Such religions are essentially conservative, directed to preserving the stability and continuity of society. Since in such societies all life is religious, there are seldom exclusively 'religious' functionaries. The chief, the householder, the mother have sacred status, but equally the elders of either sex and the sexually immature have special access to divine wisdom, or may be used to channel it. Every action has religious meaning, and care must be taken to conform to custom and to please the ancestors. Myth and legend are used to explain the existence of the world, the gods and divine reality, and their truth is never questioned.
Religion is life-affirming, and a means of harmonizing humankind with the natural world.
Tribal religion makes demands on its adherents as total as those of any 'world' religion. It is in no sense expansionist, and is tolerant of other religions. One is either born into the faith or not, though some adaptation from one cult to another may come about because of marriage. In the modern world, adherents of tribal religion are vulnerable to evangelism from the world religions, but in many areas the rediscovery and renewal of ancient tribal religious belief and practice can be a major step in the assertion of individual, cultural and political identity. EMJ See also tribalism .