Why the Sponsorship of Korean Shamanic Healing Rituals is Best Explained by the Clients’ Ostensible Reasons
European Journal for Philosophy of Religion February 17, 2021 DOI: 10.24204/ejpr.v9i3.1852 (opens in new tab)
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractThe author argues against the view that the primary function of Korean shamanic rituals is to change participants' feelings, proposing instead that sponsorship of Korean shamanic healing rituals is driven by clients' desires and beliefs: they want their loved ones to be healed and believe the ritual can achieve that. The thesis is supported by two representative examples of actual Korean shamanic healing rituals.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key finding | Argues that sponsorship of Korean shamanic healing rituals is explained by clients' desire for healing of loved ones and belief in the ritual's efficacy, not primarily by a function of changing participants' feelings. |
Abstract
Various scholars have suggested that the main function of Korean shamanic rituals is the change of the participants’ feelings. I elaborate what these scholars potentially mean by “function”, challenge what I take to be their core claim, and argue that at least in the case of Korean shamanic healing rituals their sponsorship has rather to be explained based on the clients’ ostensible motivational and belief-states. Korean clients sponsor such rituals because they want their beloved ones to be healed and because they believe that the shamanic ritual can potentially accomplish such healing. I underpin this thesis by two representative actual Korean shamanic healing rituals.