Part 5 - The principal theories deal with the origin and evolution of religion

Animism:

The theory of animism involves the names of E. B. Tylor and Herbert Spencer. This theory is based on the belief of primitive man that what was active was alive and that, being alive, all animate and inanimate objects, i.e. an object, animal or material had same sort of spirit what man feels within himself. Tylor has defined this theory as belief in spiritual beings and mentioned as the earliest form of religion.^[1] The primitive man believed that whatever man dreamt in his sleep and whatever he was used to do in his dream etc. were nothing but the result of his spirit. Spirit is independent and recognized in various objects including animals and men. After death, the spirit never dies, but sustains and in course of time transformed to the god endowing with the supernatural power. That is why people make offerings to the spirits of his ancestors. Spencer has accepted this ancestor worship as the root of all the religions.^[2]

Naturalism or Animatism:

The name of the great scholar Max Müller is associated with the theory of naturalism or animatism. According to him, religion is the outcome of naturalism. According to this theory, religion sprang from the spontaneous emotional reactions of wonder, awe and fear, evoked in man by different natural phenomena like the sun, the moon, the lightning, the thunder, etc. Indeed, the primitive man felt that consciousness or life existed behind all the powerful activities of nature. Various attributes were given to these entities and showed reverences. Thus, the personified and defied phenomena of nature, in course of time, transformed into the nature gods with the evolution of human mind. Max Müller has defined religion as the trust that has grown in the mind and heart of man by the order and wisdom of nature and more particularly by those regularly recurring events, i.e. the return of the seasons, the law of cause and effect.^[3] He has referred to the natural religion as the Physical Religion and regarded it as the first phase of development which has two other phases—something not merely human, or very soon, something superhuman that discovered at a very early time in parents and ancestors, particularly after they had departed this life.^[4] As the large number of German Scholar associated with this theory, the theory is known as the German theory too.

Theory of Magic:

Sir J. G. Frazer has developed one of the theories relating to the origin of religion. According to this theory, religion is regarded as the child of magic. The primitive man tried their best to control the nature by means of magical powers, i.e. sacrifices, magical rites, etc. Frazer asserted religion as born from such rites.^[5] But, in course of time, people came to know that magical powers did not provide desired results all the time. Consequently, the belief in the unseen being that possessing power had grown in the minds of the people. The primitive man sought the favour of such powerful being and offered offerings and prayer to satisfy him. Thus, the idea of god and religious practices were born in the theology.

Totemism:

The name of Emile Durkheim is highly associated with the theory of totemism. According to this theory, totemism is the earliest form of religion. Durkheim explained the point of view that religion is pre-eminently social in nature. It originated in the group ritual, especially in the communal ritual. Indeed, totemism is a social cult, in where a social group itself believes in a being friendly in nature or in close kingship to a particular animal or plant or some other object which is called totem of that social group. The totem, the symbol of the group as well as the totemic force becomes the god of the community revered by the primitive men. The name of the totem comes from some convenient animal living near by. It is respected as sacred or tabooed, but not regarded as deities.^[6] The collective representation of the human group showed reverence towards the taboo things becomes religious belief in course of time. And such belief towards the sacred power or totemic force becomes a moral power for the primitive man. The people practised different rites and rituals and offered sacrifices towards their totem, made them united. Durkheim holds such totemic cult as the constituent of the elementary forms of all the religious practices.^[7]

All the afore-mentioned theories deal with the origin of religion. Besides these, there are also found some other theories, like the theory of fetishism, theory of group spirit, etc., dealing with the religion, but not with its origin. It is too difficult to find out one of the single theories as the origin of it. Two or more characteristics like animism, animatism, etc., are found in a particular society of ancient date at a single time. Again, some of the characteristics have been more prominent in one society than that of the others. Among different theories of it, animism and animatism were observed almost in all the societies of early date. Therefore, we find among the savages the worship of stones, hills, plants, trees, flowers, rivers, air, wind, the sky, fire, the clouds, the sun, the moon, the animals and birds and so on. Indeed, the primitive people worshipped the powers they feared and sought to possess those in themselves.^[8] The animistic belief enlightened the people to venerate the animals as because of their living power. The spirit found inside the animals is believed as akin to the spirit of the human beings. As a result of such belief, different ancient societies accepted different animals like bull, goat, cow, etc., as their worshipping power and different totem were accepted.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Vide, Tylor, E.B., Primitive Culture, Vol. II, p.100

[2]:

Vide, Spencer, H.L., The Principles of Sociology, Vol. I, p. 411

[3]:

Vide, Max Müller, F., India What can it Teach us, p. 179

[4]:

Vide, Max Müller, F., Physical Religion, pp. 1-3

[5]:

Vide, Frazer, J.G., The Golden Bough, p.15

[6]:

Vide, Rivers, W.H.R., The History of Melanesian Society, Vol. II, p. 75

[7]:

Vide, Durkheim, E., The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life, p. 337

[8]:

Vide, Hopkins, E. Washburn., Op.cit., p.13