Tribal religions are the special forms of ethnic religion. The tribal people are in fact generally in the Neolithic stage of social development.
The earliest man (like the tribal’s) could not have intelligently argued the issues implicit in the modern discussion of science versus religion. Neither could he have debated the view that too much religion in a society becomes an opiate.
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He certainly knew that he did not understand all the happenings of nature and that some of these occurrences disturbed him terribly.
In this lack of comprehension, fear of the unknown, and quest for assurance lie in the human origins of most of the religious beliefs, practices and activities and all formulations of religious systems as such.
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The attribution of power in this sense to both physical objects and natural phenomena, and belief in spiritual beings and things of another world, in magic, ritual, mysticism, and formal ceremonialism, from a complex continuum designed to deal with the supernatural.
They also develop an account of the relationship between man and his world (environment), provide a concept of, and explanation for the universe, and establish mechanism of assuaging forces that lie outside the control of man both as an individual and in groups.
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The forms, practices and creeds developed by man in his broad range of situations vary from simplistic beliefs and practices to the most complex theological and philosophical constructs.
Aninism describes the beliefs (that good spirits and demons inhabit natural objects) normally held by early (and few contemporary) simple societies; the organized religions are constructs of sophisticated and civilized man during historic time; and the recent development of secularism expresses the thought of the world of science that everything can be rationally understood and explained without recourse to mystical appeasement of the supernatural.