Project Gutenberg
2004-05-01
Public domain in the USA.
272
Lang, Andrew
1844
1912
Lang, Walter Andrew
The Making of Religion
Produced by Robert Connal, William A. Pifer-Foote and PG Distributed Proofreaders. This file was produced from images generously made available by gallica (Bibliothèque nationale de France) at http://gallica.bnf.fr
"The Making of Religion" by Andrew Lang is a scholarly exploration on the origins of religious belief, produced during the late 19th century. The text critically examines the anthropological theories regarding the emergence of spirit belief and the evolution of the concept of a Supreme Being, aiming to reevaluate previously held notions in light of newer psychological and anthropological findings. Lang's work engages with a variety of scholarly perspectives, suggesting that understanding the early history of religion necessitates a comprehensive approach, drawing insights from both anthropology and psychology. The opening of the work presents Lang's intent and rationale behind his exploration into the history of religion. He introduces the commonly accepted view that spirit beliefs arose from human experiences of dreams, shadows, and death—asserting a process of evolution from ancestral spirits to a singular God. However, Lang challenges these ideas, proposing that we must investigate other aspects of human experience, especially those linked to visions and hallucinations, as possible influences on religious belief. He suggests that examining savage beliefs and comparing them to modern psychological phenomena could yield deep insights into the nature of spirituality and the development of religious concepts throughout history. Additionally, Lang discusses the division within academic studies related to anthropology and psychology, highlighting the need for interdisciplinary approaches to better understand these fundamental questions in the history of religion. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
Reading ease score: 59.8 (10th to 12th grade). Somewhat difficult to read.
en
Religion
Spiritualism
Religion -- History
BL
Text
Category: History - Religious
Category: Archaeology & Anthropology
Category: Psychiatry/Psychology
Category: Religion/Spirituality
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