misha writes:
The "sacred" to Durkheim was a social construct; items that were seperated from the profane and thus regulated.
he is essentially correct because nothing is intrinsically sacred unless it is made sacred thru sanctification. A candle used in worship for instance is considered sacred if it is being used for that purpose, but on its own and away from a religious setting its just a candle.
For an item to be sacred, it has to be set aside for a 'sacred' or 'holy' purpose and must be sanctified. This means it must be cleansed and kept in a morally clean or holy condition. Some people set themselves aside for a sacred purpose, or they may devote a certain posession to be used for a sacred purpose and thus the item becomes 'sacred' if its holiness/cleaness is maintained.
misha writes:
Can you provide a list of those things that are deemed sacred?
God.
Holy spirit.
Gods Word.
Jesus Christ.
The Angels.
Heaven (as in Gods dwelling place).
The above is always considered sacred. But other things can be considered sacred too, and in the list below, If holiness is maintained, they can all be considered sacred. But as soon as the use of such things becomes distorted or used for an unholy purpose, then it is no longer sacred.
Any person whom God sanctifies for sacred service.
Buildings/Land dedicated as places of worship.
Monetry donations dedicated to the promotion of worship.
Marriage.
there may be more, im sure this list isnt exhaustive.
the only 'scientific' thing i can think of that is sacred is 'human life' because human life is sacred to God. Unfortunately other humans do not consider life as sacred and and therefore do not treat it as such.
Edited by Peg, : No reason given.
™ Version 4.2
