• The Word of God
• God
• Man and the Universe
• Salvation and the After Life
• Morals
• Worship

It is very clear from the Bible's own testimony and that of Jesus Christ and the Old Testament prophets that Scripture is to be regarded as the authoritative word of truth on all matters of basic doctrine. The following is a list of just the most significant verses that support the Word of God's claim to authority.

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever (Isaiah 40:8).
For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the Law, until all is accomplished (Matthew 5:18).
All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate. equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
See also: Exodus 24:12; 2 Samuel 22:31; Psalm 12:6; 19:7-8; 111:7-8; 93:5; 119; Proverbs 30:5; Daniel 10:21; Mark 12:24; 13:31; John 8:31-32; 1 Corinthians 2:13; 1 Peter 1:23-25; and 2 Peter 1:20-21.

Primitive religion is the beliefs and practices of people who lack writing and have a simple, material culture. Apparently it has existed since the beginnings of mankind.

It is the religion of man without divine guidance, trying to make his peace with the terrifying and mysterious powers of nature. It can be said that primitive man lays bare the basic character of all men because he is stripped of the material benefits that often mask our weed for God.

Probably most of the human race through the ages has adhered to primitive religion. It is still widely practiced today in its pure form among preliterate peoples; in addition, many members of major religions (including Christianity) partake of primitive thought and practice to varying degrees.

In the West there is now a great interest in primitive religion. Many think that modern secular man needs to recover primitive mans participation in the cycles of nature as well as his sense of the sacred.

Because primitive religion has developed over every continent among peoples who have no contact with each other, it is amazing that many basic similarities exist among primitive religions.

God

• But the Lord is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King (Jeremiah 10:10).

• And there is no other God besides Me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none except Me (Isaiah 45:22).

• There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy (James 4:12).

• For even if there are so-called gods whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and lords, yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things, and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him. However not all men have this knowledge (1 Corinthians 8:5-7).

• For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse (Romans 1:20).

• God is love (1 John 4:8-9).

• Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow (James 1:17).

• A father of the fatherless and a judge for the widows, is God in His holy habitation. God makes a home for the lonely; He leads prisoners into prosperity, only the rebellious dwell in a parched land (Psalm 68:5-6).

• The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth (Psalm 145:18).

• The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished (Exodus 34:6-7).

• Thine eyes are too pure to approve evil, and Thou canst not look on wickedness with favor (Habakkuk 1:13).

• God. . . works all things after the counsel of His will (Ephesians 1:3, 11).

• You will say to me then, "Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?" On the contrary, who are you, Oman, who answers back to God? (Romans 9:19-20).

• Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! (Romans 11:33).

• He . . . is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords; who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light; whom no man has seen or can see (1 Timothy 6:15-16).

• No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten God, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him (John 1:18).

• God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son (Hebrews 1:1-2).

• Every word of God is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. Do not add to His words lest He reprove you, and you be proved a liar (Proverbs 30:5-6).

• I, the Lord, do not change (Malachi 3:6).

• Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever (1 Timothy 1:17).

God

• Primitive peoples believe in a large number of gods, each reigning over a family, clan, village, or certain localities such as a river or a mountain. That belief has been called henotheism, meaning close adherence to a certain god while recognizing the     existence of others. (The sailors in the book of Jonah, for example.)

• Most primitives do believe in one supreme, "high God, who is the first source of all existence. But that God is usually considered too distant to be concerned with the affairs of men.

• Primitive men are thus left to deal with local gods, who are generally lacking in mercy and love. Their ways are not always predictable, and primitive men are usually concerned either to appease their anger or to gain material favors from them.

• The gods are generally connected in some way with dead ancestors. That is, they relate to the tribe or clan and support the customs that have in the past kept the group functioning.

Man and the Universe

• In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1).

• Thou alone art the Lord. Thou hast made the heavens, the heaven of heavens with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. Thou dost give life to all of them (Nehemiah 9:6).

• For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities -- all things have been created by Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together (Colossians 1:16-17).

• And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them (Genesis 1:27).

• So also it is written, "The first man, Adam, became a living soul" (1 Corinthians 15:45).

• What is man, that Thou dost take thought of him? And the son of man, that Thou dost care for him? Yet Thou hast made him a little lower than God, and dost crown him with glory and majesty! Thou dost make him to rule over the works of Thy hands; Thou hast put all things under his feet (Psalm 8:4-6).

• And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good (Genesis 1:31).

• For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, if it is received with gratitude; for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer (1 Timothy 4:4-5).

• Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam (Romans 5:14).

• Through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners (Romans 5:19).

• Just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin . . . so death spread to all men, because all sinned (Romans 5:12).

• For even though they knew God, they did not honor him as God, or give thanks; but they became futile in their speculations (Romans 1:21).

• Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures (Romans 1:22-23).

• And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper (Romans 1:28).

• Then to Adam He said, "Cursed is the ground because of you; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you" (Genesis 3:17).

• For the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption (Romans 8:19-21).

• As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, or if due to strength, eighty years, yet their pride is but labor and sorrow; for soon it is gone and we fly away (Psalm 90:10).

• Man, who is born of woman, is short-lived and full of turmoil. Like a flower he comes forth and withers. He also flees like a shadow and does not remain (Job 14:1-2).

• Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? (Romans 7:24).    

Man and the Universe

• Because of their lack of technology and scientific understanding, primitives trust that the universe is in control of the gods. Droughts, illnesses, and death pose great threats to primitive man, and his religion provides him to a certain degree with a feeling of security and a sense of control.

• It is thought that ancestors and the gods associated with them control human destiny, handing out rewards and punishments for actions that help or hinder the group. Usually those gods and ancestors are themselves as mysterious and fearsome as the natural world.

• Like Hinduism and Buddhism, and unlike Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, the primitive world view is cyclical. There is no purpose to history; various ages repeat themselves with no final goal. That view arises from observation of the natural     cycles of nature. Often primitives believe that only through their own ritual actions will the world order be maintained.

• Many primitives report that they follow customs and rituals without knowing why: tradition simply tells them that it has worked in the past.

Salvation and the Afterlife

• Turn to me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other (Isaiah 45:22).

• And He made from one, every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times, and the boundaries of their habitation that they should seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and exist (Acts 17:26-28).

• All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him (Isaiah 53:6).

• For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:7-8).

• God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them (2 Corinthians 5:19).

• He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:2!).

• For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life (john 3:16).

• For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).

• For if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on law. But the Scripture has shut up all men under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe (Galatians 3:21-22).

• For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes (Romans 10:4).

• "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?" Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent" (John 6:28-29).

• There is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12).

• For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins (Hebrews 10:4).

• See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ (Colossians 2:8).

• Jesus said to them, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me" (John 14:6).

• God is now declaring to men that all everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead (Acts 17:31).

• It is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment (Hebrews 9:27).

• He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God (John 3:18).

• There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).

• For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain (Philippians :21).

• We are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8).

• And many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt (Daniel 12:2).

• Do not marvel at this; for — hour is coming, in which all who are in the tomb. shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; thou who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment (John 5:25-29).

• For in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive, But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that thou who are Christ's at His coming, then comes the end, when He delivers up the kingdom to.. . God (1 Corinthians 15:22-24).

• For beheld, I create new havens and a new earth (Isaiah 65:17).

• And there shall no longer be any curse (Revelation 22:3).

• He who overcomes shall inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. But for the cowardly and unbelieving.... their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death (Revelation 21:8).

• And who is the one who overcomes the World, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? (I John 5:5).

• How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? (Hebrews 2:3).

Salvation and the Afterlife

• Often primitive religions teach that a messiah will some day come and bring in a reign of peace and prosperity for the tribe. Hopes for salvation generally relate to the group and to this world.

• There is little doctrine concerning the next life. A primitive man expects to merge with his ancestors in another world when he dies, but that other world is not vividly described, and it often is seen as just as full of trouble and confusion as this world.

• Salvation is thus piecemeal, relating to specific worldly distresses. It is not felt that a state of grace can be reached in any final way; there will always he new problems. Sacrifice -- most often blood sacrifice of animals -- is the usual means of atonement.

• Temporary escapes into the realm of "sacred time" (or "dream time") are possible. Through reenactments of mythological events primitive men mystically participate in the actions of gods and ancestral heroes. In that way they inject a sense of meaning into a chaotic world.

• The unenviable position of man without God is seen clearly in primitive man, who can only flee for short periods of time from a terrifying and purposeless existence.

Morals

• I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me (Galatians 2:20).

• Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires (Galatians 5:24).

• Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry (Colossians 3:5).

• If you. have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, "DO not handle, do not taste, do not touch!" (which all refer to things destined to perish with the using)—in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men? (Colossians 2:20-21).

• Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God (I Peter 2:16).

• Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice (Ephesians 4:31).

• Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus (Romans 6:11).

• For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially believers (1 Timothy 4:10).

• If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God (Colossians 3:1).

• Do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God (Romans 6:13).

• And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18).

• But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law (Galatians 5:22-23).

• This is pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Fattier, to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world (James 1:27).

• And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing (1 Corinthians 13:3).

• But whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected (1 John 2:5).

• For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and Godly in the present age (Titus 2:11-12).

• Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24).

• And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all men especially to those who are of the household of faith (Galatians 6:9-10).

• Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things (Philippians 4:8).

Morals

• Survival of the group is of paramount importance. Without secular means of control (police, etc.), ways must be found to make group members adhere strictly to codes of conduct. Primitive people have developed communal ways of coping with the world, embodied in religious traditions they are fearful of changing.

• In many basic areas moral standards are much the same throughout the world. Lying, cheating, stealing, and murder are generally forbidden. But often those rules apply only within the group.

• Generally a sense of conscience is aroused only when some disaster occurs. If it is felt that an illness, for example, is the result of a wicked deed, then the person will repent to the god.

• Primitive morality is thus largely a matter of transactions, of acting in ways that will benefit the self and the community. Also, although primitive men are not devoid of natural feelings of love, their morality is largely legalistic. "Sins' are usually a     matter of overstepping concrete rules, even when the reason for those rules is not understood.

Worship

• I am the Lord, that is My name; 1 will not give My glory to another, nor My praise to graven images (Isaiah 42:8).

• You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God (Exodus 20:4-5).

• The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; neither is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all life and breath and all things (Acts 17:24-25).

• God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth (John 4:24).

• For such people the Father seeks to be His worshippers (John 4:23).

• Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood, and has not sworn deceitfully (Psalm 24:3-4).

• Since therefore, brethren, we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus . . . let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water (Hebrews 10:19, 22).

• For through Him we. . . have our access in one Spirit to the Father (Ephesians 2:18).

• You also, as living Stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2:5).

• For we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh (Philippians 3:3).

• Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name (Hebrews 13:15).

• Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples. For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised (I Chronicles 16:24-25).

• Sing praise to the Lord, you his holy ones, and give thanks to His holy name (Psalm 30:4).

• To Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever (Ephesians 3:21).And do not neglect doing good and sharing; for with such sacrifices God is pleased (Hebrews 13:16).

• I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship (Romans 12:1).

• Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31).

• Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful singing. Know that the Lord Himself is God (Psalm l00:1-3).

• Worship the Lord with reverence, and rejoice with trembling. Do homage to the Son, lest He become angry, and you perish in the way (Psalm 2:12).

• God highly exalted Him, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven , and on earth, and under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:9-11).

• For it is written, "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me and every tongue shall give praise to God" (Roman 14:11).

• To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever (Revelation 5:13).

Worship

• Worship also has the purpose of binding members of the community together, of giving them a sense of common purpose. (When people from different tribes with different gods meet, they usually speak in terms of the "high" god.)

• Totemism, the use of certain animals, plants, and even human artifacts such as skulls to contact the spiritual realm, is common. Idolatry in a strict sense -- believing that an image or animal actually is a god -- is rare. Most often such worship is symbolic.

• Fasting, self-mortification, and drugs are used to attain states of trance. The purpose is sometimes to obtain communication from the world of spirits and at other times actually to participate in the life of the god, to "be" the god for a short period of time.

• Each group usually has at least one "holy man," who regularly makes journeys to the land of the gods and heroes for the good of the community

• Power, rather than justice, love, or mercy, most often characterizes the object of worship.

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