Author： de Witte Marleen
Publisher： Bloomsbury Journals (formerly Berg Journals)
ISSN： 1751-8342
Source： Material Religion: The Journal of Objects, Art and Belief, Vol.7, Iss.1, 2011-03, pp. : 148-155
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Abstract
The sense of touch is vital to many religious traditions. From the dramatic rituals of laying on of hands in global Pentecostalism to the use of contagious magic in indigenous African healing practices, and from the much sought-after embraces by the Indian “Hugging Saint” Mata Amritanandamayi to the kissing of Marian statues and icons in popular Catholicism, touch is a powerful medium of religious communication, not only between human beings, but also between humans and spirits. Touch can effectively establish physically felt contact with spiritual forces. Touching a religious object or being touched by a religious leader or specialist may induce very powerful religious experiences. Feeling touched by God may make a fundamental change in a religious person's life. What is this touch in religion? And what does it do? What role do hands, skin, and the nervous system play in evoking a sense of the supernatural?
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