“Confluences: Towards A Theory of Religion” Chapter 3.
Confluence towards a theory of religions involves evaluating all the flows of religious theory and orientation metaphor. The psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud did not have a very high opinion of religion but his theories are helpful in understanding religion. He suggested that religion was a developmental stage that humans would eventually outgrow; this is known as an organic metaphor. E. O. Wilson for instance considered religion a superorganism another organic metaphor. Tweed uses Freud’s definition of religion to suggest that metaphor theory is important in understanding definitions of religion. Spatial metaphors consider religion as a process over time (as does the organic metaphor). Religion has been considered in terms of individuals and their belief (Tylor) or as societal institutions (Spiro). Tweed points out three metaphor types which Tweed refers to as metaphorical ‘orientation.’ (a) Aristotle described metaphor as when the meaning of one domain is ‘transferred’ from the meaning of another domain. (b) Burke defined it in reference to culture and one’s ‘position in society.’ (c) Davidson (1978) suggested that effect and use of metaphors did not need to be ‘decoded.’
“Dwelling: The Kinetics of Homemaking” Chapter 4.
Kinetics in physics and chemistry are the forces that produce change. Tweed uses this as an analogy for considering dwelling as an activity; such as the activity that takes place before, after and during constructing religious dwellings for saints. He uses the building of a shrine by Cuban immigrants in Miami as an example of dwelling. Tweed again uses the word orient to describe how worshipers (or devotees) are oriented in time and space. He uses the metaphor of the compass and the watch to describe the way worshippers in different religions orient themselves to time and space. Two other elements, the mural and the cornerstone along with the pocket watch can orient both individuals and societal groups to meaning. (For an Orthodox Christian that may mean going to worship services every Sunday morning and facing the altar which is placed at the eastern side of the church. For a Muslim that may mean praying five times a day while facing Mecca.) Tweed gives examples of symbols (the Virgin Mary), metaphors (exile in reference to the Cuban consecration of a shrine in Miami), on the other hand murals and cornerstones are artifacts. Briefly a dwelling is where space and place intersect so it is not static, it is active.
