"In Forms of Worship, Ayodeji Ogunnaike analyzes how the worship of Yoruba deities became a modern "religion"; but was previously understood and practiced very differently. A growing body of research emphasizes how the concept of "religion" is largely unique to the modern West, and while such work examines how interactions with the West historically changed religious life in other societies, this book also addresses those whose religious life can presently be described as "pre-religious"; The Yoruba word "esin"--normally translated as "religion"--carries a very different meaning, more akin to "form of worship". Ogunnaike examines how an understanding of religious traditions (indigenous, Muslim, and Christian) as various "forms of worship"; rather than "religions"; changes how religious identity, practice, and dynamics can be understood in contemporary and historical perspectives. Forms of Worship analyzes the religious history of Ede, Nigeria and Salvador, Brazil to reveal how this indigenous orientation toward the religious can help explain thorny scholarly issues; the theory of "forms of worship"; explains why this type of syncretism, particularly in Brazil, is logical and consistent within a traditional Yoruba cosmology. The remarkably high level of religious harmony that used to be the hallmark of Yoruba society is rapidly receding; Ogunnaike argues that the advent of modernity, which has shifted understandings about the nature and practice of what "religion" is and should be, is behind the sudden rise in religious tension"-- Provided by publisher.