Page:An Essay On Hinduism.pdf/148

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THEORY OF SOCIAL EVOLUTION
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There is thus a long period in human history of separation and differentiation.

After some greater development of civilization there comes a period of communication, association and intermixture.

Larger social groups are formed by absorption of the smaller. The elements which bring about this phenomenon are political conquest, creation of common culture by contact, and absorption of tribes by some religions.

Spread of religions and the spread or creation of a common civilization are important factors which lead to the unification of tribes and peoples. The influence of the spread of religions has been great in creating the Christian and the Mohamedan worlds. The history of Hinduism, of China, and of Japan shows the working of the other process. This process has done a great deal of work prior to the rise of the two Semitic theophratries. In India the religions or theophratries also tried to do the same work, but have not yet succeeded. The religions have succeeded in unifying tribes and peoples, but they have sowed deep the elements of disunion also. It has been the spirit of disunion and separatism that has promoted the unity among the co-religionists. I have stated in the preceding chapters the work of the process of religions (theophratries) and also of the process of contact.

The word "religion" being peculiarly a modern occidental word, I have tried to form a definition thereof at the beginning of this work by making a direct observation of the popular ideas among the Western peoples. I have also shown that a definition formed in this manner is useful in the study of the occidental phenomena only. As the phenomena denoted by the word religion do not exist in

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