Learn something new every day More Info... by email Ancient
religions have many features in common, so much so that some
scholars argue that they are merely variations on a universal
human intuitive religion. The shared features include a strong
emphasis on magic, particularly magic based on sympathetic
connections (like influences like) and contagion (once in
contact, always in contact); the concept of taboo people,
places, and things; transference or expulsion of evil;
connections between political and spiritual authority; ancestor
worship; polytheism; focus on rituals connected to food sources,
such as plants and animals; focus on the Sun and seasonal
cycles, and many others. These convergent features of ancient
religions occurred across many tens of thousands of miles, among
human groups that have not had contact with each other for
upwards of 50,000 years. The shared features of ancient
religions are somewhat connected to what is today known as
"paganism", but modern paganism as recognized among post-WWI