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| Origin of religion Anthropology |
Introduction
The primary study on origin of religion are based on biological theory of evolution. Primitive Society’s are most important for scholar’s for search off the origin of human being. In their views social evolution had transformed the best form their original stage of becoming human.
In their studies religion and kinship We’re not get the attention that required for further study .This was the initial stage of anthropological theory Formulations. They’re existence of deities,Mode of worship and faith that indicate religion is the most valuable identities at that time. In course of time religion was universal across most of human societies. The task of the scholar are to identify how the religion was originated.
1. The origin of religion anthropology
In a primitive society there are no fossils of material evidence that indicate the beliefs of a particular society.The only tangible things that indicated that there are some forms of worship or belief were in form of calf paintings or some other figures . The anthropological approach to study of religion were not based on biological or other physical science. Edward Taylor define it who was the psychic unity of mankind.
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a)Phenomenon of death and dream.
• The belief of soul.
The people Has a list knowledge about death and dream. what happens when a person die? what happens when a person in dream? Define it we want to learn the concept of soul. A person experience many journeys, Meeting with people can activities that is apparently not done by him in physical form. Their is a belief in a spirit body,the soul. This is the unseen part of the body would also be with power.It was this soul that made a person Walk and talk. When the people in sleep the soul goes on its own journeys. But the separation of soul from body is temporary in sleep. When they wake up it return to the material body. but when the people death, the separation is final.
• The soul endowed with supernatural power.
The soul has supernatural power, over and above the nature The primitive people believe in existence of supernatural being or soul.It was Basis of religion.
b)Animism meaning in anthropology.
• Ritual of sacrifice were arise form a belief in soul.
• The purpose of sacrifice was the separation of the soul from the body to certain goal. sacrificing of servant ,wife , Soldier for a company the dead man who serves him in material life.
• There is a belief of heaven and hell. The soul is not And doesn’t die then it must have some destination. That is heaven or after world.
c)Harbert spencer and fear of ghosts.
Harbert Spencer Explain the origin of religion and the fear of ghosts. The factor of fear Also important in religion. The ghost of powerful men Converted it into deities.People worshipped them To create a pantheon Of gods and goddess.
d) Max Mueller and origin of religion.
Max Mueller theory of origin of religion Related with phenomena of nature. The phenomena of The moon, the sun,The storm and the floods Where wonders of the phenomena of nature. He gave some example ,Sun’s journey across the sky the Early humans may have described him like a charioteer driving several horses, or looking at the splendour of the moon’s Beauty must have link it to a beautiful maiden. Over the period of time the language was certainly changed. Instead of saying that the moon was like a beautiful woman, it would have become that the moon is a beautiful woman and since she's obviously not ordinary, must be enrolled with divine powers.
e) animatism anthropology and Mana.
Some cultures are believe a supernatural being in human or animal create power or energy. It called Mana. The power or energy may be responsible for making some being more powerful than others. For example A man is very good hunter he may have more Mana. Mana is like a thing that can be get by magical practice and taken away from him.
f) Naturism
Religious belief is in the force of nature. The theory is the extension of animism. The people regard each natural phenomenon to have a soul characters like human. If we taken the example of Andaman Island, their is two monsoons wind are regarded as husband and wife. The most steady and beneficial wins are male and the capricious and destructive wins are female. The representation of earth as mother or female and the sky as father or male.
2. James Frazer and magic.
James Frazer the earliest stage of human existence is marked by magic , then comes religion and then come science. The modern society are following principles of logic and like modern scientist the primitive people look for cause and effect relationship or casual connection between phenomenon in order to explain them. The magician to Looks for casual connections in order to control the phenomena. This is described as sympathetic magic. There is two type of relationship, fastly the low of sympathy- morphological resemblance can be indicative of a casual relationship. Secondly low of Contagion- close physical proximity can lead to a casual relationship.
For example - relationship between jaundice and yellow things. Some believe the eating of yellow things in jaundice some might advocate the use of yellow flowers etc. To cure the disease.
Vodoo dolls in primitive society, believe that a person can be used to directly affect the person in a Negative way.
3 Karl Marx view on religion.
It had seen that function and cultural point of view were largely depend on supernatural power. He Express religion a kind of ideology.
Several scholars study religion as ideology. Production of ideology is a social phenomena and like all social phenomenon it has its tangible and material dimension.
There was different organisations and occasion that practice rituals and festival to promote reproducing ideologies. There was a struggle of Supremacy among the ideologies that increase between them. Stephen Feuchtwang describe the late empirical China. The struggle between ideology that protected kin relationships and structure of political royalty. They maintain landlord system to protect kinship system. The main target of the ideological structure serve to protect the rule of the Imperial and leisure class. In course of time their emerged capitalist and bourgeoisie ideology, and struggle for capturing of power and livelihood are continue.
Marxist view of anthropological analysis are structural and objective in nature.
Conclusion
The religious rituals linked to formation of identity in society.In recent development Anthropologist task I are more interpretative .Anthropology now refrains from casting doubt on Scientific status of the reality as it appeared to the actor. The study of supernatural power are replaced by social reality and western scientific thought. We provided free Sociology notes for assignment for IGNOU MSOE003 and further study.
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