Existence

The existence of religious beliefs even among the rudest savages makes it quite probable that religion in the life of each individual tribe and of all mankind precedes all civilization. It is true that the savages of to-day have a long history behind them, why they cannot be absolutely identified with primitive men. Many of them went through a period of higher culture and then under the influence of some circumstances returned to the wild state; the religious beliefs of such savages may, of course, be regarded as traces of a previous higher development preserved by tradition. To such tribes some scholars include, for example, the Kaffirs, the inhabitants of the Andamand Islands (minkopi), some Australian tribes, and so on. But there are many such wild peoples, whose civilization has not yet begun, but they also have customs and beliefs of an undoubtedly religious nature. On this basis, the beginning of religion should be attributed to the primary era when man has not yet entered the path of cultural development. This is obviously what herder means when he says: “Religion is the oldest and holiest tradition on earth.”

After this, it is clear why some of the scientists look at religion as the most primary form of culture, as the boundary separating man from the animal state. According to W. Bousset, all cultural acquisitions of man, before becoming the property of everyday life, were first religious in nature. “The numerous traces of primitive life,” he says, ” as far as we can judge from the results of the excavations made, indicate that the cultural life of people arose in connection with religion. The use of fire, which is undoubtedly the ultimate boundary between human and animal life, probably began with the religious veneration of this wonderful element. Innumerable traces indicate that the kindling of the fire, the care of it, the maintenance of it, were at first religious acts. In the same way, not only the results of paleontology, but also the customs still preserved among savages indicate that the domestication of animals, care for them and the development of cattle breeding were originally in connection with the religious veneration of the corresponding animals. Further, the ornaments with which the savage hangs his body, the lines and designs which he cuts or puts on it, are all chiefly of religious significance – the meaning of the magic remedy and talisman.” Thus, religion not only precedes culture, but also constitutes its initial stage.