Approaching Difference as an Anthropologist

Did the symbol of your practice jump out at you?  How many of the other symbols do you recognize?  How many do you despise?  Symbols are very potent; they have the power to elicit emotion, but are you aware of what your emotions are based on?  Religious practice has been used by cultures since the beginning of time as a way to understand the workings of the world in which they live.  Durkheim (1915) stated, "If philosophy and the sciences were born in religion, it is because religion itself began by serving as science and philosophy" (p. 9).  It can be easy to believe one's practice is the only right way to live, this is known as ethnocentrism.  These superior views are what we must discard before we are able to clearly see another culture.  The purpose of this WebQuest is to research a practice that you believe is completely different from your own, by viewing it from the inside out.  In other words you must temporarily imagine yourself a member of the practice, and do your best to understand from an insider's point-of-view.  Once your research is complete you will then compare and contrast this new practice with your own.