the community as a whole. People understand themselves always to represent the community and understand the community to be present through them. Many people in the premodern world believe in the presence of supra-human entities—God or gods, and beings such as angels, demons, and other kinds of spirits. Furthermore, such people often imagine that these supra-human beings play important roles in controlling the world and in the lives of communities, households, and individuals. A common belief is
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