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religion origin
- Thread starter buddhadev
- Start date
Breathe
Hostis humani generis
Good question bhai!
I think spirituality is built into the human brain. You see people who will shout at their computer when it is not working correctly, or tap their mobile phone screen when it is not working correctly - why do people project such things onto inanimate objects? I think it's in-built. I've seen children line their dolls up in a certain way to 'make sure they are happy'. My niece used to do it.
My children both have what is called 'totemistic' (belief in a life force in all things, but that are dependent on all things) tendencies. Considering they are two young for us to be teaching them religion at this moment (4 and 2), these have not come from us--not directly at least.
As to religion, I think it comes from man's social desire: humans want to be social. Humans like being around people who they won't argue against, too. This gives way to religious groups.
That is my opinion, anyway.
I think spirituality is built into the human brain. You see people who will shout at their computer when it is not working correctly, or tap their mobile phone screen when it is not working correctly - why do people project such things onto inanimate objects? I think it's in-built. I've seen children line their dolls up in a certain way to 'make sure they are happy'. My niece used to do it.
My children both have what is called 'totemistic' (belief in a life force in all things, but that are dependent on all things) tendencies. Considering they are two young for us to be teaching them religion at this moment (4 and 2), these have not come from us--not directly at least.
As to religion, I think it comes from man's social desire: humans want to be social. Humans like being around people who they won't argue against, too. This gives way to religious groups.
That is my opinion, anyway.
There are a handful of reasons, not always mutually compatible. When push comes to shove, for some people religion is surrendering oneself to God, for others it is being in the club of the truest truth that nobody else is quite aware of, and for yet anothers, more serious in nature, it is about facing the challenges of this existence and attempting to conciliate all to worldly actions and choices with the desire to be in harmony with higher, more abstract ideals and goals.
A need for safety, "material" answers, mutual support and existential answers. Some combination of same, anyway.
There are several, definitely incompatible, tales on this one. Most involve the idea that ethmologically "religion" comes from "religare", meaning "reconnect". There are those who claim that religion is about reconnecting with God - but of course, God is just about the vaguest concept one can possibly find.
I'm willing to take a more literal and mundane approach and say that it is in fact about defeating the feeling of being all alone in a world that is often scary and even hostile.
Rainbow Mage
Lib Democrat/Agnostic/Epicurean-ish/Buddhist-ish
I'm not sure there is a need for religion, and not sure I would say Theism in and of itself is necessarily religious.