Religions of Primitive PeoplesBrinton, Daniel G. (Daniel Garrison)
Religion
Religions of Primitive Peoples
Brinton, Daniel G. (Daniel Garrison)
Mythology; Religion; Religions -- History
Pagan Religions not wholly Bad—Their Lines of Development as
Connected with: 1. The Primitive Social Bond—The Totem, the
Priesthood, and the Law; 2. The Family and the Position of Woman;
3. The Growth of Jurisprudence—The Ordeal, Trial by Battle,
Oaths, and the Right of Sanctuary—Religion is Anarchic; 4. The
Development of Ethics—Dualism of Primitive Ethics—Opposition of
Religion to Ethics; 5. The Advance in Positive Knowledge—Religion
_versus_ Science; 6. The Fostering of the Arts—The Aim for
Beauty and Perfection—Colour-Symbolism, Sculpture, Metre,
Music, Oratory, Graphic Methods—Useful Arts, Architecture;
7. The Independent Life of the Individual—His Freedom and
Happiness—Inner Stadia of Progress: 1. From the Object to the
Symbol; 2. From the Ceremonial Law to the Personal Ideal; 3. From
the Tribal to the National Conception of Religion—Conclusion 214
RELIGIONS OF PRIMITIVE PEOPLES
LECTURE I.
The Scientific Study of Primitive Religions—Methods and Definitions.
CONTENTS:—Ethnology Defined—The Scientific Study of
Religions—It is not Theology—Its Methods: 1. The Historic
Method; 2. The Comparative Method; 3. The Psychologic
Method—Strange Coincidences in Human Thought—Conspicuous in
Primitive Religions—“Primitive” Peoples Defined—The Savage
Mind—Examples—Means of Study: 1. Archæology; 2. Language;
3. Folk-Lore; 4. Descriptions of Travellers—Examples: The
Early Aryans, Etruscans, Semites, Egyptians, American
Tribes, Australians, Polynesians, etc.—“Religions”
Defined—Compared with “Superstitions”—No One Belief Essential
to Religion—Atheistic Religions—Fundamental Identity of
Religions—No Tribe Known Devoid of a Religion—How the Opposite
Opinion Arose—Earliest Men probably had No Religion—No Signs
of Religion in Lower Animals—Power of Religion in Primitive
Society—True Source of Religion.
The youngest in the sisterhood of the sciences is that which deals with
Man. In its widest scope it is called Anthropology, and as such includes
both the physical and mental life of the species, from the beginning
until now. That branch of it which especially concerns itself with the
development of man as indicated by his advance in civilisation, is known
as Ethnology.
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