History of Religion / A Sketch of Primitive Religious Beliefs and Practices, and of the Origin and Character of the Great Systems

The author surveys the origins, beliefs, and practices of early religions, tracing how animism, fetishism, ancestor- and nature-worship, and rites such as sacrifice and magic evolved into organized systems. He outlines psychological and social roots of religious ideas, the rise of national cults, and genealogical links among faiths. Subsequent chapters analyze major traditions — Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Chinese, and Semitic — addressing mythology, ritual, doctrines of the afterlife, prophetic critique, and the emergence of ethical monotheism, and offering a comparative framework that highlights development, continuity, and the social functions of religion.