The meaning of all these terms extend to all customs of proper behavior in a given society, both religious and profane, from more trivial
conventional aspects of
custom,
etiquette or
politeness—"folkways" enforced by gentle
social pressure, but going beyond mere "folkways" or conventions in including
moral codes and notions of
justice—down to strict
taboos, behavior that is unthinkable within the society in question, very commonly including
incest and
murder, but also the commitment of outrages specific to the individual society such as
blasphemy. Such religious or sacral customs may vary. Some examples include
funerary services,
matrimonial services;
circumcision and
covering of the hair in Judaism, Christian
Ten Commandments,
New Commandment and the
sacraments or for example
baptism, and
Protestant work ethic,
Shahada,
prayer,
alms,
the fast and
the pilgrimage as well as
modesty in Islam, and
religious diet. While
cultural universals are by definition part of the
mores of every society (hence also called "empty universals"), the customary norms specific to a given society are a defining aspect of the
cultural identity of an
ethnicity or a
nation. Coping with the differences between two sets of cultural conventions is a question of
intercultural competence. Differences in the
mores of various nations are at the root of
ethnic stereotype, or in the case of reflection upon one's own
mores, autostereotypes. The customary norms in a given society may include
indigenous land rights,
honour,
filial piety,
customary law and the
customary international law that affects countries who may not have codified their customary norms. Land rights of indigenous peoples is under customary land tenure, its a system of arrangement in-line with customs and norms. This is the case in colonies. An example of a norm is a culture of honor exists in some societies, where the
family is viewed as the main source of honor and the conduct of family members reflects upon their
family honor. For instance some writers say in Rome to have an honorable stance, to be equals with someone, existed for those who are most similar to one another (family and friends) this could be due to the competing for public recognition and therefore for personal and public honor, over rhetoric, sport, war, wealth and virtue. To protrude, stand out, be recognized and demonstrate this "A Roman could win such a "competition" by pointing to past evidences of their honor" and "Or, a critic might be refuted by one's performance in a fresh showdown in which one's bona fides could be plainly demonstrated." Honor culture only can exist if the society has for males the shared code, a standard to uphold, guidelines and rules to follow, do not want to break those rules and how to interact successfully and to engage, this exists within a "closed" community of equals. Filial piety is ethics towards one's family, as Fung Yu-lan states "the ideological basis for traditional [Chinese] society" and according to Confucious repay a burden debt back to ones parents or caregiver but its also traditional in another sense so as to fulfill an obligation to ones own ancestors, also to modern scholars it suggests extends an attitude of respect to superiors also, who are deserving to have that respect. ==See also==