▁notion ▁that ▁magic ▁had ▁given ▁way ▁to ▁religion ▁as ▁part ▁of ▁an ▁evolution ary ▁framework ▁was ▁later ▁de construct ed ▁by ▁the ▁folk lor ist ▁and ▁anth rop ologist ▁Andrew ▁Lang ▁in ▁his ▁ess ay ▁" Mag ic ▁and ▁Religion "; ▁Lang ▁did ▁so ▁by ▁highlight ing ▁how ▁Fra zer ' s ▁framework ▁re lied ▁upon ▁mis re present ing ▁eth n ographic ▁accounts ▁of ▁belief s ▁and ▁pract iced ▁among ▁ind igen ous ▁Austral ians ▁to ▁fit ▁his ▁concept ▁of ▁magic . ▁ ▁Function al ist ▁approach ▁ ▁The ▁functional ist ▁approach ▁to ▁defining ▁magic ▁is ▁associated ▁with ▁the ▁French ▁soci olog ists ▁Marcel ▁M auss ▁and ▁Em ile ▁Dur k heim . ▁In ▁this ▁approach , ▁magic ▁is ▁understood ▁as ▁being ▁the ▁theoretical ▁opposite ▁of ▁religion . ▁ ▁M auss ▁set ▁forth ▁his ▁conception ▁of ▁" mag ic " ▁in ▁a ▁ 1 9 0 2 ▁ess ay , ▁" A ▁General ▁Theory ▁of ▁Magic ". ▁M auss ▁used ▁the ▁term ▁magic ▁in ▁reference ▁to ▁" any ▁r ite ▁that ▁is ▁not ▁part ▁of ▁an ▁organized ▁cult : ▁a ▁r ite ▁that ▁is ▁private , ▁secret , ▁myster ious , ▁and ▁ultimately ▁t ending ▁towards ▁one ▁that ▁is ▁forb idden ". ▁Con vers ely , ▁he ▁associated ▁religion ▁with ▁organ ised ▁cult . ▁By ▁saying ▁that ▁magic ▁was ▁inher ently ▁non - social , ▁M auss ▁had ▁been ▁influenced ▁by ▁the ▁traditional ▁Christian ▁understand ings ▁of ▁the ▁concept . ▁M auss ▁deliber ately ▁rejected ▁the ▁intellectual ist ▁approach ▁promoted ▁by ▁Fra