ABOUT THE ORIGINS OF RELIGION
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Ellis and Kyra, here let me add to what I said above about our ancestors and the origins of religion--a common word even scholars find difficult to define. A google search will uncover numerous examples demonstrating that this is so.
With this as a given, it seems that in common with our animal cousins our ancestors must have felt a similar kind of fear and terror when they experienced death-dealing winds, earthquakes, fires and diseases.
However, from a modern perspective--including, our observation of the difference between animal versus human behaviour in the face of danger--it is safe to assume that our ancient ancestors, unlike animals, did more than just react in the moment and then, with only a casual concern for the injured, the dead and the dying members of the family and tribe, get on with the business of living. There is archaeological evidence that in paleolithic times--90,000 years ago, Homo sapiens buried their dead in caves in Israel (Qafzeh). The act of burying the dead, scholars tell us, marks the beginning of the religious consciousness and the beginning of the concept that there are human-like gods who live in a life after death.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origins_of_religionArcheology tells us that, "The earliest evidence of religious thought is based on the ritual treatment of the dead. Most animals display only a casual interest in the dead of their own species. Ritual burial thus represents a significant advancement in human behavior. Ritual burial represent an awareness of life and death and a possible belief in the afterlife. Philip Lieberman states "burials with grave goods clearly signify religious practices and concern for the dead that transcends daily life."
And take a look at this: "The earliest evidence for treatment of the dead comes from Atapuerca in Spain. At this location the bones of 30 individuals believed to be Homo heidelbergensis have been found in a pit. Neanderthals are also contenders for the first hominids to intentionally bury the dead. They may have placed corpses into shallow graves along with stone tools and animal bones. The presence of these grave goods may indicate an emotional connection with the deceased and possibly a belief in the afterlife. Neanderthal burial sites include Shanidar in Iraq and Krapina in Croatia and Kebara Cave in Israel."
So our ancestors were not only filled with awe and "fear" (serious respect for, not just terror) of what they saw happening in nature, they obviously wondered, questioned, and tried to do something about it. Later, with the development of language, and especially writing, they passed on a record of their wonderment and actions--religion as an art, an action. Thus, in this simple act of burial, was laid the foundation of religion out of which came philosophy--out of which came the modern sciences and arts.
The roots of organized religion came later--in the neolithic revolution that began 11,000 years ago in the Near East. Keep in mind that roots may have occurred independently in several other locations around the world.
Historians tell us that with the invention of agriculture human societies were transformed from a hunter gatherer lifestyle to a more sedentary one. The consequences of the neolithic revolution included a population explosion and an acceleration in the pace of technological development. The transition from foraging bands to states and empires precipitated more specialized and developed forms of religion that reflected the new social and political environment.
While bands and small tribes possess supernatural beliefs, these beliefs do not serve to justify a central authority, justify transfer of wealth or maintain peace between unrelated individuals. Organized religion emerged as a means of providing social and economic stability through the following ways:
* Justifying the central authority, which in turn possessed the right to collect taxes in return for providing social and security services to the state.
* Bands and tribes consist of small number of related individuals. However states and nations are composed of thousands of unrelated individuals. Jared Diamond argues that organized religion served to provide a bond between unrelated individuals who would otherwise be more prone to enmity. He argues that the leading cause of death among hunter gatherer societies is murder.
* Religions that revolved around moralizing gods may have facilitated the rise of large, cooperative groups of unrelated individuals.
The states born out of the Neolithic revolution, such as those of Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, were theocracies with chiefs, kings and emperors playing dual roles of political and spiritual leaders. Anthropologists have found that virtually all state societies and chiefdoms from around the world have been found to justify political power through divine authority.
As recently as 1649, Charles I of England was convicted of treason and beheaded because he insisted on having divine authority over parliament, the British people and the colonies.
