THE SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ANCIENT RELIGION AND MAGIC.
Magic is an attempt to draw away the course of nature by methods of some strange wisdom it was associated with matters such as curses, incarnation or divine procedures. Magic was mainly cross-cultural and was used to solve problems beyond human control. On the other hand religion is the influence of events which are controlled by super- natural beings. Ancient religion is the religion used in the past; it was associated with the Greeks and Egyptians. Ancient religion had some aspects of magic but also differed from others such as dependency on a supreme being which is not the case in magic.
According to Kasis (2013), religion supported ethics in two main ways, myths and taboos. The ancient religions were inspired by their rules and duties of ancient beliefs. Myths are based in metaphysics; therefore, magic cannot be separated from following the creed for any law as they bear some of the remains of the ancient people. Similarities between religion and magic were not limited to separating different objects only but by the idea of separating sacred from the non-religious. In religion, there are prohibitions as there are taboos in magic. That is why some tribes warn their members against, and punish them for consuming what is prohibited whether a plant or an animal. From here it can be argued that magic and religion comes from the same ground (Kasis 2013).
Ancient religion had the view of venerating the sacred as stated by Kasis (2013). This caused a feeling of guilt in case of violation as a result of human intangible punishment from sacred spirits. Magic on the other hand is based in tangible prohibitions. This means that the punishment is used to serve prevention, not for disobedience as it is in the case of religious punishment. In religion corporal punishment was mainly physical so as to impose the sacred respect on the individual with the aim of building more psychic obstacle for them against any violation of the sacred .As for magic it was free from the view of respecting prohibitions it was based on the idea of understanding the risk incurred from touching. It is because magic is free from the rule of sin which is popular in religion (Kasis 2013).
Both magic and ancient religions are based on two sides, the positive and the negative. In the ancient religion, the deities had two characteristics where they could either portray negative or positive characteristics. Kasis (2013) stated that negativity came in where the gods punished humans and the positive side where the gods could reward humans. Magic also relies on the two sides where the positive side is the sorcery and the negative is taboo. Sorcery influence performance in order to attain a reward but taboos main purpose was to bring punishments and to harm. These two are also categorized as black and white magic (Kasis 2013).
Religion and magic offered treatment to diseases by explaining why the disease existed and why it affected some people and not others. Both offered a range of cures for a certain disease. The difference comes in in the method of treatment where religion depended on the power of God or gods and spiritual beings, but magic depended on the power of demons. Magic is also associated with the use of words or utterances that cannot be comprehended which is not the case in ancient religion (Jackson 2016).
Ancient religion and magic has very close relations despite having differences. It is evident that ancient religion was inclusive, contrary to magic which was different depending on the cultural group. This information also ascertains that both religion and magic had the positive and negative sides and that both are built on the foundation of taboo and beliefs that made human beings to depend on them on matters beyond their control. It is also evident in the definition of magic that it was against the rule of nature while ancient religion was inclusive of nature through believe in supernatural beings as creators and source of power.
References
Jackson, M. (2016) The Routledge History of Disease.
Retrieved from Routledge
https://books.google.co.ke/books?id=rUjNAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA48&dq=similarities+between+magic+and+ancient+religion&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjOrPbF6vXaAhWBlBQKHZX9CK4Q6AEILDAB#v=onepage&q=similarities%20between%20magic%20and%20ancient%20religion&f=false
Kasis, R. (2013) CRYPTS OF THE GODS
Retrieved from E-kutub ltd
https://books.google.co.ke/books?id=rUjNAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA48&dq=similarities+between+magic+and+ancient+religion&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjOrPbF6vXaAhWBlBQKHZX9CK4Q6AEILDAB#v=onepage&q=similarities%20between%20magic%20and%20ancient%20religion&f=false
