Remembering the future? A case study of the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Memorial
Philosophers and psychologists typically distinguish between types of memory: declarative/explicit, which includes propositional/semantic and episodic/recollective, and procedural/implicit (also called habitual). Since the events that religions ritually commemorate do not normally fall within the pe...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
[publisher not identified]
2009
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| In: |
Diskus
Year: 2009, Volume: 10 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Summary: | Philosophers and psychologists typically distinguish between types of memory: declarative/explicit, which includes propositional/semantic and episodic/recollective, and procedural/implicit (also called habitual). Since the events that religions ritually commemorate do not normally fall within the personal memories of believers, the ‘ritual dimension’ ensures a continued collective memory by subsequent generations. The case study of the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Memorial service demonstrates the role of all these types of memory: knowledge of procedural rules (procedural/implicit), biblical knowledge regarding the Last Evening Meal, Jesus’ atoning death, and eschatological expectations (propositional/semantic). Their own recollections of scripture and procedure involve their own episodic/recollective memories. Knowledge of whether he or she belongs to the 144,000 ‘anointed class’ or to the great crowd affects one’s actions during the Memorial, and thus combines these three varieties of memory. |
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| ISSN: | 0967-8948 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Diskus
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