▁in ▁human ity ' s ▁cultural ▁development , ▁describing ▁it ▁as ▁part ▁of ▁a ▁tri part ite ▁division ▁in ▁which ▁" mag ic " ▁came ▁first , ▁" rel ig ion " ▁came ▁second , ▁and ▁eventually ▁" s cience " ▁came ▁third . ▁For ▁Fra zer , ▁all ▁early ▁soci eties ▁started ▁as ▁bel ie vers ▁in ▁magic , ▁with ▁some ▁of ▁them ▁moving ▁away ▁from ▁this ▁and ▁into ▁religion . ▁He ▁believed ▁that ▁both ▁magic ▁and ▁religion ▁involved ▁a ▁belief ▁in ▁spirits ▁but ▁that ▁they ▁differ ed ▁in ▁the ▁way ▁that ▁they ▁respond ed ▁to ▁these ▁spirits . ▁For ▁Fra zer , ▁magic ▁" const ra ins ▁or ▁co er ces " ▁these ▁spirits ▁while ▁religion ▁focus es ▁on ▁" con c ili ating ▁or ▁prop iti ating ▁them ". ▁He ▁acknowled ged ▁that ▁their ▁common ▁ground ▁resulted ▁in ▁a ▁cross - over ▁of ▁mag ical ▁and ▁religious ▁elements ▁in ▁various ▁instances ; ▁for ▁instance ▁he ▁claimed ▁that ▁the ▁sacred ▁marriage ▁was ▁a ▁fert ility ▁rit ual ▁which ▁combined ▁elements ▁from ▁both ▁world - views . ▁ ▁Some ▁sch ol ars ▁retained ▁the ▁evolution ary ▁framework ▁used ▁by ▁Fra zer ▁but ▁changed ▁the ▁order ▁of ▁its ▁stages ; ▁the ▁German ▁eth n ologist ▁Wilhelm ▁Schmidt ▁argued ▁that ▁religion — by ▁which ▁he ▁meant ▁mon othe ism — was ▁the ▁first ▁stage ▁of ▁human ▁belief , ▁which ▁later ▁deg ener ated ▁into ▁both ▁magic ▁and ▁poly the ism . ▁O thers ▁rejected ▁the ▁evolution ary ▁framework ▁entirely . ▁Fra zer ' s