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⭐ In the context of popular beliefs, the acceptance of relics by the Roman Catholic Church during the central Middle Ages exemplifies what kind of societal process?

The widespread popularity of relics among the general populace led to their eventual acceptance within the Catholic Church, demonstrating a process where influence originated from the masses rather than being dictated by the institution.

⭐ Core Definition: Popular piety

Popular piety in Christianity is an expression of faith which avails of certain cultural elements proper to a specific environment which is capable of interpreting and questioning in a lively and effective manner the sensibilities of those who live in that same environment. Examples covered in this article are drawn from Roman Catholic and Lutheran practice.

The forms of popular piety lived out in the Roman Catholic Church are explained in the Directory on Popular piety and the liturgy issued by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments of the Catholic Church.

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👉 Popular piety in the context of Popular belief

Popular beliefs are studied as a sub-field of social sciences, like history and anthropology, which examines spiritual beliefs that develop not independently from religion, but still outside of established religious institutions. Aspects of popular piety, historical folklore, and historical superstitions are some of the themes explored.

Social scientists who study popular belief offer explanations for behaviors and events that arose as a means of redress in times of adversity or from perceived practical or spiritual utility. The cause of the European witch craze, responsible for the death of many older women in the sixteenth and seventeenth century, is one such area of research. The attitudes to sanctity and relics in the central Middle Ages, which represent a bottom-up phenomenon (whereby relics became acceptable to the Roman Catholic Church as a result of their popularity among the masses), is another widely studied area of popular belief.

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