Very first Religion?

[Brick-top]

What was the very first Religion in the world?

[StewartP]

Probably some kind of anamsism, a belief that rocks, trees, animals, rivers have spirits.

When early man was frightened and confused by the random manner in which his universe tries to kill him he would have sought to appease it.

Probably some lazy, cunning son-of-a-bitch found that by dressing up in animal skins and talking funny he could frighten the tribe into feeding and looking after him.

Thus was born the first priest.

[solidsquid]

I read a news story a while ago in which a cave was discovered which had a huge stone python in Africa. This seems to be proof that humans have carried out rituals dating back 70,000 years.

Sources - Eureka Alert

Vogt, Y. (2007). Man worshiped the python. Nysgjerrigper, 14, 4-5.

[Brick-top]

70 THOUSAND???

Not suprising.

[StewartP]

I read a news story a while ago in which a cave was discovered which had a huge stone python in Africa. This seems to be proof that humans have carried out rituals dating back 70,000 years.

Sources - Eureka Alert

Vogt, Y. (2007). Man worshiped the python. Nysgjerrigper, 14, 4-5.

Interestingly, in that article it says:

The shaman, who is still a very important person in San culture, could have kept himself hidden in that secret chamber. He would have had a good view of the inside of the cave while remaining hidden himself. When he spoke from his hiding place, it could have seemed as if the voice came from the snake itself. The shaman would have been able to control everything. It was perfect.” The shaman could also have “disappeared” from the chamber by crawling out onto the hillside through a small shaft.

It would seem the priest class have a long history of deception!

[Giff]

I think it´s not strange that people like 50 00+ years ago had a strong belief in spirits and all that. What other should they belive in? There where not any science back so its quite naturall that they tried to find an explenation to everything that is going on around them. Like why the sun rise and set.
I dont priest back then tried to fool anyone I think theuy too really belived in that they preached about or what they now did back then.

But today it strange that people still in stories about frogs raining from the sky and a person walking on water. Today people have the information to know that all that is just myths and stories from a very distant time.

[starbucks]

The environment has a lot of influence over a person's belief system. If you're a small tribe trying to survive in the jungles or desert without the convenience of modern amenities, you become much more aware of nature and your surroundings. You rely on the good graces of nature to help you get through the next day. The modern-day man doesn't get this until a tornado or tsunami sweeps through his city.

I'm not saying this is the reason why anybody should believe in God and whatnot, but please, respect nature and accept that there are forces of nature beyond our control. As human beings, we may acquire knowledge to build skyscrapers, planes, and space shuttles that fly us to the moon but if a hurricane hits us, we are still vulnerable as ever.

[infidel666]

Prolly sun worship. Or maybe guys worshipped their magic monkeys.

[Daystar]

Probably some lazy, cunning son-of-a-bitch found that by dressing up in animal skins and talking funny he could frighten the tribe into feeding and looking after him.

Thus was born the first priest.

Like your avatar?

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What was the very first Religion in the world?

The New Encyclopædia Britannica says that "as far as scholars have discovered, there has never existed any people, anywhere, at any time, who were not in some sense religious."

English anthropologist Edward Tylor (1832 - 1917) theorized that Anamism was the earliest religion. He reasoned that dreams, visions, hallucinations and the lifelessness of corpses inspired primitive people to conclude that the body had a soul (Latin, anima). Since they dreamed of dead relitives their soul must live on in the afterlife. The soul then dwelt in trees, rocks, rivers etc. The objects as well as the sould began to be worshipped.

Another English anthropologist, R. R. Marett (1866 - 1943) introduced a refined animism that he called animatism. He studied the Melanesians of the Pacific islands as well as the natives of Africa and America who, he believed, preferred an impersonal force or supernatural power which animated everything. An emotional response to the unknown. Awe and fear. He liked to say that religion was "not so much thought out as danced out."

Scottish ancient folklore expert James Frazer (1854 - 1941) published The Golden Bough in 1890, and he argued that religion grew out of magic. That ancient man tried to control his life and environment by imitating nature - like invoking rain by sprinkling water on the ground with thunderlike drums and sticking pins in an effigy. He said that religion is "a propitiation or conciliation of powers superior to man."

Austrian psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud (1856 - 1939), in his book Totem and Taboo explained that the earliest religion grew out of a "father figure neurosis." He reasoned that like wild horses and cattle, in primitive society the loved / hated father dominated the clan - was rebelled against and killed to acquire his power.

He said "these cannibalistic savages ate their victim" but later felt remorse and so invented rites and rituals to atone. The Father became the god and the rituals became religion.

None of these possibilities are any more likely than any other because no one knows for sure.

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I think it´s not strange that people like 50 00+ years ago had a strong belief in spirits and all that. What other should they belive in? There where not any science back so its quite naturall that they tried to find an explenation to everything that is going on around them. Like why the sun rise and set.
I dont priest back then tried to fool anyone I think theuy too really belived in that they preached about or what they now did back then.

But today it strange that people still in stories about frogs raining from the sky and a person walking on water. Today people have the information to know that all that is just myths and stories from a very distant time.

I wonder - have any of you ever actually studied the history of science or do you just have some utopian idea that it is everything ever good and all knowing sort of spoonfed bullshit you think as a quasi messiah?

You all are pretty young, aren't you - not yet graduated to the more mature typical political science minded atheist ... hating some one elses 'fairy' tales and that sort of thing?

Just curious.

[Edwardo Piet]

I wonder - have any of you ever actually studied the history of science or do you just have some utopian idea that it is everything ever good and all knowing sort of spoonfed bullshit you think as a quasi messiah?

You all are pretty young, aren't you - not yet graduated to the more mature typical political science minded atheist ... hating some one elses 'fairy' tales and that sort of thing?

Just curious.

I haven't studied science and history. And I've just read TGD. I'm new to science and also new to more fully understanding religion. And yet this doesn't mean that the supernatural exists because you've apparently studied more. Certainly not. Maybe you know more overall, but I actually understand the question of God's existence. I actually understand it as a question rather than an answer. He is no answer because he just postulates what needs to be explained. I understand that God is very improbable. There are many brilliant scientists who understand this also and understand it in much greater detail than me to say the least.
Whatever I know about science, history and religion, I don't need to disprove the supernatural. I at least understand that and also that the bible is not proof of the supernatural. And why it isn't proof of the supernatural
"What can be asserted without proof can be dismissed without proof." - Christopher Hitchens
Oh and by the way; one thing I really do understand is that science has discovered and demonstrated truths about the universe and has proper evidence to back them up. Religion on the other hand almost certainly has not and can not.