Animisim is a kind of religion in which people believe
that various non-human things (whether living or not) have spirits. Animists believe
that these spirits have an impact on what happens in the
world.
Most animistic religions are associated with what we
would call "primitive" societies. These are societies which lived in close and constant
contact with nature and who therefore felt that natural things had an impact on their
lives. These would be people who believed in the spirits of rocks and trees and wild
animals and would conduct rituals to appease or propitiate these
spirits.
There are "modern" religions with animist
aspects. A major one of these is the Shinto religion of Japan. True believers of
Shinto believe that many natural things have spirits known as
kami. Believers would do rituals to honor the
kami and to invoke their aid.
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