Great piece. I've been thinking a lot about how family history can fulfill some of the role that religion plays — and how it may have even been the origin of some religious practices. For instance, I know some people who still speak to deceased family members, a practice that feels closely related to prayer. And it doesn't feel like a stretch to say that the idea of holidays could have originated from family traditions and grown from there.
In a related vein, my understanding (and I'm no expert) is that a lot of religions basically amount to ancestor worship. And my recollection is that a number of religions also got started this way. I think there's definitely a relationship between family, history, ritual, and community.
My interest in family history came from religion, but it grew to be something even more deep, personal, and sustaining. I have also found it to be a spiritual way to connect with living family members (parents, grandparents, adult siblings, cousins, aunts and uncles) in a way that religion doesn't allow, simply because everyone's beliefs differ. In that way I see it having a transcendence that religion can't.
Excellent article. I've noticed that the Disney movies that are the most emotionally touching often have a family history element incorporated. Coco, Moana, Frozen 2, Mulan - to name a few.
Great piece. I've been thinking a lot about how family history can fulfill some of the role that religion plays — and how it may have even been the origin of some religious practices. For instance, I know some people who still speak to deceased family members, a practice that feels closely related to prayer. And it doesn't feel like a stretch to say that the idea of holidays could have originated from family traditions and grown from there.
In a related vein, my understanding (and I'm no expert) is that a lot of religions basically amount to ancestor worship. And my recollection is that a number of religions also got started this way. I think there's definitely a relationship between family, history, ritual, and community.
My interest in family history came from religion, but it grew to be something even more deep, personal, and sustaining. I have also found it to be a spiritual way to connect with living family members (parents, grandparents, adult siblings, cousins, aunts and uncles) in a way that religion doesn't allow, simply because everyone's beliefs differ. In that way I see it having a transcendence that religion can't.
Thanks for writing this!
Thank you for reading it!
Excellent article. I've noticed that the Disney movies that are the most emotionally touching often have a family history element incorporated. Coco, Moana, Frozen 2, Mulan - to name a few.