Natural History of Religion

Author: David Hume
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-08-01
Features: The Natural History of Religion, published nearly two centuries ago in 1757, has a respectable status, yet its historical significance is often overlooked. It can be said that Hume's two complementary works, The Natural History of Religion and Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, mark the beginning of what is generally referred to today as the philosophy of religion. This book provides a detailed introduction to the topics of polytheism as the earliest religion, the origins of polytheism, the continuation of the same theme, the gods not being considered the creators or formers of the world, various forms of polytheism: fable, hero worship, the origin of monotheism from polytheism, the evidence supporting this theory, the cyclical transformation between polytheism and monotheism, and comparisons between these religions, including persecution and tolerance, courage or humility, reason or absurdity, etc.