Eight Theories Of Religion

While E.E. Evans-Pritchard and Clifford Geertz are independent scholars with distinct theories of religion, some of Evans-Pritchard’s and Geertz’s findings intersect.

Born in England, E.E. Evans-Pritchard was a notable British Anthropologist, according to Daniel Pals, author of Eight Theories of Religion (Pals, 2006 p. ##). According to Pals, Evans-Pritchard is known for his studies of African cultures and explanations regarding magic and witchcraft (Pals, 2006 p. ##). In his popular works, such as Witchcraft, Oracles, and Magic Among the Azande and The Nuer, Evans-Pritchard took an ethnographic approach to study religion, while Clifford Geertz utilized a “thick description”, according to Pals (Pals, 2006 p. ##). Somewhat similar to Geertz, Evans-Pritchard rejected both fundamentalist and rejectionist theories of religion. Taking more of a sympathetic approach to the concept of religion, Evans-Pritchard based his theories of religion on his observations of African tribes, according to Daniel Pals (Pals, 2006 p. ##). For example, in one of his works, Evans-Pritchard argues that Azande beliefs in witchcraft are logical, supplementing for scientific explanations in many cases. Ultimately, Evans-Pritchard believed the only way to understand religion was to be a

##). One of Geertz’s most notable works – The Interpretation of Cultures – aided in the development of his theory regarding religion, according to Pals (Pals, 2006 p. ##). In fact, Geertz sought after religion as somewhat of a cultural system. For example, PROVIDE EXAMPLE. Ultimately, Geertz theorized religion as a system of perceptible principles, according to Pals (Pals, 2006 p. ##). Also, Geertz believed that religion did in fact provide meaning, and analyzed the question as to why religion seems true to people. (According to Pals, Geertz PROVIDE