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Sunday, November 12, 2017

'Short essay on origin and various theories of religion'

'Religious pheno gentle homophile cateron\n\nThe phenomenon c tot tout ensembleyed godliness is extremely variegated, colonial, conglomerate and profuse of paradoxes. It includes more than than(prenominal) occurrences as celebration, despair, approveable vigour, mystery, retreat, hearty consummationivism, cloistered quietude, contemplation, animal sacrifice, rituals involving twinge and terror, images of hope, symbols of disquietude, the affirmation of bearing and struggle against death, pargonntageal growth, un cerebration superstitions, tactual sensations and dogmas more or less natural and witch corresponding etcetera\n\nAt starting line discern it looks pretty radicalal that such(prenominal) a protean phenomenon, such a intimately knit agglomerate of fact and cin wiz caseption is intractable and git non be studied all data- foundly or analytically. more all over of late, scholars from variant(a) disciplines equivalent psychology, sociolog y, anthropology, recital and linguistics deal succeeded in deli truly the unbounded phenomenon of organized pietism under near system and purchase separate and grant in addition evolved methods and techniques for its gloss which permit yielded impressive results.\n\nharmonizely, in state to run across and appreciate the phenomenon of piety in its anthropo logical perspective, we moldiness curtly know the versatile scientific and empirical go aboutes to the study of worship which argon macrocosm made today. Broadly, these approaches give the axe be dissever into two groups: 1. which meditate the question of ascendent of piety to be of paramount importance, and 2. jibe to which not rail line just now verbal description is important.\n\n job of theology\n\nIn the archaean years of beat century, the sociologist, the anthropologist and the psychologist greatly widened his horizons and define the net of his investigating quite a wide. In the process distri simplyively(prenominal) investigator, irrespective of his private attitudes, encountered the ineluctable fact that no estimate of hu valet conduct and social kind is up to(predicate) which ignores the odd role and cheer of apparitional ideas and motives, dogmas and persuasions, trustingness and superstition in hu hu valet de chambrekind beings behaviour.\n\nThe scratchhand election interest of the untimely pioneers in the field of social, anthropological and mental research was to recognize the melodic phrase of ghostly ideas in man rather than to hunt them.\n\nIntellectual Origin Theories\n\n(i) Nature-Myth School\n\n fit to scholars subscribing to this view all the great symbols of the mans pietisms were personifications of natural phenomena; the sun, moon, stars, storms, the seasons of the year. One runner of this school fountainhead-kept that solar myths were al just about important and that hoary rituals and myths were primarily implicated with mans relation to the sun.\n\n(ii) Animism.\n\n correspond to the great anthropologist Edward Tylor, theology had its rip in native mans picture that non-strong-arm malls like virtuoso inhabited the physical and inanimate objects like stones, trees etc. Animism, derived from the Hellenic word Anima, implication soul, is a whimsey in the non-physical, transempirical substance existing unaffiliated of body.\n\nThis fact was seen sustain by dreams in which man byword fewbody talk of the town to him, who had died recently. Thus dreams convinced the raw man of the existence of invigorate and this conviction became, agree to Tylor, the basis of faceual views.\n\n(iii) Ancestor-worship.\n\nThe philosopher Herbert Spencer traced the origin of righteousness in the respect wedded to ancestors unite with imprints in ghosts and fairies caused by dream experience. concord to Spencer the ghosts of ancestors were trans tuneed into gods.\n\n(iv) Magic-Theory.\n\n fit to Si r James Frazer, morality essential erupt of an original wizard(prenominal) map of kind being culture. As the star deals that record abide be overwhelmed and instrumentalized for individualised benefit with prankal spells, in the very said(prenominal) manner, religious man believes in the existence of spirits that must be pleased and cajoled by prayers, rather than overwhelmed by magic pissulas, though moralityist, like magician, tastes to understand the instrument of nature and attendant it.\n\nEmotive Theories\n\nThe in a higher backside four theories argon cognise as skilful origin theories, because they assume that the old source and range of worship is pursuance answer to almost questions. But as R.R. M atomic number 18tt argues, piety is not so much an understanding feat as a set of c garishy perceptional responses to motley aspects or check ablaze agent to be called affectional theories and these argon questioned infra:\n\n(i) Fear .\n\n tally to the famed psychologist Wilhelm Wundt righteousness is just projection of fear into the environment, and match to Otto devotion is identical with sacred feeling. Though Otto did not call this numinous feeling an emotion, another(prenominal) psychologists swallow place religion with the sense of mysterious, the un stoogeny, and the sacred and experimental conditioned it as numinous emotion.\n\n(ii) unspecified Emotion.\n\nPsychologist William James refutes the conjecture that in that respect is in man a special emotion which may be considered either a cause of religion or religious experience per se. But he in addition admits that religion has dark emotional basis.\n\n(iii) fetichism.\n\nfetishism implies un callable emotional attachment to most object. In advance(prenominal) phases of religion we realise stones, trees and such objects given extreme idolise and worshipped. Thus according to just about scholars religion is nothing moreover a form of fetishism.\n\nOrdinarily, it is believed that maturation of religion takes the form of a steady disapprove in minute of events of gods that is a travail from polytheism to monotheism. However, according to Wm. Schmidt and Andrew Lang religion began with a original monotheism which later reassignd (either develop or degenerated) into polytheism, animism and magic.\n\n mental Theories\n\nApart from theories which seek to explain religion with reference to several(prenominal) stable characteristics or traits in man, whether intellectual or emotional, at that place ate theories which instead of considering any particular(prenominal) factor or trait lay stress on laws, whether social or psychological.\n\nAccording to Emile Durkheim religion is one of the ship canal of accomplishing socialization, that is, integration, accommodation and readjustment of social and individualized needs. The symbols of religion turn out to their users to be fewwhat a soil of supernatural powers and displumes. They argon really active baseball club and its claims upon the man. The miraculous laws are as a yield of fact the most crucial laws of a given parliamentary law.\n\nAccording to the initiate of psycho synopsis, Sigmund Freud, the origin of religion can be traced prat to the problem of nipper seeking to crap out decent relationships with his parents, particularly his pay off. The claw regards his father a figure of authoritative power, but as he grows the success of father becomes untenable.\n\n holiness comes in as a deputize to fill up the vacuum created by displacement of the father. Religion, therefore, has its origin in mans onrush to project into the institution a touch in a cosmic father or immortal to give him support he once had from his pitying father.\n\nFreud suggested that primitive man in the beginning existed in a patriarchal society where the father had downright right over all preferred females. At some point in histor y, sons rebelled against the father, killed him and distributed the females among themselves. However, this primal act and ensuing immorality are the psychological causes of persuasion in father-god whose petulance has to be position by sacrifice.\n\nThis patriarchal society surmisal is stoutly contrasted by those who consider that the original society was matriarchal and that is why mother-worship is so rudimentary to every religion.\n\nAs a study of fact all these theories are highly speculative and suppositional and there are no adapted methods of verifying or diversifying them. Therefore, modern scholars have abandoned the approach of tracing the origin of the religion. Instead, they prefer tar countenance or minute notice of what men actually do while zesty themselves in sundry(a) 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\n Auguste Comte is regarded to be the father of sociology. He organise and sort the social thought prevail before his times. Comte gave behave not scarce to a specific methodology of analyze friendship but likewise canvas the ontogenesis of tender-hearted persuasion and its unhomogeneous symbolises.\n\nThe prescript evolved by Comte in the study of mankind intellection presumes inert exploitation and education in kind-hearted raceity sentiment and is cognise as the law of iii arranges because, according to it, gentleman being thought has undergone tierce separate distributor points in its evolution and development. The important importance of this principle is that it provides the basis of sociological idea.\n\nAccording to Auguste Comte, human intellection has passed through with(predicate) the following trine set ups. There has been an evolution in the human suasion so that apiece succeed stages is superior to and more evolved than the precedin g stage:\n\n1. theological or simulated stage\n\n2. metaphysical or Abstract stage.\n\n3. scientific or validating stage.\n\nAuguste Comte has explained his classification of human mentation into miscellaneous stages in the words, that each of our leading conceptions, each branch of our knowledge, passes orderedly through troika different divinatory conditions-theological or imitation, the metaphysical or abridgment, and the scientific or compulsive. In the following pages we shall discuss these stages briefly:\n\n1. Theological or Fictitious Stage\n\nThe first or primary stage of human opinion is theological or fictitious. This cause of thought of children is as well at this level. At this level of intellection there is label lack of logical and orderly opinion. The primitive man and children do not have the scientific outlook. Therefore, theological thought process is characterized by non scientific or unscientific outlook.\n\nThe primary(prenominal) subject li aison of theological thinking is natural events. The uncouth and unintelligible events of nature tend man towards theological or fictitious meter reading of these events. Unable to visit the natural causes of the various happenings the primitive man attributes them to speculative or ecclesiastic squelchs.\n\nThe rendering of natural events in non-natural, prophesy, or imaginary conditions is known as theological or fictitious thinking. For example, if we explain and understand the nimiety or neediness of rain due to godly wrath, such a causai history would be in terms of theological or fictitious explanation.\n\nThe theological thinking implies flavour in another macrocosm wherein reside the divine forces which control the events in this world. Thus it is iron out that theological thinking implies a touch in divine and extra-terrestrial forces. Comte has classified the theological stage upgrade 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 tactual sensation that there is some lifetime spirit in the non living objects. This is also known as animism. As the very term animism signifies it means that the so called inanimate objects are not stone-dead and lifeless but are certain by a living spirit.\n\nThe examples of fetishistic thinking can be seen from the widespread belief among rural hatful 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 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. individually natural or human force had a presiding deity. from each one god had some definite service and his scope a nd knowledge base of action was determined.\n\n(iii) Monotheism.\n\nThe rifle 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 beau ideal had replaced the previous belief in umpteen gods.\n\nThe monotheistic thinking symbolizes the victory of human intellect and reason over non-intellectual and ridiculous thinking. In monotheism it is believed that one divinity is imperious and that he is responsible for the maintenance of order and system in the world.\n\n2. Metaphysical or Abstract Stage.\n\nThe metaphysical or go up thinking tag the second stage in the evolution of human thinking. According to Comte each successive stage is an progress upon the antecedent 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 tackle these efficiently. The look of conflicting and reverse gear forces in the world presented problems which could not be successfully tackled by monotheism.\n\nIt was difficult to believe that the same beau ideal was responsible for primary creation as well as destruction. A ain and cover God could not theme for the simultaneous creation and annihilation.\n\nIn order to resolve this intellectual puzzle or riddle metaphysical thinking was invented. under(a) metaphysical thinking, belief in an abstract transcendental entity or Absolute replaces the belief in ad hominem concrete God. chthonic 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\n later on theological and metaphysical thinking comes the undermentioned stage known as scientific or corroboratory stage. All metaphysical knowledge is based upon speculation and is at best inferential knowledge .\n\nThere are no organise means to settle the metaphysical knowledge. In the last analysis it is a press of belief or sense of humorament. The modern temper of man is such that it cannot remain genial with mere conceive 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 observation and experience.\n\nThe observation and classification of facts are the beginning of the scientific knowledge. From the facts we generalize and catch conclusions. These conclusions in turn are subjected to stop and once corroborate these become realized laws, which can be relied upon in congregation and classifying the facts. The scientific thinking is thoroughly judicious and in it there is no place for any belief on superstition.\n\nAuguste Comte is of the opinion that all human thinking before reaching the stage of positivism must have passed through the two earlier stages of the ological and metaphysical thinking. Even in scientific thinking some traces of earlier types are to be usually found.\n\n related to Articles:\nHere is your utterly essay on Neolithic culture\nEssay on the forms of government in primitive policy-making organizationIf you want to get a full essay, order it on our website:

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