aspect the religion is an expression of that life—the two thus forming a harmonious whole.
The word religion is still in most minds connected with supernatural beliefs, and consequently its use has been thought unjustifiable where this element is absent. But, as we shall proceed to show, this element is rather accessory to it than essential.
At first religion had for its object the 293 continuance and glory of the kinship-society, whether as clan, tribe, or people, ancestor-worship forming the leading feature in its early phases. That religion should then have been connected with what we now call superstition was inevitable, since no distinction was drawn between human and other forms of existence in animal life or in inanimate objects, all being alike considered conscious and intelligent.
Consequently, with the development of material civilisation from the domination of things by persons to that of persons by things, and the falling asunder of society into two classes, a possessing and dominating class, and a non-possessing and dominated one, there arose a condition of life which gave leisure for observation and reflection to the former, that is, the privileged class. Out of this reflection arose, the distinction of man as a conscious being apart from the rest of nature. From this again was developed a dual conception of things: on the one hand was man, familiar and known; on the other nature, 294 mysterious and relatively unknown. In nature itself there grew up a further distinction between its visible objects, now regarded as unconscious things, and a supposed motive power or “providence” acting on them from behind. This was conceived of as man-like in character, but above mankind in knowledge and power, and no longer indwelling in natural objects, but without them, moving and controlling them.
Another set of dual conceptions arose along with this: firstly, the distinction between the individual and society, and secondly, within the