Detachment, hesitation, indifference: An anthropology of the religious being

In this article, the author attempts to retrace his various explorations of religious experience: rituals in Belgium, Catholic parishes in France, and his own experiences of belief. A common theme emerges: a negation that is found in the modes of human presence and that has various expressions. During rituals, it primarily concerns modes of detachment and distraction; during parish meetings, it involves modes of oscillation to deal with the obscurity of religious statements. It also includes a sort of reserve or hesitation, which the author has observed in his own belief. The article hypothesizes that these modes of hesitation originate from the very first act of believing, which may date back 100,000 years. Specifically, the author identifies that moment as the starting point of a mode of human presence that is characterized by presence-absence and indifference. A section of this article consists of a critical debate between the author's own concepts and the ontological turn in anthropology. Dans cet article, l'auteur tente de retracer ses differentes explorations de l'experience religieuse : les rituels en Belgique, les paroisses catholiques en France, et ses propres experiences de croyance. Un theme commun se degage : une negation qui se retrouve dans les modes de presence humaine et ont diverses expressions. Lors des rituels, il s'agit avant tout de modes de detachement et de distraction ; lors des reunions paroissiales, il s'agit de modes d'oscillation pour faire face a l'obscurite des enonces religieux. Il s'agit aussi d'une sorte de reserve ou d'hesitation, que l'auteur a pu observer dans sa propre croyance. L'article fait l'hypothese que ces modes d'hesitation trouvent leur origine dans le tout premier acte de croire, qui remonterait a 100 000 ans. Plus precisement, l'auteur identifie ce moment comme le point de depart d'un mode de presence humaine caracterise par la presence-absence et l'indifference. Une partie de cet article consiste en un debat critique entre les concepts de l'auteur et le tournant ontologique de l'anthropologie.

Automated summary

In this article, the author explores various aspects of religious experience, including rituals, Catholic parishes, and his own beliefs. A common theme of negation in human presence emerges, characterized by detachment, distraction, oscillation, and reservation. The author hypothesizes that these modes of hesitation originate from the earliest act of belief, and discusses their origins and influences. The article also includes a critical debate between the author's concepts and the ontological turn in anthropology.