Different religious beliefs and practices emerge in different social and historical contexts because context frames the meaning of religious belief. . Explore an overview of the works of significant figures who developed such philosophies: Kant, Muller, Frazer, Marx, and Freud. Example: Consider how the notion of Mother Nature came into being. According to Sir James Frazer, religion developed out of an original magical stage of human culture. Some of his views, among others that the experience of the numinous was caused by a transcendental reality, are untestable and hence unscientific. Sigmund Freud's, focusing on neurosis as a psychological origin of religious beliefs; while Emile Durkheim proposed a theory that focuses on the social function of religions . [3], Scientific theories, inferred and tested by the comparative method, emerged after data from tribes and peoples all over the world became available in the 18th and 19th centuries. But the world religions I know of Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam were bigger than a single city or even a single region of the world. In the book Weber wrote that modern capitalism spread quickly partially due to the Protestant worldly ascetic morale. As they observed the sun, moon, winds and rains, they began to personify them, sort of like our . and think about more than yourself. Types of religions around the world. Example: Consider the role of the five senses in comprehending the world. In the 1930s a kind of big-bang theory . He was born into a Ksatriya Hindu family, which was the warrior/ruler class. Theory One: Animism Herbert Spencer (1850s) - Manism The gods of "primitive" people were/are based on dreams about the recent dead Believe that these dead people were actually alive in another world or another form Believe that these spirits can . [48] Differing from Tylor and Frazer, he saw magic not as religious, but as an individual instrument to achieve something. ADVERTISEMENTS: Following ancient theories are important to mention. In this post, I briefly set out three distinct approaches to the study of religion: criticizing religion, upholding religion, and disaggregating religion. This theory was proved by three experiments proved by different scientists. According to this theory life was [] [citation needed] The view of a uniform progression in folkways is criticized as unverifiable, as the writer Andrew Lang (18441912) and E. E. Evans-Pritchard assert. James George Frazer (18541941) followed Tylor's theories to a great extent in his book The Golden Bough, but he distinguished between magic and religion. Then, he went outside of the palace and saw all the illness, poverty, death, and human suffering in the world.He fled his home and began to search for peace. Theory of Special Creation: The greatest supporter of this theory was Father Suarez. Religion Concepts, Types & Social Aspects | What is Religion? [35] Geertz followed Weber when he wrote that "man is an animal suspended in webs of significance he himself has spun and the analysis of it to be therefore not an experimental science in search of law but an interpretive one in search of meaning". The empirical basis for Durkheim's view has been severely criticized when more detailed studies of the Australian aboriginals surfaced. According to this model, the origin of life occurred in two steps: Fig: Steps to The Origin of Life According to Oparin-Haldane Model. Prime candidates for religious conversion are those with an openness to religion, but who do not belong or fit well in any existing religious group. Paleologic focuses on prehistoric creatures that roamed the earth well before Humans; while diving into potential reasons why they are no longer with us. 2021 CiteScore*: 0.7. The faiths considered to be the "big five" world religions are the oldest ones but not necessarily the ones with the most followers.They are generally considered to be the most widely recognized and influential religions. Since the religion hinges on this idea of karma what you do in life today determines what you do in the next life I wonder if the untouchables could come back as a higher caste if they lived a virtuous life. If I look back to what the McNeills said about religion giving meaning to the drudgery of daily life, Hinduism seems to fit that description perfectly. While the notion of theory continues to show "a bewildering variety of meanings" (Wiebe 1983, 295) in the study of religion\s as much as in other disciplines, in this chapter we operate with a broad notion of 'theory' as an interconnected set of ideas or statements (propositions) expressed in language that, from within a certain discursive placement and from a given point of view . [53][54] He saw science as practical knowledge that every society needs abundantly to survive and magic as related to this practical knowledge, but generally dealing with phenomena that humans cannot control. Top 10 Theories. This tendency to explain the natural world through the existence of beings with supernatural powers things like gods, ancestral spirits, goblins and fairies formed the basis for religious . To Frazer, the development of religion happened in evolving phases. Because the religion has no specific founder, it's difficult to trace its origins and history. Example: Freud used psychoanalysis to come up with his theory on the origins of religion, whereas Marx used the concept of class struggle. Web. religion reinforces group interest that clash very often with individual interests. In other words, primitive man invented the idea of God in an . The Azande's faith in witchcraft and oracles was quite logical and consistent once some fundamental tenets were accepted. The time or day of death is unknown to all. Unlike the Eastern religions' passive approach, salvation religions like Christianity are active, demanding continuous struggles against sin and the negative aspects of society. I also learned that after he revealed these ideas, the Buddha stopped worshipping Hindu gods and stopped believing that one caste was better than the others. [8], He asserted that these experiences arise from a special, non-rational faculty of the human mind, largely unrelated to other faculties, so religion cannot be reduced to culture or society. They used this by extension to explain life and death, and belief in the after life. The comments below about cult formation apply equally well to sect formation. For example, there was Greece's Poseidon, god of the sea, or Babylon's Marduk, who controlled the winds. [50], Durkheim's approach gave rise to functionalist school in sociology and anthropology[51] Functionalism is a sociological paradigm that originally attempted to explain social institutions as collective means to fill individual biological needs, focusing on the ways in which social institutions fill social needs, especially social stability. He asserted that moralism cannot be separated from religion. The main reason for the survival of religion is not a desire to live a better life, but our fear of death, says atheist author and independent scholar Susan Jacoby. [49] More recent developments in physics and astronomy, however, resulted in cosmological views that challenged the belief in a divinely created world. The former can be split into two: theories assuming that revelation is an encounter between humans and certain finite extraterrestrial intelligences (an encounter taking place in the past or being expected for the . To Immanuel Kant, an 18th century German philosopher, religion is the product of limited empirical reason. [27] The primitive man could not endure that his struggle to survive had no meaning. It is difficult for cults and sects to maintain their initial enthusiasm for more than about a generation. Sociological and anthropological theories about religion generally attempt to explain the origin and function of religion. Think about the religion you're in. 34 But not until the 1980s did academics begin a concerted effort to find an explanation for the phenomenon. Life originated from pre-existing living forms. Theorists assert that a true religious economy is the result of religious pluralism, giving the population a wider variety of choices in religion. Awe, a sense of mystery, a sense of guilt, and adoration are "religious feelings" which tend to be aroused in religious believers when they come in the presence of sacred objects, in sacred places, and during the practice of sacred rituals. Sir Richard Paget, influenced by Darwin, believed that body movement preceded language. The Founding of Confucianism: Overview & Influence, Factors Impacting Family & Consumer Sciences, Religion and Social Change in Protestantism and Liberation Theology. Marxist views strongly influenced individuals' comprehension and conclusions about society, among others the anthropological school of cultural materialism. To Weber, Christianity was a salvation religion that claims people can be saved when they convert to certain beliefs and moral codes. What a story! In his 1913 book Totem and Taboo he developed a speculative story about how all monotheist religions originated and developed. They are based variously on ideas human social structures, emotions, or cognition. Having done some research on the common features of early agrarian cities, Im interested in finding out why all civilizations adopted some sort of religion and how these religions spread over vast regions. Answer (1 of 3): Five studies that access religion to produce remedy in society are: psychology, sociology, anthropology, philosophy, and literary construction. As children are born into the cult or sect, members begin to demand a more stable life. Evans-Pritchard saw these people as different, but not primitive. What Does Religion Mean? To him, religion developed out of the human need for a protective father figure. In an essay of at least one page, describe Max Muller's nature-worship theory on the origins of religion. This theory puts forth the idea that religion developed as primitive people groups observed nature. Jessica has taught junior high history and college seminar courses. Atheism is really a modern belief that resulted from the "Enlightenment" period of the 18th century. [28] According to Eliade, man had a nostalgia (longing) for an otherworldly perfection. In this case, there is a male founder of the religion. Religions are very diverse. Hosted by Talia Lowi-Merri. On the first day God created light and separated the light from the darkness, calling light "day" and darkness "night. When discussing the origin of religion, it's important to remember the term 'religion' is broad and far reaching. Hinduism is unique in that it's not a single religion but a compilation of many traditions and . Having examined some early writing from the city of Sumer in Mesopotamia, I know that people had already conceived of gods that looked out for them and the welfare of their crops and cities. " On the second day God created an expanse to separate the waters and called it "sky. Francesco Redi took pieces of meat or flesh and cooked then packed those pieces in various jars. [55] In both cases, the development of religious ideology was intimately linked to the already established systems that humans used to relate to one another the social hierarchy of caste, in this case. Language began with the easiest syllables attached to the most significant objects. He has been criticized for vagueness in defining his key concepts. Somewhat differing from Marx, Weber dealt with status groups, not with class. God's Project for Creation: Finality or Chance? They also speculated that, in time, the appeal and influence of religion on the modern mind would lessen. On the contrary, religion is an act of the moral will. [16] In fact, theorists such as Marett (an Anglican) excluded scientific results altogether, defining religion as the domain of the unpredictable and unexplainable; that is, comparative religion is the rational (and scientific) study of the irrational. According to Muller, this personification led to worship among the primitive people. Here she recommends five books she considers essential to "understanding the merits of atheism.". Though he used more or less the same methodology as Evans-Pritchard, he did not share Evans-Pritchard's hope that a theory of religion could ever be found. The anthropologist Bronisaw Malinowski (18841942) was strongly influenced by the functionalist school and argued that religion originated from coping with death. Origin of Life Theories. Theories of the Origin of the Earth. According to the theory, the more religions there are, the more likely the population is to be religious and hereby contradicting the secularization thesis. Its like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. Posted 2 years ago. He asserted that Confucianism opposition against both extravagance and thrift made it unlikely that capitalism could have originated in China. He asserted that these group meeting provided a special kind of energy,[47] which he called effervescence, that made group members lose their individuality and to feel united with the gods and thus with the group. Faith-Based. These claims were limited, however, to his analysis of the historical relationship between European cultures, political institutions, and their Christian religious traditions. Magic is used to influence the natural world in the primitive man's struggle for survival. [2] Max Mller (1823-1900) has the reputation of having founded the scientific study of religion; he advocated a comparative method that developed into comparative religion. Durkheim saw totemism as the original and simplest form of religion. Nature- Worship Theory Human beings first developed their religions from their observations of the forces of nature. Religion, therefore, has its origin in man's attempt to project into the universe a belief in a cosmic father or God to give him the support he once had from his human father. Biologist Julian Huxley dismissed the existence of religion as a vestige of past ignorance and superstition: "Gods are peripheral phenomena produced by evolution.". So what this is telling me is that the religion evolved from a social class structure where people had very defined roles. The first academic journal devoted exclusively to comparative religious history, History of Religions has set the standard for the study of religious phenomena from prehistory to modern times. The Role of Religious Movements in International Politics. To Marx, religion stemmed from the struggle between social classes and is simply man's attempt to make living within these classes bearable. Whats interesting about Hinduism is that it was developed by a group of people living in the Indus Valley who had a rigid hierarchical social structure called the caste system. (to want what you do not have). Some people think that, to accept the key tenets of evolutionary thought is to deny their religious . Do not promote slavery or the selling of weapons or poisons. Geography and culture have an effect on the establishment and development of religions. 1. The origin of religion and polytheistic systems: Polytheism (a belief in many gods) is . In Christianity, the idea of sin and its atonement by God's grace plays a fundamental role. [60] They define religion as a system of compensation that relies on the supernatural. sky gods such as Zeus.[30][31]. The word "tragedy' seems to have come from . Get ready to meet the weirdest, wackiest and most wonderful birds in Animalogic's World of Birds. Unlike Tylor and Frazer, Freud attempted to explain why religion persists in spite of the lack of evidence for its tenets. He has also been accused of having a pro-religious bias (Christian and Hindu), though this bias does not seem essential for his theory. But similar to Hinduism, Buddhists came to believe that following these steps leads toward nirvana and therefore, stops the cycle of reincarnation. succeed. By repression Freud meant that civilized society demands that we not fulfill all our desires immediately, but that they have to be repressed. The theories could be updated, however, by considering new reports, which Robert Ranulph Marett (1866-1943) did for Tylor's theory of the evolution of religion. Like Frazer and Tylor he has also been accused of out-of-context comparisons of religious beliefs of very different societies and cultures. The new religious beliefs are compensators for the failure to achieve the original goals. If the texts and tenets of these faiths spoke to such a wide variety of people then the religious beliefs were more likely to spread along trade routes, unlike the earlier village-based religions. However, some support that supposed approach as worthwhile, among others the anthropologist Robin Horton. In true Freudian style, he theorized that this need led men to create religion. Even though none of these three men was particularly religious, the power that religion holds over people and societies interested them all. Intellectualism Evolutionism Theory of survivals Diffusion Theory Sociology of Religion Social & Cultural Anthropology. [45] He saw religion as a reflection of the concern for society. 2. Practicing animism, the native cultures of the Americas believed that nature, from rocks, to trees, to water, had a spirit known as Anima. Right View: Understand that there is suffering in the world and 7. From presocratic times, ancient authors advanced prescientific theories about religion. Muslims believe Muhammad to be the last in a series of great prophets starting with Adam and including Abraham, Moses and Jesus. First, Im going to take a look at Hinduism. Closeup Teaching Unit 4.4.1: The Budding of Buddhism, 563 BCE 150 CE. World History for Us All. Evolution and Religion. There were no human observers to the origin of the universe, the origin of life, or, as a matter of fact, to the origin of a single type of living organism. Thus, religion functions to bind society's members by prompting them to affirm their common values and beliefs on a regular basis. This often leads to cult leaders giving up after several decades, and withdrawing the cult from the world. The anthropologist Clifford Geertz (19262006) made several studies in Javanese villages. 9 chapters | Cults are new groups with a new novel theology, while sects are attempts to return mainstream religions to (what the sect views as) their original purity. For Geertz (1973: p. 4), religion was " (1) a system of symbols which acts to (2) establish powerful, pervasive, and long-lasting moods and motivations in men [sic] by (3) formulating conceptions of a general order of existence and (4) clothing these conceptions with such an aura of factuality that (5) the moods and motivations seem uniquely . The best books on Atheism, recommended by Susan Jacoby. Scholars of the Victorian era and of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries theorized about the origin of religion. As did the essentialists, the functionalists proceeded from reports to investigative studies. In 1950, in the encyclical " Humani Generis ," Pope Pius XII said that Catholic . The second theory regarding the origin of religion is the evolutionary approach. Weber and religion: Max Weber (1864-1920) was a German sociologist whose primary concern was to study the origin of rationalization and how religion impacts the economy of any society. Theophany (an appearance of a god) is a special case of it. Rational people and philosophers and scientists in particular wanted to understand how it is that supposedly reasoning beings would come to hold beliefs in what was not . They had also totemism, but this was a minor aspect of their religion and hence a corrective to Durkheim's generalizations should be made. Sigmund Freud (18561939) saw religion as an illusion, a belief that people very much wanted to be true. He also considered the concept of God to be on the verge of extinction. According to the Pew Research Center, there are seven main categories of religion around the world. This is in contrast to Tylor and Frazer, who saw religion as a rational and conscious, though primitive and mistaken, attempt to explain the natural world.
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