Case Study Supplement:
DREEMS: The Six Dimensions of Religion
Doctrine: Important truths expressed in religious
form. These may be propositional or
experiential, objective or subjective. They
teach about the world, the universe, and the
relationship of people within the larger structures.
May or may not be directly related to “real life”. They
may be organized in a stand-alone fashion, or scattered
within the mythic, ethical, and ritual structures.
Answer “What is truth about the world, people, and the
unseen powers?”
Ritual: Regularized ceremonies of life
which provide “places” of security 1)
through reparation for broken taboo ,2)
events which mark transition from one phase
of life to another, and 3) intensifying social
cohesion through participation with the
community in culturally important
celebrations.
Ethics: Values of how people are to behave as they
relate to other people, animals, and the world.
These are found on the personal, group, and
social level. They are deeply interwoven into the
cultural values and doctrine, and often enshrined in
heroic (or evil) acts discussed in cultural myth. They
provide the maps which we negotiate as we live and
interact with others.
Experience: How we feel the transcendent in our
lives and whether we consider that experience to
be a significant element of our religious lives.
Can range from the mundane to the sublime,
though generally focused more on the latter. Includes
such things as dreams, visions, out-of-the-body events,
trance, possession, shamanic journeys, and so on.
Myth: The stories of a culture which reflect its
thinking about the world, itself, its laws and
values. Myth concretizes important values for
the culture and enables those values to be
passed from generation to generation. Technically
focused in timeless stories of creation, redemption and
human/divine drama (Scripture, epics and classics).
On an informal level found in folklore, fairy stories,
and proverbs.
Social: The element of religion that expresses the
linking of people to each other, built on the
cultural values of how people are to relate
socially in religious contexts. Includes social
institutions (see below) as well as the sense of
belonging inculcated through socially -experienced
religious events. For the types of institutions and their
importance, see the AKEEL system description below
and overleaf.
Social Institutions: A Summary Chart of the AKEEL System
System Need Elements for 532
AAssociation Polarization of people with similar purposes
and/or objectives
Symbols of identification (e.g., dress
codes), religious functions of groups
(formal or informal)
KKinship Biological reproduction of new members
Descent, authority, residence, inheritance,
marriage all as seen within religious
teachings/regulations
EEducation To provide new members with the
knowledge, values, and skills of the society
Formal: religious schools
Informal: books,
Nonformal: Kin, friends, religious peers
EEconomics To distribute the goods and services which
sustain the livelihood of its members
Systems of exchange and means of
payment in religious settings
LLaw, Political To maintain internal order and to regulate
relations with others
Means of regulating religious systems:
administrative, policies, statements of
faith, taboos, sanctions, disciplinary
means
