Henry Imler May 10th, 2006

The following is the general outline and classification of religous development as presented in the introduction of In the Presence of Mystery:

Modern

• Complex Civilization,
• most aware of the ultimate mysteriousness of the universe and life;
• approaches ultimacy with hope and openness; symbolic and tenative theology;
• a concern for the worldly well-being of others and trust in the future;
• basic value morality.

Historic

• highly complex civilizations in which people search for the ultimate single Power of Being that encompasses all else
• Comprehensive and dogmatic theology
• hope for a perfect other-worldly existance
• universal laws and morality

Archaic

• towns with class structure in a larger world
• great and distant gods demanding worship
• grand myths
• dreams of idealized earthly life
• acceptance (and taboo) morality

Primative

• small groups living in a one-possibility local world
• magic and spirits at hand all around
• folktale myths
• concern to live life happily
• taboo and acceptance morality

I am not sure that I like this classification system. To me, the measure of the development of a religion is the depth of theology, not by characteristics of the religion. There might be a religion that through careful reasoning, comes to the conclusion that there are great and distant gods that that demand our worship, while another religion that is newly formed happens to have the property that it adheres to a certain type of morality. To insist that a religion is more developed on the sole basis of it’s postulates seems foolish to me. More on this idea later.

• Notes , Religion
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