The Portugese view on Ethiopia highlights many Ethiopian cultural quirks that are clearly resultant from their religious practice, but have lost their religious nature, and become purely cultural. One example of this is circumscision which the ethiopians continue to practice for aesthetic preference (62). Another example is the armies practice of not carrying its own supplies do to the religious tradition of hospitality (80).
The answer to questions of "why is Ethiopian culture the way it is" is simply "because of religion." We saw also, in the themes of the Kebra Negast, that Ethiopia's religion developed out of their cultural situation. Imtiaz discusses this cycical relationship.
Religion also participates in a cycle of questions. During the very first class, we discussed the purpose of religion, and highlighted "provided answers to unknown questions" as a main utility of religion. We see that religion answers where the culture of Ethiopia came from and why it should be the way it is, but why is religion the way it is? Because of the culture before it? The abstract relationship between culture and religion is also cyclical, perpetuating questions of causality and getting us into somewhat of a logical muddle.
I think this suggests that we might be wrong in looking to religion to answer questions, and instead, it only tells us that it's okay in some cases to not know.
2 comments:
I think religion gives a lot of answers for the eternal questions. But at the same time, a person needs to think over these answers not to be mislead.
today no one rememer how it was terrible. Inquisition I mean. шек was relly scary process
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