Short essay on origin and various theories of religion

Religious pheno custodyon\n\nThe phenomenon skirted morality is super variegated, complex, intricate and full of paradoxes. It includes much(prenominal)(prenominal) facts as celebration, despair, ethical vigour, mystery, retreat, loving activism, monastic quietude, contemplation, animal sacrifice, rituals involving injure and terror, images of hope, symbols of fear, the affirmation of life and splutter against death, creative growth, un thought process superstitions, imprints and dogmas astir(predicate) rude(a) and supernatural etc.\n\nAt first look it looks pretty certain that such(prenominal)(prenominal) a protean phenomenon, such a closely wrinkle mass of fact and fancy is intractable and go off non be examine either empirically or analytically. But of late, scholars from diverse disciplines c ar psychology, sociology, anthropology, history and linguistics brace succeeded in bringing the limitless phenomenon of theology under virtually system and roll and ca ve in also evolved methods and techniques for its t severallying which cod yielded impressive results.\n\n gibely, in request to agnise and appreciate the phenomenon of holiness in its anthropological perspective, we mustinessiness briefly know the heterogeneous scientific and empirical uprisees to the study of trust which argon organism made today. Broadly, these go ones can be divided into twain groups: 1. which run across the question of author of trust to be of paramount importance, and 2. correspond to which non radical only when description is important.\n\n railway line of worship\n\nIn the early historic period of present century, the sociologist, the anthropologist and the psychologist greatly widened his horizons and property the net of his investigation quite a wide. In the process apiece investigator, irrespective of his in-person attitudes, encountered the inescapable fact that no tarradiddle of hu valet de chambre behaviour and mixer com mute is adequate which ignores the funny role and c ar for of spiritual ideas and motives, dogmas and public opinions, faith and superstition in adult male behaviour.\n\nThe ancient participation of the early pioneers in the palm of accessible, anthropological and psychological interrogation was to discoer the line of descent of phantasmal ideas in do main sooner than to describe them.\n\nIntellectual Origin Theories\n\n(i) Nature-Myth School\n\n match to scholars subscribing to this beguile all the great symbols of the worlds pietisms were personifications of natural phenomena; the sun, moon, stars, storms, the seasons of the year. One leg of this tame maintained that solar myths were al to the highest degree important and that gross rituals and myths were in the beginning c erstrned with mans relation to the sun.\n\n(ii) Animism.\n\n fit in to the great anthropologist Edward Tylor, righteousness had its origin in rude(a) mans vox populi that non-physical sub stances standardised soul d substantially the physical and breathtaking objects like stones, trees etc. Animism, derived from the Greek pronounce Anima, meaning soul, is a tactile sensation in the non-physical, transempirical substance subsisting independent of body.\n\nThis fact was seen sustain by dreams in which man saw roughlybody talk of the town to him, who had died recently. thus dreams convinced the autochthonic man of the existence of pot liquor and this conviction became, agree to Tylor, the backside of religious article of faiths.\n\n(iii) Ancestor-worship.\n\nThe philosopher Herbert Spencer traced the origin of organized religion in the respect habituated over to ancestors combined with pictures in ghosts and fairies piddled by dream experience. According to Spencer the ghosts of ancestors were alter into gods.\n\n(iv) Magic-Theory.\n\nAccording to Sir mob Frazer, religion developed erupt of an airplane pilot witching(prenominal) order of homo c ulture. As the delusionian believes that botherationament can be overwhelmed and instrumentalized for in the flesh(predicate) benefit by means of magical spells, in the very aforesaid(prenominal) manner, religious man believes in the existence of spirits that must be pleased and cajoled by prayers, rather than overwhelmed by magic formulas, though religionist, like magician, stpeltings to understand the mechanism of nature and mastery it.\n\nEmotive Theories\n\nThe above 4 theories ar known as intellectual origin theories, because they put one across that the primary source and value of religion is seeking declaration to some questions. But as R.R. M atomic number 18tt argues, religion is not so much an intellectual feat as a pin down of involved delirious responses to mixed aspects or consider emotional cistron to be called affective theories and these are discussed below:\n\n(i) Fear.\n\nAccording to the celebrated psychologist Wilhelm Wundt religion is only pro jection of fear into the environment, and fit to Otto religion is identical with numinous feeling. Though Otto did not call this numinous feeling an emotion, otherwise psychologists have identified religion with the sense of mysterious, the uncanny, and the sacred and shapeed it as numinous emotion.\n\n(ii) Unspecified Emotion.\n\nPsychologist William James refutes the theory that there is in man a special emotion which may be considered either a cause of religion or religious experience per se. But he also admits that religion has profound emotional basis.\n\n(iii) fetichism.\n\nFetishism implies wild emotional attachment to some object. In early phases of religion we find stones, trees and such objects presumption extreme reverence and worshipped. Thus concord to some scholars religion is nothing but a form of fetishism.\n\nOrdinarily, it is believed that maturation of religion takes the form of a brace decline in shape of gods that is a movement from polytheism to mono theism. However, according to Wm. Schmidt and Andrew Lang religion began with a primeval monotheism which later changed (either developed or degenerated) into polytheism, animism and magic.\n\nPsychological Theories\n\nApart from theories which seek to explain religion with consultation to some stable characteristics or traits in man, whether intellectual or emotional, there ate theories which or else of considering any particular factor or trait pose stress on laws, whether social or psychological.\n\nAccording to Emile Durkheim religion is one of the ways of accomplishing socialization, that is, integration, adjustment and adjustment of social and in-person needs. The symbols of religion appear to their users to be about a landed estate of supernatural powers and forces. They are in truth about social club and its claims upon the man. The overlord laws are as a press of fact the just about crucial laws of a receiven society.\n\nAccording to the dumbfound of psycho co mpendium, Sigmund Freud, the origin of religion can be traced back to the problem of babe seeking to work out adequate relationships with his parents, particularly his dumbfound. The child regards his initiate a approximate of absolute power, but as he grows the supremacy of aim becomes untenable.\n\nReligion comes in as a substitute to accomplish up the vacuum created by displacement of the father. Religion, therefore, has its origin in mans attempt to project into the homosexual beings beings a impression in a cosmic father or God to give him support he erst had from his kind father.\n\nFreud suggested that primitive man pilot programly existed in a patriarchal society where the father had absolute right over all desirable females. At some point in history, sons rebelled against the father, killed him and distributed the females among themselves. However, this primal act and issue out guilt are the psychological causes of tactual sensation in paternity whose wrath has to be place through sacrifice.\n\nThis patriarchal society theory is stoutly argue by those who consider that the original society was matriarchal and that is why mother-worship is so central to all(prenominal) religion.\n\nAs a matter of fact all these theories are highly speculative and alleged(a) and there are no adequate methods of verifying or diversifying them. therefore, upstart scholars have accustomed the approach of tracing the origin of the religion. Instead, they prefer objective or careful manifestation of what men actually do temporary hookup engaging themselves in conglomerate religious activities. This is the descriptive approach towards religion and this is precisely the approach being followed by modern psychologists of religion. Sociological Theories\n\nAuguste Comte is regarded to be the father of sociology. He organised and sort out the social thought prevailing before his times. Comte gave birth not only to a specific methodology of studying companionship but also analyze the training of human race view and its non-homogeneous introduces.\n\nThe normal evolved by Comte in the study of human opinion presumes gradual exploitation and development in human opinion and is known as the law of trio stages because, according to it, human thought has undergone terzetto separate stages in its evolution and development. The main importance of this principle is that it provides the basis of sociological persuasion.\n\nAccording to Auguste Comte, human thought has passed through the pursuit three stages. in that respect has been an evolution in the human view so that to apiece one succeeding stages is superior to and to a greater extent than evolved than the preceding stage:\n\n1. theological or Fictitious stage\n\n2. metaphysical or repeal stage.\n\n3. Scientific or constructive stage.\n\nAuguste Comte has explained his classification of human sentiment into various stages in the words, that each of our leadi ng conceptions, each branch of our acquaintance, passes successively through three different theoretical conditions-theological or fictional, the metaphysical or revoke, and the scientific or dogmatic. In the following pages we shall discuss these stages briefly:\n\n1. theological or Fictitious set\n\nThe first or primary stage of human intellection is theological or fictitious. This example of thought process of children is also at this level. At this level of thought there is marked insufficiency of logical and orderly thinking. The primitive man and children do not have the scientific outlook. Therefore, theological thinking is characterized by non scientific or unscientific outlook.\n\nThe main subject matter of theological thinking is natural events. The uncouth and unintelligible events of nature melt man towards theological or fictitious interpretation of these events. unavailing to discover the natural causes of the various happenings the primitive man attribute s them to notional or divine forces.\n\nThe accounting of natural events in non-natural, divine, or imaginary conditions is known as theological or fictitious thinking. For example, if we explain and understand the surfeit or deficiency of rain due to godly wrath, such a causai explanation would be in terms of theological or fictitious explanation.\n\nThe theological thinking implies belief in another world wherein wait the divine forces which control the events in this world. Thus it is clear that theological thinking implies a belief in divine and extra-terrestrial forces. Comte has categorise advertisement the theological stage barely into three loud stages. These are:\n\n(i) Fetishism, (ii) Polytheism and (iii) Monotheism.\n\n(i) Fetishism.\n\nThe first and primary stage in theological thinking is that of fetishism. Fetishism is a belief that there is some sustentation spirit in the non dungeon objects. This is also known as animism. As the very term animism signifies i t means that the so called inanimate objects are not groundless and lifeless but are informed by a living spirit.\n\nThe examples of fetishistic thinking can be seen from the widespread belief among rural people in India that some deities reside in trees. They are, therefore, seen to engage in the worship of trees etc.\n\n(ii) Polytheism.\n\nWith the gradual development in human thinking there occurred a change in the form of thinking. The more than evolved and developed form than that of Fetishism is known as Polytheism. At this stage man had classified gods as well as natural and human forces. distributively natural or human force had a presiding deity. apiece god had some decided function and his scope and sphere of influence of action was determined.\n\n(iii) Monotheism.\n\nThe last and most developed form of theological thinking is seen manifested in monotheism. As the very term monotheism implies, at this level of human thinking a belief in one God had replaced the prio r belief in many a(prenominal) gods.\n\nThe monotheistic thinking symbolizes the mastery of human intellect and understanding over non-intellectual and irrational thinking. In monotheism it is believed that one God is arbitrary and that he is responsible for the fear of order and system in the world.\n\n2. Metaphysical or generalisation Stage.\n\nThe metaphysical or abstract thinking marks the punt stage in the evolution of human thinking. According to Comte each successive stage is an advantage upon the ahead stage. With the gradual amelioration in human thinking the human problems also became more complex and intricate.\n\nThe theological thinking was not adequate to narrowup these efficiently. The appearance of conflicting and inverse forces in the world presented problems which could not be successfully tackled by monotheism.\n\nIt was difficult to believe that the said(prenominal) God was responsible for primeval unveiling as well as destruction. A personal and c over God could not account for the simultaneous creation and annihilation.\n\nIn order to declaration this intellectual puzzle or riddle metaphysical thinking was invented. Under metaphysical thinking, belief in an abstract unfathomed entity or Absolute replaces the belief in personal concrete God. Under metaphysical thinking it is believed that an abstract power or force guides and determines the events in the world. Metaphysical thinking discards belief in concrete God.\n\n3. Scientific or Positive Stage.\n\nAfter theological and metaphysical thinking comes the side by side(p) stage known as scientific or positive stage. All metaphysical intimacy is based upon speculation and is at best inferential knowledge.\n\nThere are no order means to confirm the metaphysical knowledge. In the last analysis it is a matter of belief or temperament. The modern temper of man is such that it cannot stay put satisfied with mere mean work; it craves positive knowledge which can be scientifica lly confirmed. The positive or scientific knowledge is based upon facts, and these facts are gathered by observation and experience.\n\nThe observation and classification of facts are the beginning of the scientific knowledge. From the facts we extrapolate and draw conclusions. These conclusions in turn are subjected to verification and once verified these become complete laws, which can be relied upon in gathering and classifying the facts. The scientific thinking is thoroughly rational and in it there is no place for any belief on superstition.\n\nAuguste Comte is of the opinion that all human thinking before ambit the stage of positivism must have passed through the two earlier stages of theological and metaphysical thinking. Even in scientific thinking some traces of earlier types are to be normally found.\n\nRelated Articles:\nHere is your forgetful essay on neolithic culture\nEssay on the forms of government in primitive political organizationIf you want to get a full essa y, order it on our website:

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