Essay Questions

What are Frazer's views about the evolution of human thought?

According to Frazer, human mind is in a process of constant evolution. Both science and religion have common roots because they have been originated from human mind through the process of evolution with time. Frazer says that human beings used to consider them as magicians who can change the world but later on they realized they are not the ultimate power. With this realization, the religions came into being and humans started worshiping deities and offered sacrifices to God. Then science took the place of religion because it has provided a lot of explanations to humans regarding the things which they couldn't understand before.

What is Frazer's theory of religion?

Frazer believes that religion consists of belief and a relationship with the deity. He describes it as " Religion consists of two elements, a theoretical and a practical, namely, a. Relief in powers higher than man and an attempt to propitiate or please them." Religion demands people to offer sacrifices in various forms which are the manifestation of their relationship with the higher power. If a person only believes in God or higher authority without any practical relationship then his belief will not be considered as religion. If a person performs rituals but doesn't believe in God, then his lack of belief will not allow him to enter religion. Religion includes both belief and practice.

What is the context of the book?

The book has been written in the context of discovering the origin of Italian mythology "King Of The Wood." The king was supposed to be a successor of Priests and he was also regarded as a Priest. His life revolved around the protection of Nemi I.e. a tree groove which was surrounding the lake dedicated for the goddess Diana. Frazer has traced the roots of myths regarding the golden bough and various other stores by observing the evolutionary system of human thought. Frazer has studied different cultures and belief systems in order to grasp the reality behind the myths like "King Of The Wood."