REL 2000 Chapter : E E Evans Pritchard
Document Summary
Ex: a twin is a bird- an ox is a cucumber. Must be understood within the xultural context to make sense. People have 3 parts: flesh, life, and soul. Spirits are completely different- they are not human. Protection from divine punishment- show remorse, not about pleasing or sustaining god. Nuer religion describes the culture but also showed flaws in previous theories. Cautioned against developing theories that lacked of evidence: theories based on primitive religions but nobody really understood those cultures. Universal theories must be based in a better understanding of cultures: have to be reworked in the face of new evidence, must include non-primitive cultures. Wanted studies of religion as practiced, not as dictated by elite leaders. Assessment of other theorists: too quick to dismiss earlier theories, maybe the other theories weren"t as far off, criticism of if-i-were-a-horse-approach is not actually that people take this approach, but it"s how they develop their ideas.
