Religion can be explained as a relationship between human beings and a power

(supernatural). This relationship includes beliefs, practices, customs, usually involves

devotional and ritual observances. It comprises sacred texts which refer to the moral order
of human conduct and several verses, essays, sayings which help as a guide towards the
right path of life. On the other hand, religion can be confused with many other supernatural
or magical activities. It may include animism, animatism, totemism, fetishism but is
different from all of them. Religion is also not identical to the society or social, nor can we
state that religion adheres to live alone because it opens the fastest view of the other world
and afterlife after death. Let us try to understand the difference between sacred and the
profane, If we try to put some orders into facts we'll be able to understand the relation
between magic and Religion

THE CREATIVE ACTS OF RELIGION

Human life, from the very beginning, is surrounded by the mixture of beliefs and rites. They
play an important role in shaping the life of the individual by various events. There are
certain physical and biological phases of human life such as conception, pregnancy, birth,
puberty, marriage, and death, these phases mark the basis of beliefs and rites. Beliefs about
conception are related to spirit entry, reincarnation etc. During pregnancy, the mother has to
be obeyed of certain taboos, and both father and mother are expected to perform certain
ceremonies. At birth, there are various magical rites to prevent the newborn from dangers
as well as purification rites. Later in life, both girls and boys have to undergo rites of
initiation, which takes place in mystery with obscene ordeals.

In the magical or supernatural activities, the aim and the motive is always clear, and precise
whereas in the religious ceremonies there is no direct aim, it includes the devotion of the
devotee but no direct motive.

PRIMITIVE RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES - (Ceremonies of initiation): Novices youth)have to

undergo a small period of seclusion in which they prepare themselves mentally, then comes
initiation period, where they have to undergo certain ordeals, which includes bodily
mutilation, slight incision or knocking out of a tooth. In some of the Australian tribes, there
are several cruel and dangerous practices of initiation practiced.

The second feature of initiation is the training period of teaching the youth, explaining the
novices about sacred myths and tradition, disclosing tribal mysteries to the youth and giving
exposure of the sacred objects.

The third feature of initiation is to put the novice or the youth into a relationship with a
legendary power or ancestral heroes or great personalities such as Guardians spirits of North
Americans Indians, Tribal All -Fathers of Australian aborigines etc.
In primitive societies, tradition plays an important role and has supreme value for the well
being of the community. Therefore, civilization can be maintained in the community by
strictly adhering to the order and sacred knowledge which is passed from one generation to
next. Any laxity (negligence) towards the order and sacred knowledge leads to the
weakening of society and the community. So, one needs to maintain, primitive man's
knowledge, his values, his customs and beliefs in order to survive in the society and these
qualities which help to make a tradition sacred will automatically increase the chances of
survival value" of a particular person.

FUNCTIONS OF INITIATION CEREMONIES- Initiation ceremonies are filled with rituals and
have a substantial portrayed image of supreme and supernatural power, it has a prominent
value of tradition in primitive culture, they celebrate this power and inculcate value of this
power upon the novices (new generation)

By teaching the novices tribal stories, sacred knowledge and maintaining tribal coherence.

INITIATION AS A RELIGIOUS ACT- An initiation is a religious act, which creates a social

transformation and leads to bodily maturity and gives novices an opportunity to enter a new
phase of life that is manhood which comprises duties, privileges, responsibilities, sacred
knowledge of tradition. These acts of initiation create a kind of spiritual transformation
among the novices.

Another type of religious ceremony is the rite of marriage, which comprise of a bond, or the
union of man and woman for lifelong relation, economic duties, the procreation and rearing
of children. This union relationship is also known as monogamous marriage and has been
witnessed in human societies.

PROVIDENCE IN PRIMITIVE LIFE

PROPAGATION and nutrition are important features of the primitive individual. Earlier Sex,
was regarded as an essential element in Religion, it was allowed in various harvest festivals,
public gatherings, but later it was regarded inappropriate as Religion, is a source of moral
control, it was sidelined and finally the ideal of chastity was introduced and established as
the moral of self-discipline

NUTRITION - Eating, for primitive man is an act which is surrounded by etiquettes and
prohibitions. Food has an important role in ceremonies of a religious character. First-fruit
offerings was a ritual offering which was usually offered during harvest ceremonies, seasonal
feasts. Hunters and fishers also observed offering usually with the beginning of a particular
season or celebrated victory with feasts and ceremonies at which food is ritually handled
Animals were worshipped during ritual offerings and feasts. These acts express the
joy and togetherness of the community, their gratitude towards the value of food. Thus,
religion creates an attitude of respect in men and the whole community towards his daily
bread.

The ultimate goal of life to the primitive man is an abundance of food. It means that by
receiving it shows gratitude towards destiny. Sacrifice and communion, the two main forms
in which food is ritually governed, that the idea of giving the importance of the exchange of
gifts in the phases of life plays a role in sacrifice.
Underlying this custom there is a still deeper religious clement which is. Since food is
available in abundance and in the beneficence of the world, and many of them offer the
food to the spirits and divinities first, which in tur means that by sharing the food sacrificially
with the spirits or divinities, beneficial powers are provided to the individual. According to
the primitive belief, there is a reciprocal relationship between the role of food(Sacrificial
offerings) with the primitive man and divine authorities that the more
they offer and give respect to the divinity or the spirits, the more they receive in abundance.

The sacramental meal is another facet, which includes the act of eating.

The case of sacramental eating is known as "totemic sacrament" of central Australian tribes.
from here
MAN'S SELECTIVE INTEREST IN NATURE
There are a number of animals and vegetable species, which are important and form a
source of food among the tribesmen Primitive men get associated and create a sentiment of
social attachment around each species, a sentiment which naturally finds its roots in
mythology, belief, and ritual. The primitive man has a keen interest in animals he desires to
have them and wants to control them. All these interests are ranked in a certain order of
likeness such as animals on the top of the hierarchy, vegetable acquires the second position,
inanimate or manmade things acquire secondary formation and termed as totemism. The
type of man's interest in the totemic species out of the hierarchy indicates the type of belief
and cult they are interested in and will likely follow. Magic tends to become specialized
within a family or clan which are known as totemic clans. Totemism as a form of religion
helps the primitive man to make sufficient use of his of surroundings. It also creates
dependence on certain species more precisely the animals and plants, which in return
creates a sense of respect and feeling of gratitude towards them. Religion plays an important
role, between the position of primitive man and his selective interest in nature.

DEATH AND THE REINTEGRATION OF GROUPS

In religion, life and death, play an important or a great role. Death leads to the path in the
other world or after life. According to most theories of early religion, there are a lot of
assumptions related to life and death. Primitive people's attitude towards death is extremely
complex which include different activities, emotions, and segments of mourning. The
dominant feelings related to death is that of horror at the corpse and of fear of the ghost.
The two elements such as emotional attachment to the dead body and destruction of
the corpse play an important role in each other.

As death approaches, close relatives, neighbours, friends, or the whole community, gather
near the dead body, the most private act which can be performed by single hand, is
transformed into a public, tribal event.
Certain different activities take place at the same time, some of the relatives watching and
mourning near the corpse, others making preparations for the following activities and others
performing some religious activities where the dead body has to be disposed of.

After some time, the dead body is washed, anointed (apply oil) dressed with cloth, the
bodily openings are filled such as of nose and ears with cotton, the arms and legs are tied.
There is always a loud outburst of grief and sorrow, which include loud mourning. After a
time the corpse has to be disposed of usually by burying the dead with an open and later
closed grave. There are several ways of disposing of the dead body which is different in
different tribes. There exist two dichotomies related to the destruction of the dead body,
on is to preserve the body, and on the other hand to annihilateſ destruct) it completely
which is known as Mummification in the former and burning in the later. The funerary rites
are considered as unclean, unhygienic and polluting, those who were the part of the
destruction or the disposing of a body ceremonies have to take a bath after the ritual had
taken place. There is the idea of the spirit and the belief that the dead one has entered into
a new life or afterlife.

Religion, plays an important role by selecting the positive aspect, it holds a valuable belief
that the spirit is set free after the death and when it was alive the soul was in the constant
flow of duties, but after death, it has entered into the new arena and is independent
without the body. Religion also holds the belief that death is not the ultimate end of life,
there exists a life or afterlife and the journey of the soul continues. Spirits and Ghosts can be
taken in a positive sense as the spirits of an afterlife are seen as ancestral spirits and not as
those which haunts in the dreams and illusions. Religion can be linked to many attributes if
we see from the beginning of this article such as of rites of initiation, marriage rites, sacred
offerings, totemism, death and afterlife dichotomy, Religion and sacredness can be found in
every aspect of the tribal societies, communities and their culture. Religion is the whole
whereas culture, tradition, rituals are the sum of its parts.