...cultures and some theories of the origin of religion were started. The first theory of the origins of religion was the animist theory. During this time Edward Tylor, who was a leading figure in anthropology came up with a theory that said “primitive” people believed that souls were not only found in people but in all of nature” (1). Things like plants, animals, mountains, rivers, even the entire world itself was seen as being alive with spirits of all kind. People viewed these spirits in many different ways therefore, it became a part of life of “primitive” societies to pray to these spirits, offer sacrifices, and avoid offending them. “Ultimately, this animistic view of the universe produced this religion that would worship the sky, earth, and water” (1). Max Muller, who was also a leading figure in anthropology, had his mind set on another theory, which is the nature- worship theory. According to this theory, “primitive” people became aware of things such as the changing of the seasons, the tides, and the phases of the moon. The people decided to personalize them thus giving names to things such as the sun, the moon, and so on. “They also began to describe the activities of these forces with tales that eventually became mythology” (1). Muller became convinced that he found the key to origin of all religions: “Primitive” people identify the forces in nature, personify them, created myths to describe their activities, and eventually developed pantheons and religions around them” (1)...
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...Communist Manifesto, written in 1848. Many failed countries' political and socio-economic structures have been based on Marx's theories, for example the USSR, East Germany etc. Many people believe that Marxism is not applicable to today's society, as Karl Marx put forward his ideas not anticipating the type of society we have today. The welfare state system has effectively nullified Marx's arguments, and made them irrelevant. Karl Marx, born on May 5, 1818, died on March 14, 1883, was a German economist, philosopher and revolutionist whose writings form the basis of the body of ideas known as Marxism. In his youth he was deeply affected by the philosophy of G.W.F. Hegel, and joined a rebel group called the Young Hegelians, which contributed ideas towards the movement against organized religion and the Prussian Autocracy. Later on in life, he was influenced by the writings of Ludwig Feuerbach, who wrote that God was invented by humans as a projection of their own ideals, and that in creating such a 'perfect' being, in contrast to themselves, mankind lowered themselves to lowly, evil creatures who needed guidance from the church and government. He said that, in creating God in their own image, humans had 'alienated themselves from themselves.' Karl Marx applied this alienation theory to private property, which he said caused humans to work only for themselves, not for the good of their species. The idea is further explained in the following sentences. The...
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...according to the text refers to the fear or awe a person feels in the presence of a spirit or a god. 2. Taoism and Confucianism are nontheistic religions, that is, religions for which belief in God or gods is nonessential. While gods are not alien to either Taoism or Confucianism, belief in/of gods is not central to either tradition. What are a couple of other religions that can be called nontheistic religions? a) A few additional examples of some nontheistic religions are Agnosticism, Atheism, Buddhism, Secular Humanism and Scientology. 3. What is Paul Tillich's definition for religion, and why do Hopfe and Woodward consider its development too broad? a) Paul Tillich defines religion as, “that which is of ultimate concern”. Hopfe and Woodward consider the development of Tillich’s definition of religion too broad for a world religions course because a philosophical exploration of Tillich’s definition of religion, yields many an individuals personal belief of what is of ultimate concern hardly lending to the general understanding of popular or mainstream religions they hope to accomplish in this text. 4. Explain E. B. Tylor's theory concerning the origin and evolution of religion. What is animism, and to what, "ultimately" and "finally," did Tylor think it evolved? a) E.B. Tylor’s theory regarding the origin and evolution of religion is that primitive people developed a sense of other or soul from their experiences with death and dreams. Animism is the belief that nature...
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