It seems to me that every race and culture as far back as can be seen has had religion as a significant part of life. Why is this so?
Is there really an inherent/intrinsic need in all humans to worship something that they perceive to be better than themselves? Is this a common need for all living beings?
I had it explained to me as a matter of ethics.
ReplyDeleteAn individual seeks reward and is willing to rape, steal and murder to get it.
A tribe seeks shared reward (ie. survival) and works on the ethical base that everyone must co-operate so that anyone can survive. This is similar to the ethical theory of 'Social Contract', in which people agree to abide by rules on the basis that others will also abide by them.
Once people started forming larger communities, it became harder and harder to enforce this idea, so the ethical theory of 'Divine Command' is the most effective solution. Religion provides judges that are often all-knowing or all-powerful as well as a clear set of laws to follow and clear consequences for those who do not.
Wall of text.
So, Sam says...
ReplyDeleteCommunities are held together by a set of ethics that are Mutually Beneficial to all members of a community. (a pack of wolves fits this explanation)
Then the larger a community is the more powerful the enforcer of these ethical commands (laws) needs to be. Eventually it results in an entity that is beyond explanation so everything else inexplicable is also attributed to this entity.
Then the entities uberness needs to be worshiped and a religion is created to propagate the ethical standards of the community.