Oral Knowledge: Spirituality and Religious Practice

Oral Knowledge: Spirituality and Religious Practice

            Within history, oral knowledge has had a more powerful effect upon spirituality and religious practice than other types of knowledge. Word of mouth has been more influential upon religion, because it is considered a more sacred means of communicating and relaying knowledge, it is personable to religious followers, and it is a means of communication that has paved the way for other areas of knowledge.

First, oral knowledge was usually considered a more sacred form of knowledge because it was passed on from person to person, and generally not recorded or written. This is why it is considered a more important factor in influencing various religions throughout history. Morgan Mix’s blog post on Hebrew scripture, specifically the Talmud, is one example of this. The Jewish religion believes that the Lord gave Moses a set of oral laws that were meant to be passed down to and added to by Jewish priests and rabbis. However, members of the Jewish faith thought that by writing down the oral laws, the very nature of the laws would be changed. They would be considered less sacred as written knowledge and could be left to interpretation by common people. Today, Orthodox Jews still learn the Talmud by having someone recite it to them.

            Next, oral knowledge, or oral communication, has had a powerful effect upon religious believers, because speech can be specifically directed towards religious followers, making it personable. Although folk knowledge is mainly based on experiences passed from one person to another, word of mouth allows religious figures to relay their own experiences quicker to people and also allows them to inform people on how to live their religion to the fullest, at that given time period. One example of this was mentioned by Mike Miles during the in-class salon activity. He mentioned that King Benjamin’s speech, found in the Book of Mormon, was specifically for his own people. Its purpose was to teach the people to serve others, to love God and understand His atonement. He made it personable to them by explaining that he had served alongside them and by stating that he, himself, has benefitted from Christ’s atonement and that they can benefit from it as well. Today, oral knowledge still has a powerful effect within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the church holds biannual General Conferences in which General Authorities speak to church members.

            Lastly, the influence of oral knowledge within religion paved the way for written and print knowledge. As previously mentioned, Hebrew scholars thought that by writing down the Talmud, the oral law would be changed. Ultimately, however, members of the Jewish faith agreed to hand write the Talmud so people could have the chance to study it on their own. However, the written Talmud is considered just as sacred and it rarely ever touched by anyone other than the rabbi and is generally still only recited. Another example of the influence of oral knowledge is evident in handwritten copies of the Bible. Religious stories were taught orally and then eventually written so that they would not be forgotten.  These written copies were later printed and distributed throughout the world. Mike Mile’s blog post about the history of the printing press and the Bible explains the role that print had in making religious texts more widely accessible. However, today these texts are generally quoted and recited just as much as they are read by the Christians and members of the Jewish faith, which shows that oral knowledge is still heavily used as a means of transferring religious knowledge.

            Overall, religious practice and spirituality has been affected more by oral knowledge than any other form of knowledge throughout history. Oral knowledge has proven to be considered a more sacred means of communicating knowledge, as seen with the oral recitation of the Hebrew Talmud. It is also a more personable way of connecting to religious followers, which is used by many members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints today. Lastly, it is a means of communication that has paved the way for written and printed texts, which support the oral method of learning.