James George Frazer
Author profile
born
in Glasgow, The United Kingdom
January 01, 1854
died
May 07, 1941
gender
male
genre
More books by James George Frazer…
“Small minds cannot grasp great ideas; to their narrow comprehension, their purblind vision, nothing seems really great and important but themselves.”
― James George Frazer, The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion
― James George Frazer, The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion
“Hence the strong attraction which magic and science alike have exercised on the human mind; hence the powerful stimulus that both have given to the pursuit of knowledge. They lure the weary enquirer, the footsore seeker, on through the wilderness of disappointment in the present by their endless promises of the future: they take him up to the top of an exceeding high mountain and show him, beyond the dark clouds and rolling mists at his feet, a vision of the celestial city, far off, it may be, but radiant with unearthly splendour, bathed in the light of dreams.”
― James George Frazer, The Golden Bough. A Study in Magic and Religion: Volume 1
― James George Frazer, The Golden Bough. A Study in Magic and Religion: Volume 1
“By religion, then, I understand a propitiation or conciliation of powers superior to man which are believed to direct and control the course of nature and of human life. Thus defined, religion consists of two elements, a theoretical and a practical, namely, a belief in powers higher than man and an attempt to propitiate or please them. Of the two, belief clearly comes first, since we must believe in the existence of a divine being before we can attempt to please him. But unless the belief leads to a corresponding practice, it is not a religion but merely a theology; in the language of St. James, “faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.” In other words, no man is religious who does not govern his conduct in some measure by the fear or love of God. On the other hand, mere practice, divested of all religious belief, is also not religion. Two men may behave in exactly the same way, and yet one of them may be religious and the other not. If the one acts from the love or fear of God, he is religious; if the other acts from the love or fear of man, he is moral or immoral according as his behaviour comports or conflicts with the general good.”
― James George Frazer, The Golden Bough
― James George Frazer, The Golden Bough
Topics Mentioning This Author
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atheists and Skep...: I'm a Christian. | 325 | 143 | 24. Mai, 10:11 Uhr | |
| Recommend to a teen? | 26 | 311 | 09. Mai, 13:59 Uhr | |
| Beyond Reality: Lonesome October - By the Day | 149 | 65 | 31. Oktober, 17:22 Uhr | |
| Supernatural Fict...: Folklore and supernatural fiction | 40 | 96 | 07. November, 07:14 Uhr | |
| The History Book ...: * SERIES - BIBLIOGRAPHY - SPOILER THREAD | 54 | 71 | 27. Februar, 14:16 Uhr | |
| Classics and the ...: Planning for our next (post Magic Mountain) read | 148 | 104 | 15. Mai, 11:37 Uhr | |
| Heathens, Pagans ...: Currently reading? | 228 | 257 | 6 hours, 41 min ago |




























