E.B. Tylor was the first to characterize African religions as “animist,” remarking that “one great element of religion, that moral element which among the higher nations forms its most vital part, is indeed little represented in the religion of the lower races.” Others characterized the”lower religions” as “fetishist” because of their concentration on sacred objects.
Thus radical Protestant anti-sacramentalism became one of the foundation assumptions of cultural anthropology: The higher the religion, the more overtly and thoroughly moral it is. Lower religions are obsessed with rituals and magic; they are fetishistic.
Peter Leithart
Peter J. Leithart is President of Theopolis Institute. He is the author of numerous books on theology, literature, and culture, including Theopolitan, Defending Constantine, and Baptized Body.
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