>Sodom writes:
>> Early humanoids did demonstrate ceramonial burial which is
>> indicative of a religion. The Neanderthals especially.In my opinion, and
I am
>> basing it on my understaing of the origin of religion, is that as soon as
an
>> animal reaches a certain point where it can try to understand what is
>> happening, it creats gods to explain what it does not understand.
>
>Elephants also observe burial rites, but I don't see anyone assuming
>that that means they believe in gods. Why do you suppose that the
>belief in gods came first in proto-humans?
I personnally believe that belief in gods began to arise around the
same time that ceramonial burials did. If this suggests that Elephants
have gods, I don't care.
Look at it like this: Bob the caveman is a-wandering around. As he is
happily stumbling about the forest, he recieves an auditory hallucination.
This hallucination is almost as if a recording of something that the pack
leader said that morning was played back. So to Bob, it sounds as
if his God-King were telling him to "Get some of those tasty mushrooms."
Now, when the God-King dies, all of his followers still have these
recordings
going in their heads. **This is where religion begins.** As far as Bob and
his buddies are concerned, the God-King is still alive. It isn't a far leap
to
start the preserving of the deceased one's body, and finding oneself holding
conversations with Grandfather's skull.
When every member of the tribe that remembers the dead God-King dies or
moves away, belief in the God-King will only be of the forced-religion type.
**This is where superstition begins.** The tribe no longer has any need to
worship the skull, and the amount of worship will decrease accordingly.
However, there will probably still be some fool who, because they don't want
to upset the rest of the tribe, continues to worship and encourage others
to worship. I see no need for this type of worship, other than as a
culturally
aligning agent.
CA Cook, LF
coreycook12@email.msn.com
##And the Purple Sage was inspired by Saint Gulik, and he did preach
the message, the message being that we should revile and punish others,
but only those that would use their faith as a reason to hate others.##