<p>Reading Guide for Beal, Intro, pages 1-10</p><p>Terms to look for: Theodicy , hierophany</p><p>The 3 classic ways of interpreting religion as ritual communication: 1) Sigmund Freud: Heimlich/ Unheimlich, return of the repressed; 2) Rudolph Otto: the sublime, the numinous, transcendent, mysterium tremendum; 3) Mircea Eliade: The Sacred vs. the profane, cosmogonic. In class, I will introduce you to 4) Emile Durkheim.</p><p>Reading Questions: Why does he call the monster the audacious voice of theodicy (3)? Give an example of the unheimlich. How do monsters become sacred? Why is the experience of horror often described in terms reminiscent of religious experience? Explain the distinction he draws between Otto and Freud. Why does Eliade think religion is cosmogonic? Why does Beal disagree with Eliade?</p>