The Encyclopedia of World Religions

122 S drama, religious

been acting out stories of one sort or another for as long as there have been people. For example, a cave in France has footprints that some claim go back to early hunters. The footprints make a circle, and some scholars suggest that the hunters made them as they were acting out hunting scenes as part of their rituals. It is quite common for religions to use drama as a form of worship. One way to do so is to act out stories about gods and other supernatural beings. A good example is the Ramlila celebration in H INDUISM , which takes place in the fall. Ramlila acts out the story of R AMA , an avatar of V ISHNU , as told in the R AMAYANA . Some perform just the bare outline of the story; others perform it in great detail. The climax comes with the final battle, when Rama finally defeats the demon Ravana. It is common to build effigies of Ravana and other demons that are several times the size of a human being. These effigies are stuffed with fireworks and set alight when Rama shoots a lighted arrow into them. Other famous dramatizations of religious stories include the dance drama and puppet the ater of Indonesia and depictions of the passion of J ESUS among native peoples of Latin America as well as at places like Oberammergau, Germany, and Eureka Springs, Arkansas. To the extent that acts of ritual or worship involve performance, they inevitably have a dra matic side. For example, some people speak of the Mass in R OMAN C ATHOLICISM as a sacred drama. More clearly theatrical were dramas that some scholars believe characterized worship in the ancient Near East, for example, ancient Babylonia. Taking the part of a god, the king reenacted various stories. One concerned the humiliation of the god, during which the king was whipped and beaten. Another told of the sacred marriage between a god and god dess. On some views these acts were clearly linked to the forces of the cosmos, such as the growth and decay of plants. The king’s reenactments of them were rituals that aimed to ensure the flourishing of his territory. Traditional healers known as shamans ( see SHAMANISM ) have also performed a kind of ritual drama. Many shamans heal by traveling to the

The Dominican order was founded by Dominic in 1216. Like the Franciscans ( see F RANCIS OF A SSISI AND F RANCISCANS ), it is an order centered on mendicant friars. Its members take vows of poverty, and they are not under the control of a diocese and its bishop. The Dominicans received as their special mis sion the tasks of preaching and study. Preaching had earlier been the privilege of bishops and those to whom they had delegated the task. The Domini cans, it was hoped, would effectively counter vari ous heresies that were beginning to spread. Later the Dominicans played a major role in INQUISITIONS . Other Dominican accomplishments are more likely to win admiration today. The order has included the great theologians Albertus Magnus ( c. 1200–80) and Thomas A QUINAS ; the mystics Meister Eckhardt ( c. 1260– c. 1328), Johannes Tauler ( c. 1300–61), and Catherine of Siena (1347–80); the reformer Savon arola (1452–98); the painter Fra Angelico ( c. 1400– 55); and the champion of Mesoamericans’ rights, Bartolomé de las Casas (1474–1566). From the 16th through the 18th centuries, the Dominicans were in decline. Since the middle of the 19th century the order has experienced a revival. Dominicans have been active in the United States continuously from the year 1786. In 1806 the first Dominican province, the Province of St. Joseph, was established at St. Rose, Kentucky. The first Dominican nuns arrived in the United States in 1853. Today Dominicans are active in North America teaching, promoting a life of contempla tion, and supporting missions overseas. drama, religious Religion has included drama or theatrical performances in a number of ways. Religions use drama in RITUALS and as acts of wor ship. Religions have also influenced dramas that are performed primarily for entertainment. Not to be overlooked is the opposition that some religious people have to drama. DRAMA AS RITUAL AND WORSHIP Drama is originally a Greek word that means an act or a deed, particularly deeds acted out on a stage. Some scholars suppose that people have