Saturday, January 1, 2011

Summarize the primal religions according to Huston Smith.

Primal religions are thought to predate most well-known historical religions, and some
of those continue around the globe, in places like Africa, Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands,
and North and South America. In these religions, there is a blending of the experiences of life
and the mythical world, and adherents typically reach far back into their ancestries to form
common bonds with nature and time.

Most people who practice these religions
are not literate. Instead, they rely on the beauty of an oral tradition to convey truth. This
tradition involves using rhythms, intonations, and pauses as need to convey meaning. Each member
of the religion learns these stories, becoming a part of the tradition and a walking library of
information.

These religions also have a unique attachment to space and
place. A place is concrete (one specific lake), but a space is abstract (one cubic foot of space
is the same anywhere). Adherents to primal religions consider their surroundings with
great...

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