Chapter 1
1. Why do we speak of “basic” rather than “primitive” religions?
We speak of “basic” religions because the term is applied to many religions of contemporary people whose religious ideas are not found in written forms and to those of prehistoric people. In fact, it embraces a large variety of beliefs and practices. The word “primitive” means representative of the earliest stages of human development, which no religions can actually be considered primitive. Most religions are not the exact same and do not believe the same things, as they did thousands of years ago. Over time, religions have evolved, developed, or adopted new or different beliefs, in response to ecological and social environments, and continue to build on the wisdom of previous generations.
4. Define animism, and give several examples of surviving animism in modern life.
Animism is the belief that all nature is alive and filled with unseen spirits and souls that have feelings and can be communicated with. Animists see a soul or a self, existing in animals, trees, stones, rivers, mountains, heavenly bodies, seas, and the Earth. These spirits can be flattered or offended, and can either help or hurt humans. Some examples in modern life of animism are historic stones, fireplaces, evergreen trees for Christmas, the sacred black stone for Muslims, the sacred river Ganges for Hindus, sandalwood for burning in the sacred fire temple for Parsis, and pilgrimages to the graves of presidents and famous people by Americans.
5. Distinguish magic from religion.
Magic is a term that describes attempts to influence the actions of nature through special practices, dances, rituals, and incantation. In relation to religion, magicians attempt to control nature for the benefit of their people or the detriment of their enemies. They see the world being controlled by manipulative forces. They think they can make it rain, or cause drops to be bigger, change weather conditions for a successful hunt, and even kill their enemies. They believe they can force nature to act as they wish and they know whether their fiat will be completed or not. Oppositely, priests of religions seek to implore the gods in their favor hope that the gods will act favorably. Magicians typically perform acts to oneself or to objects in order to coerce nature, while the practitioners of religion pray to the gods.
6. Name some taboos in modern life. How are they like those in basic societies? How are they different?
Some taboos of modern life include pork being considered unclean to Muslims and Jews; therefore they do not eat it. Hindus do not eat beef because it is viewed as being sacred. On Fridays, all forms of meat are taboo for Roman Catholics. Three others include same sex marriage, sex before marriage, and marriage outside of one’s religion or culture. It is widely accepted in modern day life, although not talked about in casual conversation, but would cause great harm and even death in basic societies. It is like those of basic societies because some religions believe they provoke the anger of God.