Religion as a Factor in Human Evolution 699 



ultimate power or energy of the universe, that human hfe 

 in its widest ramifications flowed from and had to pulsate in 

 sympathy with. 



We therefore consider that religious evolution, from the 

 most crude and primitive to the most elevated, has invariably 

 had as its fundamental feature the desire on the part of man 

 to proenviron and then reach out to a reverent regard for the 

 law^s and forces that govern and explain family, tribal, and 

 human life. Then man rises to a like reverent regard for the 

 laws and forces that govern all plant and animal life, next 

 to reverent regard for the mundane forces of nature, next to 

 the supramundane bodies in general, thereafter to the sun 

 in particular, as the transcendent governing member amongst 

 these, and finally to the proenvironal conception of a great 

 beneficient Power that energizes the universe, and of which 

 he himself — the creature of a day — is a "breath of life." 



An endeavor may next be made in succeeding chapters 

 to pursue the second aim indicated, that is, to trace the suc- 

 cessive stages of religious advance that mankind has passed 

 through, from the crudest religious attitude and belief to the 

 most advanced religious sentiment and relation. 



But the undertaking will only conduce to a true scientific 

 issue if an outline be first given of the types of individual con- 

 cerned in the building up and establishment of the numerous 

 religious systems. For the human motives, while often sincere, 

 have been at times misguided, at times uninformed. But 

 not unfrequently the motives have been purely mercenary, 

 or mixed with cunning ulterior designs, or even professedly 

 false and untruthful in the estimate of the promulgator. 



So we would classify the promoters of religions approxi- 

 mately as follows: (a) jiure and earnest religious as])irants 

 or proenvironers; (b) religio-scientific aspirants; (c) religio- 

 social preachers and teachers; (d) religio-medical i)romul- 

 gators, including medicine men, miracle healers, etc.; (e) re- 

 ligio-deceptive wonder workers, including witches, sorcerers, 

 wizards, etc., who live under the guise of and at the exi)ense 

 of religious life; (f) religio-dishonest; (g) religio-mercenary. 



