Purity and Danger

It is not true that primitive cultures confuse the sacred and the unclean. However, it is true that primitive religions often sacralize dirt and uncleanness, which they had rejected. The search for purity can become paradoxical or contradictory, as when sexual purity is interpreted to mean no contact between the sexes. In order to avoid such contradiction, societies often try to include dirt and uncleanness within a coherent philosophy or worldview. Douglas terms this a “pessimistic” religion, as opposed to an “optimistic” one, the latter of which attempts to evade or ignore the problem of dirt and uncleanness.

Douglas cites tribal death rituals where the reality of death is confronted and even embraced. In these cases, ritual harnesses the power of pollution for good (199). This contradicts the assumption of some anthropologists that primitive societies try to deny the reality of evil or death.