Later writers speculated unsystematically about a final day of judgment. Jews still hope for the coming of the Messiah, who will hand out eternal judgment and reward to all. 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.
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. The Spirit of Truth and the Spirit of Error 2. Compiled by Steven Cory.