Magic and Religion

"Magic and Religion" by Andrew Lang is an early 20th-century exploration of how magic and religion connect, offering a critical look at both their definitions and their places in different cultures. Lang looks at other thinkers’ ideas about where religion comes from, like those of E.B. Tylor and J.G. Frazer, while also building his own ideas. The book kicks off by questioning common ideas about magic and religion, with Lang showing his plan to carefully study how religious ideas have changed over time. He talks about how people are more and more interested in the beginnings of religion but warns about making guesses without enough proof. Lang argues that while magic might be part of early beliefs, it’s important to remember religion as a system with gods and worship. From there, he starts to go over what he will discuss later, including "loan-gods," good creator beings in different cultures, and his thoughts on other researchers' ideas.