Popular beliefs - A field in the psychical life in need of the concern of the whole society

Abstract

Popular beliefs are a form of psychical culture and an aspect of the human life - style in the human community. The psychical need is a legitimate human need. Popular beliefs have an age old origin in the national culture. The recognition and respect of popular beliefs are not the recognition of the immortality of the soul, but the recognition of the consciousness on beliefs, psychism of the spiritual influence of deceased persons on the present generation. The religious psychism of Vietnamese has a polytheist character in which human spirits are more numerous than celestial spirits. The cult is a form of fostering the national soul independent from the object of the cult as a person or an object and from the place. Popular beliefs arise and exist in the social environment, they therefore change with the social development. Their activities have a positive and a negative aspects. Their positive aspect is expressed in the fact that they satisfy the need for a psychic life among the majority of the people. Their negative aspect tends to lead people to blind beliefs easily influenced by superstitious elements. The state regulation must have appropriate measures to develop their positive aspect and restrict their negative aspect. Full text in Vietnamese Religious Studies 2005/4 pp.9-13