A Story Outline of Evolution 



Likewise, there Is a similarity In many of the legends and 

 traditions found among nearly all of the primitive peoples. 

 It Is said that the legend of William Tell and also of the 

 Great Flood or Deluge are found as traditions among many 

 of the primitive tribes v^Ith only slight variations In the 

 accounts. Many theories have been advanced as to the 

 origin of the earliest religions. It Is asserted by many whose 

 opinions should be respected that the early religions began 

 with the worshipping of the objects or forces of Nature 

 such as the lightnings, thunder, rainbow, waterfalls, the wind 

 sighing In the tree-tops, etc., whose mysteries overawed and 

 filled the primitive minds with fear and that later their wor- 

 ship was extended to Include hundreds of the objects of 

 Nature. 



Interesting as a study of the primitive religions may be, 

 there Is no space or need for an extended discussions of these 

 In a work of this kind. The pertinent part Is the fact of the 

 process of evolutionary development In religion the same as 

 Is found In physical and mental growth. It Is sufficient to 

 say that the primitive religions passed through Naturalism, 

 Animism, Fetishism, Shanmanism and others. These primi- 

 tive religions both developed and degenerated. Each tribe 

 or clan had a separate belief and religious custom, a sep- 

 arate god or many gods, a separate animal or many animals 

 as objects of their worship. But about four thousand years 

 ago, many of these religions began to crystallize into the 

 universal religions of "Sun-worshipping" and "Snake-wor- 

 shipping." From the tribe to the nation and from the nation 

 to the world, Is the evolutionary growth of the religions. 



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