Examples Of Animism

Animism is one of the oldest beliefs created by man from the Paleolithic age (Hefner). Animism is the belief that every object, living or not, has a soul (Hefner). There are differences amongst scientists on the original concept of animism (Hefner). Sir Edward Burnett Tylor, an anthropologist, believed that “spirits or souls caused life to humans” (Hefner). He believes that native people used animism to understand the causes of sleep, dreams, and death (Hefner). Another anthropologist, Robert Ranulph Marett, believed early men treated all animate objects as having a life and a will of their own. However, mankind never distinguished the soul as separate from the body and whether or not it could enter or leave the body (Hefner). Other objects, such as “plants and trees have been worshiped because of their usefulness, beauty, and also a fear factor” (Hefner). An example is the same plant of India, which was worshiped because of the intoxication made from these plants for their …show more content…
It is the belief that all things in nature have an inner spirit (“Animism”). Animists believe that the spiritual and physical world overlap with one another and are linked (“Animism”). Animism is not an organized religion, but rather is a worldview that underlies a group's beliefs about the universe and people (“Animism”). However, some animist practices can be found in expressions in religions such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, Neopaganism, and Shinto (“Animism”). Animism also has some “overlapping expressions in Shamanism when a shaman attempts to contact a soul from the soil, rain, or sun” (“Animism”). The description of animism today was created by Sit Edward Tyler (“Animism”). He defined animism as “the idea of pervading life and will in nature” (“Animism”). His work has allowed for the advancement in the study of this belief system