ANTH 419 Anthropology of Religion Final Take-home Exam Questions (20%) Essay

ANTH 419 Anthropology of Religion Final Take-home Exam Questions (20%) - Essay Example The inattention to sexuality and gender contradicts with the liveliness of gender studies in the recent decades. Sex comes out as a multifaceted social construct, a phenomenon that is complex and is viewed differently by the society (Reilly & Scriver, 2013). Without any doubt, various religious rituals, beliefs and practices shape the gender and sexuality of people in the society. In most religions, if not all, certain practices are designated by the male part of the societies (Reilly & Scriver, 2013). The females are also required to act in a unique way as per the demands of those practices. Within any organized religion, there exist beliefs that seek to address the true nature of sexuality and gender and also the appropriateness of various sexual behaviors. People confined within such religions have diverging levels of agreement(s) with the doctrines of such religions. Gender and sexuality are crucial in religions (Reilly & Scriver, 2013). There are religions that lack the official ground on the purpose of sexuality or gender. These two are regarded by most religious beliefs to represent temptation, a gift, an emotional enforcement and a means of procreation. In many religions, sexuality and gender are deemed as spiritual (Reilly & Scriver, 2013). Others primarily treat the issues to be physical. Some believe that sexuality and gender are only spiritual within the limits of certain kinds of relationship when employed for given purpose. Other religions do not see the difference between the spirituality and physicality of gender. Such religions teach the existence of spiritual-physical mind and that sex and religion seek to fill the gap. Using the religious practices of the Jewish and Hijras of India, there is concrete evidence that religions portray the differences in gender and sexuality. Thus, the approach is to show various similarities and differences of the Jewish and