The Birth of the Gods: The Origin of Primitive Beliefs

by Guy E. Swanson

Book Overview

Analyzes the social structure of 50 primitive peoples to show how it determined the form of their religious worship

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0472060937
• ISBN13: 9780472060931
• Release Date: January 1964
• Publisher: University of Michigan Press
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.62 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.3" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

Stepping Stone to Intensive Research

Swanson does a thorough job of introducing the relationship between religion and society. He explains elements that are covered in most religions and identifies what common social features are found in societies with similar religions (i.e. monotheism, polytheism, reincarnation, etc.). Swanson gathered his material through an intensive survey of studying approximately fifty ancient societies including the Arapesh, Blackfoot Indians, Ancient Israelites, and the Zuni and reviewing 39 different social topics, such as food and the amount produced, the presence of social classes, and the presence of primogeniture. He then came up with a rating system so that he could take out one religious feature (i.e. Monotheism) and see which societies had such a religion and what their common social features were. The surveyed information is impressive, but is not always overwhelmingly precise. Swanson takes a lot of freedom in recording his data; in other words, the religious and social elements are not always positively and significantly related. This book is very useful for anyone interested in the sociology of religion. It is a great resource for intensive study of societies and beliefs in higher beings and the elements of the sacred. By reading Swanson's book one can see, for instance, that there is a greater chance of societies with a prevalence of witchcraft to have unlegitimated or uncontrolled relationships with other societies; in other words, no means of social control such as a deputy or justice of the peace. These societies tend to have to take justice into their own hands, possibly through witchcraft and vexes. Interesting assesment. If anyone is interested in researching social patterns relating to religions, I highly recommend reading Swanson's "The Birth of The Gods."