ABSTRACT
All human activity, whether verbal or bodily, is behavior, so myth and prayer and chanting and singing are as “behavioral” as any physical action. In fact, they are physical actions, usually performed in social settings for an audience with a part of the human body (the mouth or voice), usually as part of a concert with other gestures, actions, and objects. Western religion, especially Protestantism, has tended to privilege words and ideas (“beliefs”) over behavior, but this is not universal among religions. Malinowski reminded us that religion “is a mode of action as well as a system of belief” (1948: 24), and viewing it as action-and specifically social action-sheds a different light on religion.
