Revival Christianity among the Urat of Papua New Guinea: Some possible motivational and perceptual antecedents

Revival Christianity singles out the male cult and sorcery--dominant institutions of reciprocity and retribution among the Urat--for attack. It also promotes adherence to a universal moral code based on a relationship with God. This dissertation hypothesizes rules of transformation which may link the Christian value orientation to the pagan value orientation which preceded it. It is based on research conducted in 1984-85 in the East Sepik Province, PNG in the pagan Urat village of Tembaihle during a South Sea Evangelical Church revival.;The sequence of presentation of the argument and data is as follows: (1) The argument is situated in the genre of culture and personality studies in anthropology. (2) The history of SSEC inspired revival Christian movements in Melanesia through the mid-1980's is reviewed. (3) A brief ethnography of the Urat, including a description of their name-assigned residential system, is presented. (4) An historical account of Urat experience of colonialism, World War II, and cargo cults is presented. The account emphasizes the experience of authority and its religious misconstrual. (5) A general description of Tembaihle village in 1984-85 is provided, with a focus on anti-Christianity. (6) A set of anti-Christian stories are analysed as a means of introducing the central model of the dissertation--the intimidation/counter-intimidation orientation. Ego is said to respond to threat with counter-threat. In the absence of authority, ego is dependent on an "audience" to support him in a struggle for prestige. (7) Institutions of reciprocity are reviewed. It is argued that reciprocity seeks to routinize intimidation, but often with the paradoxical effect of heightening ego's vulnerability. (8) The sorcery system, including 'sanguma' initiation and methods of 'sanguma' killing, are described. (9) A case of response to a sorcery omen is analysed, using psychological postulates earlier introduced. (10) Sorcery and the colonial experience are argued to be significant perceptual antecedents of revival Christianity. Revival Christianity, I argue, seeks to repudiate intimidation/counter-intimidation and replace it with a structure of authority. Institutions of reciprocity and retribution are attacked in part, I argue, because they embody principles of intimidation/counter-intimidation.