The Birth of the Gods Revisited: A Partial Replication of Guy Swanson's (1960) Cross-Cultural Study of Religion

Abstract

Guy Swanson's classic study The Birth of the Gods provides a general theory and set of hypotheses about the origins of religious beliefs that have found wide acceptance in the sociological and anthropological study of religion. Although these hypotheses seem both logical and persuasive, the cross-cultural methods Swanson used to evaluate them seem less compelling. This article examines Swanson's sample and methodology, and, through a replication employing a sample of 72 native North American societies, finds several significant problems in Swanson's work. However, the rep lication also demonstrates that, despite methodological problems, Swanson's hypothesis concerning beliefs in a high god are sup ported. The implications of this partial replication, both for our interpretation of Swanson's work and for our understanding of the origins of religious beliefs, are explored.

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