Ritual and the social meaning and meaninglessness of religion

Abstract

The members of an Old Order Mennonite community successfully enact the rituals of foot washing, baptism, expulsion, and reconciliation without a common understanding of what the rituals are supposed to signify or why they are meaningful. The symbols and rituals of Weav-erland Mennonites seem to sustain unity in the group because they completely transcend the individual beliefs of members. Religion is socially meaningful as a source of social solidarity because it transcends the personal beliefs of individuals. To be socially meaningful, religious interaction does not have to personally mean anything to the actors. The »form« of a ritual is the only thing that is socially significant because it alone is fixed, objectified, and self-evident. It is significant even though each participant in the ritual may attach a different »content« to the form.