The origin of religion in general and for particular
religions is usually controversial, since religions often
claim to have been derived directly from information
supplied by god(s) to chosen human messenger(s). Followers
of the religion (by definition) accept the claims, either
literally or in a metaphorical, or partial fashion. Although
followers of a religion, although they may hold strong
belief, may also be interested in looking at possible human
origins for religious events, together with non-religious
enquirers.
Religion was practiced long before the
invention of writing, as paintings and pottery shows in
images. Indeed, heavy deposits of pollen in
Neanderthal graves suggest that even these early humans
buried their dead along with flowers. Stories ("texts")
passed orally between people and from one generation to the
next. Religion may well have originated in stories created
to account for the great questions of life, for comfort, to
keep records of a people's history, and for entertainment.
Stories in traditional societies unite adults and children
in community, although it is possible that
atheists (those who do not believe in any deities;
strong atheists[?] believe no deities exist, while
weak atheists[?] merely lack belief in deities) or
agnostics (those who believe we cannot know if there are
any deities) always existed as well. Evidence of very early
human prehistory is scanty and it is best not to over
interpret
archaeological remains: for example it is generally
thought that bones painted with red ochre (a red mud thay
may link to blood colour to symbolize life) and buried with
personal possessions, suggest a belief in the
afterlife. It could also be because using the dead
person's possessions was believed to be bad luck. For a more
contemporary example, consider a future archaeologist
digging the remains of a
Star Wars fan's bedroom and the possible erroneous
interpretations of such a find.
Evidence for early civilisations' religious ideas can be
found similarly in elaborate burial practices in which
valuable objects were left with the deceased, intended for
use in an afterlife or to appease the gods. This custom has
clearer motives as it is usually accompanied by tomb
paintings showing a belief of
afterlife. It reached a spectacular form with the
creation of the
pyramids of Giza and the other great tombs of ancient
Egypt; the
Sumerian royal burials, and other prehistoric
(pre-written records) monument builders.
Religions created in modern times are often reasonably
well documented (for example,
Scientology.) Minor religions have been called
cults and still are, while many scholars use the term
New Religious Movement (NRM). Reasons for the creation
of religions are many, including a range from
idealism to a desire to obtain wealth and power over
others; the two may combine in interesting ways. It's easy
to speculate that similar forces were at work in the
creation of earlier religions. Once a religious community
increases in size and gains widespread recognition, it has
to negotiate with the governing social group, the
State. At this point material or political ambitions are
more likely to be dominant.
Hostility to religion can have various reasons.
Karl Marx famously defined religion as a social opiate,
and from outside it certainly appears to operate as such,
but wholesale condemnation overlooks the great numbers and
scale of visionary inspirations that religions provide for
compassion, practical charity and moral restraint.
When
wars are aggravated or caused by religious issues they
tend to be worse in their atrocities. Yet
Abram Maslow's[?] research after
World War II showed that
Holocaust survivors tended to be those who held strong
religious beliefs (not necessarily temple attendance etc).
Humanistic
Psychology went on to investigate how religious or
spiritual identity links with longer lifespan and better
health. Humans may particularly need religious ideas because
they serve various emotional needs such as the need to feel
loved, the need to belong to homogenous groups, the need for
understandable explanations or the need for justice.
Recent advances in
cognitive psychology and
neuropsychology[?] suggest that religion might have its
origins in the workings of the
brain itself.
Pascal Boyer[?]'s book,
Religion Explained[?], attemtps to explain religion
through
cognitive psychology.
