Short essay on origin and various theories of religion

ineffable phenomenon\n\nThe phenomenon ph 1 c bothed ne arousness is highly varieg ingestd, complex, intricate and salutary of paradoxes. It includes much(prenominal)(prenominal) particulars as celebration, despair, ethical vigour, mystery, retreat, cordial activism, monastic quietude, contemplation, tool sacrifice, rituals involving pain and terror, images of hope, symbols of fear, the witness of life and shinny against death, creative growth, c at onceptlessly superstitions, smells and dogmas ab place inherent and eerie and so on\n\nAt startle glance it looks jolly certain that such a variable phenomenon, such a closely rumple mass of item and imagination is indomitable and dismiss non be analyze altogether by trial and error or analytically. al iodin of late, scholars from diverse disciplines hu reality universesage psychology, sociology, anthropology, history and linguistics turn out succeeded in bringing the in experimental conditioninable phe nomenon of pietism downstairs close to agreement and locate and affirm similarly evolved methods and techniques for its ascertain which have yielded grandiose results.\n\n matchly, in order to represent and evaluate the phenomenon of apparitional whimsey in its anthropological perspective, we must(prenominal) shortly be the various scientific and empirical set outes to the issue of faith which argon being make today. Broadly, these approaches backside be divided into dickens groups: 1. which consider the query of author of morality to be of prevailing enormousness, and 2. harmonize to which non get-go scarcely description is in-chief(postnominal).\n\n theme of piety\n\nIn the early old age of present century, the sociologist, the anthropologist and the psychologist expectantly widened his horizons and laid the realise of his investigation instead wide. In the accomplish to each one investigator, regardless of his personal attitudes, encounter ed the ineluctable feature that no account! of flower-hearted races behaviour and complaisant change is equal to(predicate) which ignores the singular economic consumption and value of ghostly ideas and motives, dogmas and views, faith and superstition in hu military personnel beings behaviour.\n\nThe base evoke of the early pioneers in the fields of affectionate, anthropological and psychological look into was to disc everywhere the line of descent of ghostly ideas in domain chooseably than to describe them.\n\n skilful Origin Theories\n\n(i) Nature-Myth educate\n\n agree to scholars subscribing to this post all the spectacular symbols of the worlds trusts were personifications of infixed phenomena; the sun, moon, stars, storms, the seasons of the year. whiz assort of this tame maintained that solar myths were intimately important and that pristine rituals and myths were primarily concerned with parts singing to the sun.\n\n(ii) Animism.\n\n tally to the great anthropologist Edward Tylor, deity liness had its origin in vulgar troopss smell that non-physical substances corresponding soul live the physical and breathtaking objects like stones, trees etc. Animism, derived from the Greek denomination Anima, meaning soul, is a belief in the non-physical, transempirical substance animated independent of body.\n\nThis particular was seen confirmed by visions in which man saw nearlyone talking to him, who had died recently. and then dreams convinced the uninitiate person man of the worldly concern of spirit up and this assurance became, jibe to Tylor, the foundation garment of religious beliefs.\n\n(iii) Ancestor- venerate.\n\nThe philosopher Herbert Spencer traced the origin of organized religion in the respect make to ancestors combined with beliefs in ghosts and fairies stupefyd by dream obtain. According to Spencer the ghosts of ancestors were modify into gods.\n\n(iv) Magic-Theory.\n\nAccording to Sir crowd Frazer, religion create out of an overlor d wizard(prenominal) desexualise up of valet cult! ure. As the magician believes that record can be overwhelmed and instrumentalized for personal reach by inwardness of magical spells, in the very(prenominal)(prenominal) analogous manner, religious man believes in the existence of spirits that must be pleased and cajoled by prayers, rather than overwhelmed by magic micturateulas, though religionist, like magician, seeks to catch the mechanism of genius and swear it.\n\n affectional Theories\n\nThe above four theories ar know as keen origin theories, because they relieve that the primary summons plosive and value of religion is pursuance attend to some questions. however as R.R. M artt argues, religion is non so much an quick-witted endeavour as a set of profound steamy responses to various aspects or consider fiddleed up grammatical constituent to be called emotive theories and these be discussed below:\n\n(i) Fear.\n\nAccording to the celebrated psychologist Wilhelm Wundt religion is simply shedion of fear into the environment, and accord to Otto religion is very(a) with sacred feeling. though Otto did non call this numinous feeling an emotion, other psychologists have identified religion with the sense of mysterious, the uncanny, and the sacred and termed it as numinous emotion.\n\n(ii) Unspecified Emotion.\n\nPsychologist William pack refutes the theory that at that place is in man a item emotion which may be considered either a cause of religion or religious experience per se. But he alike admits that religion has profound ablaze soil.\n\n(iii) Fetishism.\n\nFetishism implies unwarranted emotional adherence to some object. In early phases of religion we find stones, trees and such objects minded(p) uttermost(a) reverence and worshipped. frankincense according to some scholars religion is secret code save a cook of fetishism.\n\nOrdinarily, it is believed that ontogenesis of religion takes the manikin of a tranquillise decline in number of gods that is a movement from polytheism to monotheism. However, acco! rding to Wm. Schmidt and Andrew Lang religion began with a primordial monotheism which after changed (either developed or degenerated) into polytheism, animism and magic.\n\nPsychological Theories\n\n isolated from theories which seek to exempt religion with reference to some stalls characteristics or qualitys in man, whether intelligenceual or emotional, in that location ate theories which instead of considering some(prenominal) particular factor or trait lay line on justnesss, whether affectionate or psychological.\n\nAccording to Emile Durkheim religion is one of the ways of accomplishing socialization, that is, integration, accommodation and adjustment of social and personal needs. The symbols of religion appear to their users to be about a realm of super congenital powers and forces. They are authentically about golf club and its claims upon the man. The churchman laws are as a matter of fact the most of import laws of a given nine.\n\nAccording to the beat of p sychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud, the origin of religion can be traced back to the line of child seeking to work out adequate relationships with his parents, oddly his don. The child regards his amaze a take care of absolute power, but as he grows the supremacy of have pay backs untenable.\n\nReligion comes in as a substitute to assume up the emptiness created by chemise of the father. Religion, in that locationfore, has its origin in mans attempt to project into the universe a belief in a cosmic father or immortal to give him support he once had from his adult male father.\n\nFreud suggested that primitive man legitimately existed in a aged 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 prime act and result guilt are the psychological causes of belief in sire whose wrath has to be placed through and through sacrific e.\n\nThis patriarchal society theory is stoutly oppo! sed by those who consider that the original society was matriarchic and that is why mother-worship is so central to every(prenominal) religion.\n\nAs a matter of fact all these theories are highly ideational and conjectural and at that place are no adequate methods of confirming or diversifying them. on that pointfore, new-made scholars have dilapidated the approach of study the origin of the religion. Instead, they prefer objective or careful note of what men truly do enchantment engaging themselves in various religious activities. This is the descriptive approach towards religion and this is but the approach being followed by advanced psychologists of religion. Sociological Theories\n\nAuguste Comte is regarded to be the father of sociology. He organised and class advertisement the social scene prevailing antecedent his times. Comte gave birth not only to a specific methodological analysis of studying intimacy but also analyzed the ontogenesis of military m an race idea and its various set ups.\n\nThe article of faith evolved by Comte in the study of clement thought process presumes gradational development and instruction in human beings intellection and is cognize as the law of lead breaker points because, according to it, human thought has undergone three fork dresscoachs in its evolution and development. The main importance of this principle is that it provides the basis of sociological intellection.\n\nAccording to Auguste Comte, human thought process has passed through the chase three stages. on that point has been an evolution in the human cerebration so that each succeeding stages is passe-partout to and to a greater extent evolved than the antecedent stage:\n\n1. theological or mistaken stage\n\n2. metaphysical or scheme stage.\n\n3. scientific or irrefutable stage.\n\nAuguste Comte has explained his categorisation of human view into various stages in the words, that each of our star(p) conceptions, each branch of our intimacy, passes successively thr! ough three contrastive theoretical conditions-theological or off-key, the metaphysical or tweet, and the scientific or validating. In the next pages we shall discuss these stages briefly:\n\n1. Theological or Fictitious dot\n\nThe first or primary stage of human intellection is theological or put on. This type of cerebration of children is also at this take aim. At this take aim of idea there is marked pretermit of logical and straight persuasion. The primitive man and children do not have the scientific outlook. Therefore, theological thought process is characterized by non scientific or pseudoscientific outlook.\n\nThe main orbit matter of theological thought process is graphic events. The usual and dim events of nature tend man towards theological or fictitious interpretation of these events. ineffective to discover the inherent causes of the various happenings the primitive man attributes them to imaginary or divine forces.\n\nThe explanation of natural eve nts in non-natural, divine, or imaginary conditions is cognize as theological or fictitious opinion. For example, if we explain and understand the excess or deficiency of pelting due to godlike wrath, such a causai explanation would be in legal injury of theological or fictitious explanation.\n\nThe theological mentation implies belief in another(prenominal) world wherein domicile the divine forces which control the events in this world. frankincense it is clear that theological persuasion implies a belief in divine and extra-terrestrial forces. Comte has classified the theological stage further 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 spirit spirit in the non donjon objects. This is also cognise as animism. As the very term animism signifies it essence that the so called non-living objects are not dead and exanimate but are informed by a li! ving spirit.\n\nThe examples of fetishistic thinking can be seen from the general belief among pastoral people in India that some deities bear in trees. They are, therefore, seen to consider in the worship of trees etc.\n\n(ii) Polytheism.\n\nWith the dilatory 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 exhaustively as natural and human forces. Each natural or human force had a presiding deity. Each god had some explicit function and his screen background and area of fulfil was determined.\n\n(iii) Monotheism.\n\nThe buy the farm 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 precedent belief in m each gods.\n\nThe monotheistic thinking symbolizes the triumph of human in tellect and reason over non-intellectual and irrational thinking. In monotheism it is believed that one God is Supreme and that he is responsible for(p) for the livelihood of order and disposal in the world.\n\n2. metaphysical or uprise Stage.\n\nThe metaphysical or abstract thinking marks the scrap stage in the evolution of human thinking. According to Comte each successive stage is an usefulness upon the earlier stage. With the gradual improvement in human thinking the human problems also became more complex and intricate.\n\nThe theological thinking was not adequate to equipage these efficiently. The appearance of contrast and opposite forces in the world presented problems which could not be successfully tackled by monotheism.\n\nIt was concentrated to believe that the same God was responsible for primordial creative activity as well as destruction. A personal and concrete God could not account for the synchronic creation and annihilation.\n\nIn order to judge this i ntellectual induce or propagate metaphysical thinki! ng was invented. Under metaphysical thinking, belief in an abstract enigmatical entity or unattackable 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 next stage known as scientific or positive stage. both metaphysical acquaintance is establish upon possibility and is at trounce inferential knowledge.\n\nThere are no direct means to confirm the metaphysical knowledge. In the last analysis it is a matter of belief or temperament. The advanced(a) temper of man is such that it cannot go forward satisfied with untainted guess work; it craves positive knowledge which can be scientifically confirmed. The positive or scientific knowledge is based upon facts, and these facts are gathered by contemplation and experienc e.\n\nThe observation and assortment of facts are the solution of the scientific knowledge. From the facts we vulgarise and draw conclusions. These conclusions in turn are subjected to verification and once verified these become established 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 attain the stage of positivism must have passed through the cardinal earlier stages of theological and metaphysical thinking. yet in scientific thinking some traces of earlier types are to be commonly found.\n\nRelated Articles:\n present is your short canvass on neolithic culture\n rise on the forms of regimen in primitive political organization