(A) ORIGINS OF RELIGION

(A.1) Primordial Notions Of Religion
(A.1.a) Viewpoint
It is not possible to define religion, to say what it "is," at
the start of a presentation such as this. Definition can be
attempted, if at all, only at the conclusion of the study. The
"essence" of religion is not even our concern, as we make it
our task to study the conditions and effects of a particular
type of social action. The external courses of religious
behavior are so diverse that an understanding of this behavior
can only be achieved from the viewpoint of the subjective
experiences, notion, and purposes of the individuals
concerned--in short, from the viewpoint of the religious
behavior's "meaning."

(A.1.b) This-worldly Orientation
The most elementary forms of religiously or magically
motivated action are oriented to this world. "That it may go
well with you . . . And that you may prolong your days upon
the earth" [1] shows the motivation of religiously or
magically commanded actions. Even human sacrifices, although
uncommon among urban peoples, were performed in the Phoenician
maritime cities without any other-worldly expectations
whatsoever. Furthermore, religiously or magically motivated
action is relatively rational action, especially in its
earliest forms. It follows rules of experience, though it is
not necessarily action in accordance with means-end
rationality. Rubbing will elicit sparks from pieces of wood,
and in like fashion the mimetic actions of a "magician" will
evoke rain from the heavens. The sparks resulting from
twirling the wooden sticks are as much a "magical" effect as
the rain evoked by the manipulations of the rainmaker.

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