Arguments and Icons: Divergent Modes of Religiosity

Why Are Some Religious Rituals Intensely Stimulating And Memorable Occasions, While Others Are Habituated And Humdrum Routines? Why Do Some Religious Practices Lead To Sectarianism And Local Divisions, While Others Serve To Unify Regional And Even World-wide Followings? The Theory Of 'modes Of Religiosity' Which Harvey Whitehouse Develops In This Book Answers These And A Range Of Other Questions With Reference To A Set Of Interconnections Between Styles Of Religious Transmission, Systems Of Memory, And Patterns Of Political Association.--jacket. 1. Indigenous Religions Of Papua New Guinea. Initiations As Rites Of Terror. Existing Approaches To Rites Of Terror. The Cognitive And Political Implications Of Rites Of Terror -- 2. From Mission To Movement. Modalities Of Codification. Early Missionization And The Politics Of Memory. Christianity And Indigenous Movements. The Tedium Effect And Localized Splintering. The Political Implications Of Indigenous Movements. Codification, Memory, And Group Formation -- 3. Modalities Of Codification And Dissemination. The Case Studies. Doctrinal Revelations. Imagistic Revelations. Dissemination In The Doctrinal Mode. Dissemination In The Imagistic Mode -- 4. Order And Disorder In Melanesian Religion. Ritual And Exegesis. Analogic Codes. Harvey Whitehouse. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 189-198) And Index.