Reflection
paper
The
theories of Animism and Magic and Religion
and Personality
Religion, as parts of
human’s mental life, people from all corners of the globe are always questions
about its origin and the efforts of human civilization, trying to find out the
pattern of religion. In Eight theories of
Religion, Daniel L. Pals explains eight foundational theories, after
reading Animism and Magic by Edward Burnett Tylor and James George Frazer and
Religion and Personality by Sigmund Freud, I have gotten a deeper understanding
of the historical background, methodological orientation and general
perspective of the two theories. In the following reflection paper, I will summarize the above theories and explain the
application of theories in religious phenomena in the world.
A.
Animism and Magic by Edward Burnett Tylor and James
George Frazer
(1) Historical
background
In
the nineteenth century, when Charles Darwin first introduces the book Origin of Species, the theory of
evolution by natural selection has been strongly affected the scholars in that
period. Although there is a great contradiction between the content of the Bible, with the rational thinking this
is being widely influenced in that period, Tylor and Frazer were also affected
by it.
(2) Methodological
orientation
As
mentioned above, the scholars are trying to use a scientific method in
explaining phenomena in our society, Tylor tries to use anthropological
approach and a combination approach with ethnography and ethnology to study
religion. He also agrees with Friedrich Max Muller that the Key to understand
religion is a language.[1]
(3)
General perspectives
This
theory is examples of the reductionism approach of the study of religion. Explaining
the origin of religion is streamed from the death and dreams, they believe that
we are animated by a soul, or spiritual principle. The author also expand this
concept to believe that there will be something call angel or evil, and ever
the God, who controls the world.[2]
(4)
Key concepts of Animism and Magic
4.1 Similarity of cultural
Tylor
believes that if we are using a scientific method to undergo research on
culture, we can gather two regular patterns. They are (1) the principle of
psychic unity, or uniformity, within the human race and (2) the pattern of
intellectual evolution, or improvement, over time.[3] Tylor
also insists that people living in different places have almost the same
thought due to teaching or discovering the same ideas of themselves.
4.2 Primitive thinking
The primitive thinking is dominated my two
different ideologies: religion and magic. Tylor and Frazer define religion as
belief in spiritual beings,[4] as for
magic, Frazer discovered two forms of magic: imitative and contagious.[5] When
comparing magic and religion, they believe that religion seems to be
rationalized than magic.
B.
Magic and Religion and
Personality by Sigmund Freud
(1)
Historical background
Freud
was affected by the idea of Origin of species and intellectual and social
evolution. He believes that the
natural causes and an outsider approach are the new trends of studying the
religious phenomenon, due to objectiveness and persuasiveness than the
explanation of traditional sculpture and insider approach.
(2) Methodological
orientation
Freud
tries to use psychoanalysis to understand patients’ ideas and memories and use
Oedipus complex to explain religion. As the Analysis
of the psyche helps us to understand the innermost motives of human thought and
action, not only the stresses of the individual personality , but also about
the forces that drive and shape civilizations.[6]
(3) General
perspectives
Freud
believes religion is an illusion, and he insists that there is a relationship
between Oedipus complex and religion, because in the ancient time people were
living in a primal horde, with a man, the father of many youngsters,
controlling the entire hordes, some of the youngsters desired to have sexual
relations with a woman, however all the women were owned by the powerful
father, the sons can only fear and respect him. Finally a group of sons kills
their father, but due to their conscience, they felt guilty and set up totem
and taboo to restore and show the love of their father, and this is the start
of religion.
(5)
Key concepts of Religion and Personality
5.1 Religion is an illusion
Freud
mentioned that God like the character of father, giving human courage to face
with death, the terrors and moral restrictions. God as a reminder and symbol of
the dead father, however the concept of religious beliefs is erroneous and
superstitions from Freud’s point of view, because the God do not exist in the
real world, that only the illusion of human being.
5.2 The Human Mind
Freud
considered that human’s mind operates on three levels, including: Conscious, Pre-conscious
and Unconscious. Conscious refers to our normal thinking. Pre-conscious refers
to memories that we are not aware, but can simply recall when we need them.[7] Finally,
Unconscious refers to our basic physical need and a complicated assemblage of
emotions, memories and ideas.[8] In some
situation, there will be some images and emotions depressed from the conscious
level to unconscious level, leading to some no rational form of expressing in
the unconscious level.[9]
5.3 The Human Personality
From
Freud’s point of view, there are three psyches of human being, including (1) Id
show as a basic instincts, (2) Ego acts as a mediator and (3) Superego show as
a moral voice of our heart.[10] Three
of them are interconnected and having influences with others.
5.4 Oedipus Complex, Totem and Taboo
According
to Freud, there are strong relationship between Oedipus complex, totem and
taboo. The Oedipus complex is the main cause of religion, as a group of sons is
looking for sexual relationship with their mother or other women, however the
hordes are dominated by their respected and feared father, eventually sons kill
their father so as to release their desire.[11] In the
primeval murder, they experience the sense of joy, but they soon experience
with guilt and remorse. Therefore, they have designed totem to represent and
restore their father, as a “father substitute” and symbol, using it to remind
their mistake.[12]
They also set up taboo as a law to prevent the incident happen again.
(6)
How to apply two theories to religious phenomena in the
world
6.1 The
science of religion (For both theories)
In my point of view, after thinkers
introduce the concept of natural religion in the eighteenth century, the Age of
Enlightenment,[13]
people tried to adopt a scientific approach in explaining religion, some of
them used the approach of
reductionism, which devises religion into different
parts, and study them in a small parts base. As a scientific theorists Tylor,
Frazer and Freud demonstrate a role model by using an objective and persuasive method to study religion phenomenon, removing
all claims of miraculous events or supernatural revelation,
foresting the academic study of religion.[14]
6.2 The
location of religion in human’s civilization (Animism
and Magic)
From Frazer’s point of view, they are
three stages of human civilization, magic , religion and science, he insists
that religion is an improvement of magic. In the Twenty-one century, our
civilization already become much more mature, we are stepping into a science
and the rationality stage of civilization, everything is explaining via a
reasonable and rational ways, therefore science will replace religion.
Religion, which might include superstition and emotions should be recognized as
the junior form of human civilization.
6.3 Villain
hitting in Hong Kong (Animism and Magic)
In
the Animism and Magic, Frazer explains two different forms of magic: imitative
and contagious. From my point of view, the villain hitting in Hong Kong is an
example of a contagious form of magic. As the villain hitting, try to use magic
curse one's enemies, showing that people until now still believe that through
contact with an object can have influence on a person, and there is a law
behind the magic.
6.4 Ancestor
worship in China (Religion and Personality)
In my opinion, Oedipus complex can
be used to explain the ancestor worship in china, as there are many
similarities. We can imagine that there was a same killing incident happen in
china, after the incident, sons felt guilty and set up totem to show their love
of their father. Since then, people believe their ancestor can keep them in
peace and bring them good luck, therefore they try to expand this worship to
every ancestor, and try to simply the entire system, using name replace totem,
it turns out to be the ancestor worship in china.
Bibliography
Pals, Daniel
L. Eight Theories of Religion. New York: Oxford University Press 2006.
[2] Pals, Eight Theories of Religion, 27.
[3] Pals, Eight Theories of Religion, 22.
[4] Pals, Eight Theories of Religion, 26.
[5] Pals, Eight Theories of Religion, 36.
[6] Pals, Eight Theories of Religion, 53.
[7] Pals, Eight Theories of Religion, 57.
[8] Pals, Eight Theories of Religion, 57.
[9] Pals, Eight Theories of Religion, 58.
[10] Pals, Eight Theories of Religion, 60.
[11] Pals, Eight Theories of Religion, 67.
[12] Pals, Eight Theories of Religion, 67.
[13] Pals, Eight Theories of Religion, 7.
[14] Pals, Eight Theories of Religion, 45.
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