deviant’ may be punished for his/her deviance in one way or another: This will not always mean the ‘deviant’ is punished through law or by the state, but it may also refer to ‘smaller’ punishments such as other 7 Titus Hjelm, “Cult” in The Brill Dictionary of Religion, ed. Kocku von Stuckrad (published online in 2006), accessed December 4, 2016, http://dx.doi.org.proxy.uba.uva.nl:2048/10.1163/1872-5287_bdr_SIM_00015. 8 Ibid. 9 Ibid. 10 Rodney Stark and William Sims Bainbridge, A Theory of Religion (New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 1987), 124. 11 Ibid., 124. 5 parties who do not adhere to the deviant organisation choosing not to interact with the ‘deviant’ anymore.12 Thus, as stated in the Brill Dictionary of Religions, Stark and Bainbridge “designate those groups as ‘sects’ that have split off from existing religious communities: groups that ‘import’ concepts, or that adhere to new images, are ‘cults’.”13 Both these types are seen as ‘deviant’ forms of religion. The movement surrounding Santa Muerte can indeed be seen as deviant: Even though most Santa Muertistas do consider themselves to be Roman Catholics as well as Santa Muertistas, there is an obvious deviance when one chooses to worship a Saint that is not recognised by the Mexican Roman
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Revolution of Antonio Gil. Again
    ARGENTINA THE REVOLUTION OF ANTONIO GIL. AGAIN. ©Toni Meneguzzo National headquarters of popular saint Gauchito Gil at km 42 of the Ruta Provincial 210 in Alejandro Korn, a suburb of Buenos Aires. In the great barn there’s the icon of Gauchito, where devotees gather to pray A legendary hero of the past revives and fuels today’s hopes in South America. From the suburbs of Buenos Aires to the most isolated Pampas’ areas, a few words sound loud across Argentina: ”Gracias, Gauchito Gil!”. The veneration of the legendary hero of the Paraguayan War (1864-1870), a man who came from a rural life to end being de- capitated by the Liberal Party, is revealing something deeper and more complex than the umpteenth popular expression of the Santa Muerte cult. In his time, Antonio Gil became a legend stealing livestock from the rich and giving it to the poorest, giving miraculous healings and deserting a conflict imposed by the elites of the Plata states and their hegemonic wills. Today, his cult talks about the hope for redemption of the people severely hit by the economical crises. The interests that led Argentina, Brasil and Uruguay to declare war on Paraguay until its defeat had, and have now, just one victim: all the people of South America, decimated in the name of the free market and condemned to pay with their life the dream of having a different future. That’s what happened to Antonio Gil, in the end: decapitated for his insubordination, but still alive in the heart of those who keep on believing in sacrifice and in the miraculous power of pure souls.
    [Show full text]
  • The Great Apostasy   
    The Great Apostasy R. J. M. I. By The Precious Blood of Jesus Christ; The Grace of the God of the Holy Catholic Church; The Mediation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Good Counsel and Crusher of Heretics; The Protection of Saint Joseph, Patriarch of the Holy Family and Patron of the Holy Catholic Church; The Guidance of the Good Saint Anne, Mother of Mary and Grandmother of God; The Intercession of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael; The Intercession of All the Other Angels and Saints; and the Cooperation of Richard Joseph Michael Ibranyi To Jesus through Mary Júdica me, Deus, et discérne causam meam de gente non sancta: ab hómine iníquo, et dolóso érue me Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam 2 “I saw under the sun in the place of judgment wickedness, and in the place of justice iniquity.” (Ecclesiastes 3:16) “Woe to you, apostate children, saith the Lord, that you would take counsel, and not of me: and would begin a web, and not by my spirit, that you might add sin upon sin… Cry, cease not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their wicked doings and the house of Jacob their sins… How is the faithful city, that was full of judgment, become a harlot?” (Isaias 30:1; 58:1; 1:21) “Therefore thus saith the Lord: Ask among the nations: Who hath heard such horrible things, as the virgin of Israel hath done to excess? My people have forgotten me, sacrificing in vain and stumbling in their way in ancient paths.” (Jeremias 18:13, 15) “And the word of the Lord came to me, saying: Son of man, say to her: Thou art a land that is unclean, and not rained upon in the day of wrath.
    [Show full text]
  • Church Trends in Latin America
    A PROLADES Study, Reflection & Discussion Document DRAFT COPY - NOT FOR PUBLICATION Church Trends in Latin America Compiled and Edited by Clifton L. Holland, Director of PROLADES Last revised on 21 December 2012 Produced by PROLADES Apartado 1525-2050, San Pedro, Costa Rica Telephone: 506-2283-8300; FAX 506-234-7682 E-mail: [email protected] Internet: www.prolades.com 2 CONTENTS Introduction: Defining the “full breadth of Christianity in Latin America” I. A General Overview of Religious Affiliation in Latin America and the Caribbean by Regions and Countries, 2010………………………………………………………………….. 5 II. The Western Catholic Liturgical Tradition……………………………………………………. 10 A. Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………... 10 B. The period of Roman Catholic hegemony in Latin America, 1500-1900…………………………. 18 (1) The Holy Office of the Inquisition in the Americas…………………………………………… 18 (2) Religious Liberty in Latin America after Independence………………………………………. 26 (3) Concordats……………………………………………………………………………………. 32 C. The period of accelerated religious change in Latin America, 1800 to date……………………… 36 D. Defections from the Roman Catholic Church in Latin America since 1950; the changing religious marketplace………………………………………………………………... 41 (1) Defections to Protestantism…………………………………………………………………… 42 (2) Defections to Marginal Christian groups……………………………………………………... 60 (3) Defections to independent Western Catholic movements…………………………………….. 60 (4) Defections to non-Christian religions………………………………………………………… 61 (5) Defections to secular society (those with no
    [Show full text]
  • A Case Study of Folk Religion and Migración: La Santa Muerte and Jesus Malverde
    California State University, Monterey Bay Digital Commons @ CSUMB Capstone Projects and Master's Theses Capstone Projects and Master's Theses 5-2020 A Case Study of Folk Religion and Migración: La Santa Muerte and Jesus Malverde Zulema Denise Santana California State University, Monterey Bay Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.csumb.edu/caps_thes_all Recommended Citation Santana, Zulema Denise, "A Case Study of Folk Religion and Migración: La Santa Muerte and Jesus Malverde" (2020). Capstone Projects and Master's Theses. 871. https://digitalcommons.csumb.edu/caps_thes_all/871 This Capstone Project (Open Access) is brought to you for free and open access by the Capstone Projects and Master's Theses at Digital Commons @ CSUMB. It has been accepted for inclusion in Capstone Projects and Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ CSUMB. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A Case Study of Folk Religion and Migración: La Santa Muerte and Jesus Malverde Global Studies Capstone Project Report Zulema D. Santana May 8th, 2020 California State University Monterey Bay 1 Introduction Religion has helped many immigrants establish themselves in their new surroundings in the United States (U.S.) and on their journey north from Mexico across the US-Mexican border (Vásquez and Knott 2014). They look to their God and then to their Mexican Folk Saints, such as La Santa Muerte and Jesus Malverde, for protection and strength. This case study focuses on how religion— in particular Folk Saints such as La Santa Muerte and Jesus Malverde— can give solace and hope to Mexican migrants, mostly Catholics, when they cross the border into the U.S, and also after they settle in the U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Red De Investigadores Del Fenómeno Religioso En México
    XX Encuentro de la RED DE INVESTIGADORES DEL FENÓMENO RELIGIOSO EN MÉXICO Religión y Migración en México y en México de Afuera Religion and Migration in Greater Mexico 31 Mayo al 2 Junio, 2017 Claremont Graduate University Claremont, California, USA RELIGIÓN Y MIGRACIÓN EN MÉXICO Y EN MÉXICO DE AFUERA A pesar de las expectativas sobre el inevitable eclipse de la religión a la sombra de una modernidad secularizante, el fenómeno religioso perdura y se diversifica. En el caso de México, las tradiciones indígenas religiosas se renuevan, los cultos de santos siguen creciendo aún allende la frontera, el pluralismo religioso sigue ampliándose, y se ve un intensificado protagonismo público de distintas religiones en torno a los debates sobre las definiciones del matrimonio y la familia. El fenómeno religioso sigue siendo objeto de investigación enfocada y comparativa en un país que cuenta con 32 entidades federadas, que componen muchas regiones distintas, en las que se registran 62 lenguas indígenas, y que tienen una complicada historia de relaciones Iglesia-Estado. La religiosidad popular que se desenvuelve en contextos cada vez más abigarrados— sociales, económicos, políticos, étnicos, y geográficos—sigue invitando a una investigación profunda, meticulosa, y rigurosa. Imagen de portada: “Dime con quien andas,” por Alvaro Daniel Márquez Del Consejo de la RIFREM La Red de Investigadores del Fenómeno Religioso en México (RIFREM) es una red de intercambio de experiencias de estudio de las creencias, de las prácticas y de las instituciones religiosas desde la perspectiva de las ciencias sociales y las humanidades. Nos interesa comprender cómo contribuyen las creencias, las prácticas y las instituciones religiosas a conformar la vida social, económica, política y cultural y, recíprocamente, como esos procesos sociales contribuyen a moldear las creencias y las instituciones religiosas.
    [Show full text]
  • La Santa Muerte Mexicana. IN
    TRANSFORMISMOS Y TRANSCULTURACIÓN DE UN CULTO NOVOMESTIZO EMERGENTE: LA SANTA MUERTE MEXICANA JUAN ANTONIO FLORES MARTOS Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha “Voy a cantarle un corrido a la Santísima Muerte Para que también lo escuchen Aquellos que son creyentes Porque ya somos millones Que damos culto a la Muerte…” (La Santísima, Gerardo Beltrán). “Hace 15 años hice mi primer tatuaje de la Santa Muerte, que era una imagen religiosa exclusiva de delincuentes y prostitutas; ahora se ha puesto de moda” (Dr. Lakra, tatuador y pintor del Defe). Un culto y práctica ritual emergente y de reciente desarrollo en México, el de la Santa Muerte, constituye un desafío para la etnografía y la teoría antropológica actual. Su manufactura popular y mediática de este complejo e imaginario espiritual, sus tensiones y resistencias hacia la institucionalización, se entrevera con las realidades cotidianas de carácter socioeconómico y vivencial en México. Con materiales etnográficos de Veracruz, Ciudad de México, medios masivos de comunicación, y páginas web y foros de Internet, analizo la Santísima Muerte como una mutación más del amplio y polimórfico panteón del catolicismo, de su sistema ritual. En este trabajo exploro las transformaciones y transculturación del culto de la Santa Muerte en los fenómenos de reapropiación y reelaboración local en distintos territorios urbanos: en mayor medida en el Distrito Federal y Veracruz (en México), y más tangencialmente en Madrid o Talavera de la Reina. Para miles de personas en estos escenarios complejos, apostarle a la Santa Muerte, constituye la única una apuesta segura, sin riesgo, que hacer en México, Estados Unidos, y en los mundos accesibles y virtuales de Internet.
    [Show full text]
  • The Ideology of the John Birch Society
    Utah State University DigitalCommons@USU All Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies 5-1966 The Ideology of the John Birch Society Max P. Peterson Utah State University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd Part of the Political Science Commons Recommended Citation Peterson, Max P., "The Ideology of the John Birch Society" (1966). All Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 7982. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/7982 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies at DigitalCommons@USU. It has been accepted for inclusion in All Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@USU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THEIDEOLOGY OFTHE JOHN BIRCH SOCIETY by Y1ax P. Peterson A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTEROF SCIENCE in Political Science Approved: Major Professor Head of Department Dean of Graduate Studies UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY Logan, Utah 1966 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to express my appreciation to Dr. Milton C. Abrams for the many hours of consultation and direction he provided throughout this study. To Dr. M. Judd Harmon, I express thanks, not only for his constructive criticism on this work, but for the constant challenge he offers as a teacher. A very special thanks is given my wife, Karen, for her countless hours of typing, but first and foremost for the encouragement, u nderstanding, and devotion that she has given me throu ghout my graduate studies. TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 1 Chapter I. The Background and Organization of the John Birch Society 4 The Beginning 4 The Symbol 7 The Founder 15 Plan of Action 21 Organizational Mechanics 27 Chapter II.
    [Show full text]
  • |||GET||| the Simpsons and Philosophy the Doh! of Homer 1St Edition
    THE SIMPSONS AND PHILOSOPHY THE DOH! OF HOMER 1ST EDITION DOWNLOAD FREE William Irwin | 9780812694338 | | | | | The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh! of Homer Changing Minds on Climate Change. Are you kidding me? Unconditional Love. Technological Immortality. Where Does Morality Come From? Heck, I felt reeeally smug reading this book Since this book consists of eleven essays by eleven different authors, it's kind of hard to rate as a whole. Religion and philosophy in popular culture. Add to Cart. Archived from the original on December 13, The Simpsons and Philosophy The DOh! of Homer 1st edition book includes contributions from 18 philosophy academics. A great collection of essays by contemporary philosophers and academics, using the episodes and characters of The Simpson's as an The Simpsons and Philosophy The DOh! of Homer 1st edition into basic philosophical principles and fundamentals. David L. This series of essays claim to use the Simpsons as a way to get the layperson to read more philosophy, and does a patently terrible job of it. List of fictional religions List of religious ideas in science fiction List of religious ideas in fantasy fiction Parody religion Philosophy of religion Popular culture Pseudophilosophy Pseudoreligion Religion and video games Religious satire. Philosophy portal The Simpsons portal. Ashley Madison, accommodation, and silencing. The authors use too much jargon considering the subject and target audience. In fact, several authors did not seem to enjoy the Simpsons at all. The book was written inso there are lots of new episodes that, of course, haven't been touched. My Discovery of the X-Files.
    [Show full text]
  • Demonizing Unions: Religious Rhetoric in the Early 20Th
    DEMONIZING UNIONS: RELIGIOUS RHETORIC IN THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY AMERICAN STRIKE NOVEL A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Cornell University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy by David Michael Cosca August 2019 © David Michael Cosca DEMONIZING UNIONS: RELIGIOUS RHETORIC IN THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY AMERICAN STRIKE NOVEL David Michael Cosca, Ph. D. Cornell University 2019 Demonizing Unions uncovers the significance of a Biblical idiom in American novels portraying violent labor conflicts from the 1910s to the 1930s. I reveal the different ways that Upton Sinclair’s King Coal and The Coal War, Mary Heaton Vorse’s Strike!, and Ruth McKenney’s Industrial Valley employ a Biblical motif both to emphasize the God-like power of Capital over society, and to critique an emergent socio-political faith in business power. The texts I examine demonstrate how it was clear to industrialists in the early 20th century that physical violence was losing its efficacy. Therefore, much of the brunt of the physical conflict in labor struggles could be eased by waging a war of ideas to turn public opinion into an additional, ultimately more powerful, weapon against the potential of organized labor. I argue that in these texts, the besmearing of the discontented workers as violent dupes of “outside agitators,” rather than regular folks with economic grievances, takes on Biblical proportions. In turn, these authors utilize Biblical stories oriented around conceptions of power and hierarchy to illuminate the potential of ordinary humans to effect their own liberation. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH David Cosca grew up in Santa Maria, CA.
    [Show full text]
  • Dation for This Iconoclastic Folk Religiosity. the Book's Best
    Rezensionen 305 dation for this iconoclastic folk religiosity. The book’s main part of the process of stigmatizing this fast-growing best moments of ethnographic exposure lie not with dem- devotion. The author writes largely in a confessional and onstrating that Santa Muerte veneration borrows, as all autobiographic style, a mode of narrative representation folk saint devotions do, from a “quid pro quo” dynam- that openly invites readers’ co-identification with easily ic between the Catholic believer and her supernatural in- digested cultural statements, yet often fails to explore the termediary. More powerfully, Chestnut’s multiple visits very conditionality of “understanding” any “religious” to working class shrines and botanicas reveal a religious form of difference. Some examples will suffice. community overburdened with the problems of survival At times, the simplified rhetoric of overcoming cultur- in a day-to-day state of mortal fear and economic pre- al distance was nothing short of jarring, as, for example, cariousness from which no one can extract oneself. From when the author relies on the logic of financial markets to one “great leveler” to another, Santa Muerte both embod- describe Santa Muerte’s devotional appeal (e.g., “Since ies and helps Mexican devotees to make sense of their stock in her only recently went public, many have come to fraught moral, political, and intimate existence under con- her after unsuccessful investments in other saints,” p. 59) ditions of open warfare, civic alienation and/or exile. – a way of describing the popular saint’s cult that natu- For Mexican police, drug mafia, and ordinary citizens ralizes a naïve, state-centric utilitarianism.
    [Show full text]
  • Final Thesis
    1 THE CULT OF SANTA MUERTE: THE DOMESTICATION OF SANCTITY A THESIS Presented to The Department of Religion The Colorado College In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Bachelor of Arts By Rachel M. Seto-Templeton March/2014 2 Santa Muerte is a contradictory, transgressive, immoral saint that is venerated and beloved by millions. Her cult following has mushroomed over the course of the past decade or so. She is unsanctioned by the Catholic Church as well as by the Mexican government. What causes people who claim to be practicing Catholics to continue to venerate her despite the official condemnation of her cult, and what is the cause of her immense popularity? I seek to interpret the cult of Santa Muerte through Georges Bataille’s Theory of Religion. In Bataille’s Theory of Religion, he explains how people are searching for lost intimacy with the sacred. By “the sacred,” he is referring to a state of consciousness in which humans experience a continuity in which they do not distinguish themselves as separate from everything else. Bataille explains how continuity is disrupted by the subject-object relationship and distinction of an individual as separate from an “other.” This disruption is what characterizes a state of consciousness that Bataille calls discontinuity. Discontinuity is what Bataille considers the profane, and the disruption of consciousness is what keeps people subordinate to a state of awareness in “the world of things.” Although all humans come from this state of continuity, they are now subordinate to discontinuity. People are only able to obtain momentary states of continuous consciousness through sacrifice, ritual, and subverting morality.
    [Show full text]
  • The Story Behind Fundamentalist Anti-Mormonism," BYU Studies Quarterly: Vol
    BYU Studies Quarterly Volume 35 Issue 3 Article 4 7-1-1995 Old Wine in New Bottles: The Story behind Fundamentalist Anti- Mormonism Massimo Introvigne Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq Part of the Mormon Studies Commons, and the Religious Education Commons Recommended Citation Introvigne, Massimo (1995) "Old Wine in New Bottles: The Story behind Fundamentalist Anti-Mormonism," BYU Studies Quarterly: Vol. 35 : Iss. 3 , Article 4. Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq/vol35/iss3/4 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in BYU Studies Quarterly by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Introvigne: Old Wine in New Bottles: The Story behind Fundamentalist Anti-Mor old wine in new bottles the story behind fundamentalist anti mormonism despite originating in sensational hoaxes certain nineteenth century french writings continue to fuel an extreme anti mormon rhetoric and world view massimo introvigne anti mormonism a strange shadow of mormonism is itself a social phenomenon in 1992 the encyclopedia of mormonism noted that no comprehensive history of anti mormonism has yet been published 1 even if such a history had been published it would need considerable periodic updating because of the chang- ing activity of anti cormonsmormons I1 have argued elsewhere that the 1982 film the god makers marked the emergence of a new anti mormonism
    [Show full text]