Editing Mortification of the flesh (section)

==Analogous non-Christian concepts==

===Indigenous practices and shamanism===
Some indigenous cultures' shamans believe that endurance of pain or denial of appetites serves to increase spiritual power. In many indigenous cultures, painful rites are used to mark sexual maturity, marriage, procreation, or other major life stages. In Africa and Australia, indigenous people sometimes use genital mutilation on boys and girls that is intentionally painful, including [[circumcision]], [[subincision]], [[clitoridectomy]], [[genital piercing|piercing]], or [[infibulation]]. In some [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] tribes enduring [[scarification]] or the bites of ants are common rituals to mark a boy's transition to adulthood. Human rights organizations in several areas of the world have protested some of these methods, which can be forced upon the participants, although some are voluntary and are a source of pride and status.<ref>{{cite web |title=Rites of Passage |url=http://anthro.palomar.edu/social/soc_4.htm |access-date=27 November 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120712172502/http://anthro.palomar.edu/social/soc_4.htm |archive-date=12 July 2012}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=February 2022}}

Shamans{{which|reason=Which shamans? What culture?|date=February 2022}} often use painful rites and self-denial such as fasting or celibacy to attain transformation, or to commune with spirits.<ref>''Sacred Pain-Hurting the Body for the sake of the Soul'', A. Glucklich, 2003</ref>

===Secular practices===
It has been speculated that extreme practices of mortification of the flesh may be used to obtain an [[altered state of consciousness]] to achieve spiritual experiences or [[vision (religion)|vision]]s. In modern times, members of the [[Church of Body Modification]] believe that by manipulating and modifying their bodies (by painful processes) they can strengthen the bond between their bodies and spirits, and become more spiritually aware. This group uses rites of passage from many traditions including [[Hinduism]], [[Buddhism]], and [[shamanism]], to seek their aims.<ref>{{cite web |title=Church of Body Modification |url=http://uscobm.com/ |access-date=2008-08-28 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110305233919/http://uscobm.com/ |archive-date=2011-03-05}}</ref>

In some contexts, modern practices of body modification and plastic surgery overlap with mortification. Often, secular people will undergo painful experiences in order to become more self-aware, to take control of their bodies or "own" them more fully, to bond with a group that is spiritual in its aims, or to overcome the body's limitations in ways that do not refer to any higher power. Many times these rites are intended to empower the participant, rather than humble them. This represents a very different aim than many traditional mortifications.<ref>''In the Flesh: The Cultural Politics of Body Modification,'' Victoria L. Pitts, 2003</ref>

[[Roland Loomis]] re-creates [[Sun Dance]] ceremonies and [[suspension (body modification)|suspensions]] for those who believe these painful procedures expand their consciousness.<ref>''Gay Body, a Journey through Shadow to Self, ''M. Thompson, 1999</ref> [[Fakir Musafar]] explained his use of these rites as a way to awaken the spirit to the body's limits, and put it in control of them. Others who have used these experiences to transcend physical limitations report a feeling of mastery over their physical circumstance, along with a widened perspective.<ref>''Modern Primitives'', Vale and Juno, RE/Search press, 1989</ref>