Craveman,
As to your first question, it is my opinion that religion was first formed to explain the world around us. I've read that sun cults were some of the first religions. They tied religious significance to the sun for the obvious reasons that life on the planet requires the sun. As people got more complicated so did religions which brought new forms of ideas which lead to advances in theology.
There were also political forces growing and maturing in the world along with theology and where a people could not be conquered by military force, propoganda could be used through religion which could also be used to control the minds and actions of men.
I think science is just a better model for approaching the world we live in because it works to change its own symbols as new data are available whereas religions are more tradition based and therefore try to mold what they see into what they already know.
Rhizo
As to your first question, it is my opinion that religion was first formed to explain the world around us. I've read that sun cults were some of the first religions. They tied religious significance to the sun for the obvious reasons that life on the planet requires the sun. As people got more complicated so did religions which brought new forms of ideas which lead to advances in theology.
There were also political forces growing and maturing in the world along with theology and where a people could not be conquered by military force, propoganda could be used through religion which could also be used to control the minds and actions of men.
I think science is just a better model for approaching the world we live in because it works to change its own symbols as new data are available whereas religions are more tradition based and therefore try to mold what they see into what they already know.
Rhizo
