An introduction religion has always been important in america During the colonial and revolutionary eras, religion permeated the lives of americans Blue laws kept the sabbath holy and consumption laws limited the actions of everyone. When we understand religion and its role in societies, we can better understand our world This book explains in general theoretical terms what religion is, how it works, and why and how religion influences people and societies. Define religion and explain its significance in human cultures
Summarize theories developed by anthropologists to explain the importance of supernatural beliefs in human communities. Religion portrays our existence as unfolding within a meaningful universe called a cosmos. cosmologies link human nature and the structure of society to an imaginary structure of the universe in order to endow human existence and society with meaning. Awareness of the history of the concept “religion” raises questions about the assumption that religion is a unitary, homogeneous, and monolithic thing which is capable of theoretical explanation.
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