During the nineteenth century anthropologists started investigating the remaining “primitive” 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).
The third theory is a completely different approach to the origin of religion called the theory of original monotheism. Wilhelm Schmidt disagreed with the animistic theories and came up with a new one that stated “although the predominant form of religion for these ‘primitives’ was animism or polytheism, there was always the belief that originally there had been one great god above all others” (1). This god may have been the creator of the world or creator of the universe but often people would regard the High God to force its moral codes on people.
The fourth theory comes from a man by the name of Sir James George Frazer, who also had a completely different approach than the others. Frazer taught that humankind had been through three phases of development regarding the spirit world. First people tried to control the world of nature through magic. When people finally figured out that this was not working, they turned to the second stage of development: religion. “When religion failed then they would turn to science, which is a more rational understanding of nature is operative”(1).
The fifth and final theory of origins of religion is the theory of religion as projections of human needs. German philosopher Ludwig Feuerbach said “religions were essentially projections of the wishes and needs of humanity” (1). Feuerbach thought that people tend to see themselves as helpless and dependent when faced with challenges of life. “Therefore, they seek to overcome their problems through imagination; they imagine or project an idealized being of goodness or power who can help them”(1). Feuerbach also believed that people seek in heaven what they cannot find on earth.
In my opinion, all five of these theories still significantly influence our understanding of religious traditions today. People will continue to believe in what they want to believe in and all five of these theories give them different perspective of all different types of religion. There is no one theory that influences our understanding of religion more than the other because it is mostly shaped by our opinion and how we want to accept what is real and what is not.

Citations

Hopfe, Lewis, and Mark Woodward. Religions of the World. twelfth. 2012. 5-8. Print.