Comparative Religion

A comparative survey of world religions outlines the variety of religious expression from animistic and totemic practices through polytheism to organized doctrinal systems. It examines beliefs in spirits and gods, ritual acts, sacred objects and temple institutions, and the ways religious ideas shape moral conduct and views of life and destiny. The author scrutinizes theories about the origins of primitive religion, questions the universality of totemism, and traces continuities and transformations across cultures, paying attention to Asian and American traditions. The material is arranged thematically into chapters on the panorama of religions, lower cultures, sacred acts and products, morality, and eschatological problems.