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Encyclopedia of Religion entry forAnnihilationThe theory that the soul ceases to exist at death. Even those who believe in its survival sometimes think that there are exceptions. The Omahas think that a self-murderer is annihilated. The Thompson Indians (British Columbia) hold the same belief. It is said that some people disbelieve entirely in the survival of the soul, but the cases cited are open to question. Some of the wild tribes of India (e.g., the Bengalese Orions and the Burmese Mishmis), for instance, are said to have no idea of a future life, though they believe that in the case of some persons a reincarnation takes place on earth (see E. W. Hopkins). To the primitive mind, the best way to annihilate an individual, or even an insect, is to eat him. This is one reason for cannibalism. To punish the wicked, the supreme deity of the Pawnees annihilates them. See E. Westermarck. citations: Encyc. of Rel., Canney
article created 2006-04-12 , last updated 2006-04-12 |
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