Could archery be a religious practice or concept? I'm thinking about learning it and practicing religiously.
Anything can be turned into a “religious ritual,” I suppose, but I’ve taken archery classes a few years back just for fun, and it happened to be quite cathartic. So, archery could help mitigate stress as with most exercises/hobbies, thereby providing a “zen-like” effect. This thread has me feeling nostalgic - it was a lot of fun to learn something radically new. (new to me)
Some of the 17,000-year-old prehistoric art in the Caves of Lascaux in France feature humans with bows shooting arrows into wild game. They weren't art connoisseurs back then, or being driven by aesthetics. So presumably much, if not everything, in there was spiritual symbolism motivated by some form of shamanism. Though probably undergirded by practical supplications to keep the food sources abundant and the aim of the archers and spear-throwers true. In their actual lives, those were weapons of survival for a nomadic group, and surely some cult of reverence for the skill sets arose. There were no philosophical arguments around to make a case for any _X_. Only orchestrated feelings -- funneled through a concept of the sublime -- to keep important and essential traditions alive, making an impact on the young. Evidence of arrowheads date back to circa 64,000 years ago (minimum). Some of the advanced cognitive functions of the human brain may have still been working themselves out in a heritable manner. Archery might have tagged along as a vaguely ingrained or retained pattern. Now buried under lack of stimulation from a few centuries of industrial civilization and a far longer, yet less impactful, reign of non-wandering, agricultural society. Analogy: feral child not exposed to language till very late... "Trouble have the me get syntax right." But still definitely getting a deep, primeval buzz from a slumbering, ancient pathway being awakened by exposure. _
That last bit I found incredible...Ferrel children disassociated with modern society. Very interesting thing to me. I've only known more modernized people. About the archery having religious tones ... I think we can make anything a religious practice or discipline. Take Judaism for example. It appears that they set the standard high for themselves, and follow the standard set religiously. Taking aim, aiming and hitting the mark seems important enough to last several millennia for many of them. It would seem to increase skill in those areas of expertise, much like archery or anything else we set as goals for ourselves. Thanks for the info.
Ooookay. Judaism equated to archery. Seriously? How insulting do you intend to be? "...we can make anything a religious practice or discipline. Take Judaism for example." I think you have much to learn about the difference between something that is an actual religion, and something that is metaphorically considered to be done religiously. Is your ignorance, insulting as it is, genuine, or feigned simply to troll? Given your history, I'm assuming the latter, but maybe I'm wrong. Either way, please stop being quite as insulting as you are.
I aim to please religiously. On the other hand, there is often enough room for it's opposite. Not to suggest that aim is ever often intended. Anyway, the point is I could turn much of anything into a religion, a type of discipline, or rather something aimed to initiate a higher or greater awareness of our less tangible realities that effect the human psyche in a sense that could be viewed spiritual in its essence. No insult intended towards anti Zionist. I just dig how disciplined the Jewish people intend to be, umm religiously. Not much different than the Samari of Japan.
If you are not trolling then no, archery is nothing like a religion. No more so than making oneself a salad sandwich. Also not all Jewish people are religious.
I'm sure of that, but the religion is based on a seemingly impossible standard, which the more obedient type aim to honor. The laws they have set in place are more than just arbitrary laws without specific aim. Setting high standards and disciplining ourselves enough to umm ... Hit the mark is practiced quite religiously. It's a lot like Archery and centering the target. Higher expectations have been chosen by many of them.
What isn't what? I try not to be. Thanks for your concern. I prefer less idiocy, but sometimes ignorance is inescapable ... At least until I'm made more aware of where I'm falling short. Perhaps you could help...if I'm mistaken in my assessment of the relation between centering a target and meeting higher standards/expectations as a religious standard for certain people's, such as some Jews and others like the Samari of Japan.
This is, as Pinball says, quite idiotic. The setting of goals, or standards, or expectations, is obviously common to a wide variety of human activities, from schoolwork to moonshots. Your attempt to link religion to sport, merely on the basis that both have expectations or goals, is extremely silly.
Interesting chosen comprehension of the stated. I guess I've played the idiot for a while longer than I ever thought myself to be, but then when things click a light on, the lights on and after that there's not much else to do but venture into darker areas and attempt to find the light there also. Idiocy has never really been foreign to me, but nothing I've stated has been anything of the idiotic sort. In my perception of anyway.
What do you make of those monks of old which shut their selves away on islands off the Scottish coasts in full retreat from comforts. Would you say they were rather better archers than those monks on the main land. Are you saying it’s all a game in a roundabout way?
Let me help: in your second post (#4) you seemed to equivocate between the actual and the metaphorical, between a religion and the more colloquial "doing something religiously". Had you stuck to the metaphorical concept of "religious" then this thread should/could have ended after wegs' response (#2): anything can be done religiously. Or CC's (#2). Sure, you can practice archery and treat it like a meditation or more, such as with "Zen Archery" or the more contemplative forms of Kyudo, for example, but that is still only looking at the metaphorical. However, your second post, for whatever reason, opted to look at an actual religion, taking Judaism as an example, and taking only aspects that correspond to the metaphorical "religiously". Your choice of Judaism as the comparative religion in your question, however, was at best clumsy given the current situation in Israel / Palastine, and at worst antisemitic, ignoring what makes it an actual religion, as if the religion comes simply from the metaphorical. So idiotic on your part if the former, and, well, the latter would be idiotic for different reasons. Hope that helps.
Judaism, in its chosen stance, is a practice of obedience to the laws set in that particular religion. That's very likely the reason the term religiously is utilized elsewhere, which you suggest is metaphorical. So, your concept differs from another's concept of what religion is, particularly Judaism. To place God in the equation is moot, in my opinion. This is due to my personal view of that term and what that term means. The differences are apparent. The question is are you able to acknowledge that fact? Let's pretend the term God is used to define all things, as opposed to any specific entity that either exists within everything or outside of what exists. The yet to be would be included in the all, universally speaking. With that stated, the laws chosen for the Jewish people are religiously obeyed by some. It's essentially a higher reaching goal set for that purpose ... Obedience to those laws in practice as individuals who have chosen that path for themselves. Archery is a sport. The goal is to hit the mark, always, and although it's often missed, hitting the mark is always aimed for. Otherwise, what's the point of learning to hit the mark you aim to hit?
I wouldn't pretend to know, but if better skill is chosen and the lifestyle is about hitting the mark, then I'd suggest those who practice that skill set religiously would be more apt to be the better archers.
Jesus, why you giving O2 to this thread? Some smart people on this site, some others do not seem to care that effort has been put into the site. People giving their time and knowledge to help with science enquiries. I have already gained respect of a few guys on here. As a fairly recent addition to the site, my take? Be brutal and move on. Give Oxygen (Sunday naming her now) to threads worth it.
Sometimes it is worth pointing out idiocy (or worse), so that others can see it for what it is. But point taken.
