The Origins of Religion (Among Humans)....

Stryder50

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Feb 8, 2021
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The Secular perspective on this subject can be as frustrating as the "True Believer" one at times, both having a limited perspective and that being one that thinks "we humans" are the only Sentients in the Cosmos. More on that factor in a later post here. For now, and to get the subject going ...

The Ancient Rites That Gave Birth to Religion​

Sacred beliefs likely arose out of prehistoric bonding and rituals.

 
The Secular perspective on this subject can be as frustrating as the "True Believer" one at times, both having a limited perspective and that being one that thinks "we humans" are the only Sentients in the Cosmos. More on that factor in a later post here. For now, and to get the subject going ...

The Ancient Rites That Gave Birth to Religion​

Sacred beliefs likely arose out of prehistoric bonding and rituals.


Excerpt:

The invention of religion is a big bang in human history. Gods and spirits helped explain the unexplainable, and religious belief gave meaning and purpose to people struggling to survive. But what if everything we thought we knew about religion was wrong? What if belief in the supernatural is window dressing on what really matters—elaborate rituals that foster group cohesion, creating personal bonds that people are willing to die for.

Anthropologist Harvey Whitehouse thinks too much talk about religion is based on loose conjecture and simplistic explanations. Whitehouse directs the Institute of Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology at Oxford University. For years he’s been collaborating with scholars around the world to build a massive body of data that grounds the study of religion in science. Whitehouse draws on an array of disciplines—archeology, ethnography, history, evolutionary psychology, cognitive science—to construct a profile of religious practices.

Whitehouse’s fascination with religion goes back to his own groundbreaking field study of traditional beliefs in Papua New Guinea in the 1980s. He developed a theory of religion based on the power of rituals to create social bonds and group identity. He saw that difficult rituals, like traumatic initiation rites, were often unforgettable and had the effect of fusing an individual’s identity with the group. Over the years Whitehouse’s theory of religiosity has sparked considerable debate and spawned several international conferences.
 
"Religions" can also be a handy population control device that spares one from having to have a large occupation garrison.
 
Religion(s) can also be a way to accelerate the development(evolution) of the "livestock" on the "farm" towards having culture and then civilization tens to hundreds of thousands of years sooner than they might have done, if left to their own "evolutionary path".
 
Excerpt:

The invention of religion is a big bang in human history. Gods and spirits helped explain the unexplainable, and religious belief gave meaning and purpose to people struggling to survive. But what if everything we thought we knew about religion was wrong? What if belief in the supernatural is window dressing on what really matters—elaborate rituals that foster group cohesion, creating personal bonds that people are willing to die for.

Anthropologist Harvey Whitehouse thinks too much talk about religion is based on loose conjecture and simplistic explanations. Whitehouse directs the Institute of Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology at Oxford University. For years he’s been collaborating with scholars around the world to build a massive body of data that grounds the study of religion in science. Whitehouse draws on an array of disciplines—archeology, ethnography, history, evolutionary psychology, cognitive science—to construct a profile of religious practices.

Whitehouse’s fascination with religion goes back to his own groundbreaking field study of traditional beliefs in Papua New Guinea in the 1980s. He developed a theory of religion based on the power of rituals to create social bonds and group identity. He saw that difficult rituals, like traumatic initiation rites, were often unforgettable and had the effect of fusing an individual’s identity with the group. Over the years Whitehouse’s theory of religiosity has sparked considerable debate and spawned several international conferences.
And secularism has taught us that life has no meaning, and humans now understand pretty much everything, that is, that global warming causes all our ills.

Oh, and don't forget to have an abortion. Killing your offspring is now called reproductive justice.
 
And secularism has taught us that life has no meaning, and humans now understand pretty much everything, that is, that global warming causes all our ills.

Oh, and don't forget to have an abortion. Killing your offspring is now called reproductive justice.

Is that what you believe?
 
Religion and politics is toxic

It is why today teachers are teaching children the propaganda of CRT and gender studies. Now children believe that they are either a perpetual victim or oppressor, which will then later influence them to vote for people who peddle this child abuse.

Why? Cuz Merrick Garlands son in law needs to get rich selling this stuff to schools


Meanwhile, the state forbids God from being taught in the classroom. Our salvation now comes from the state, often referred to as our collective salvation that comes in the form of government programs.

But since they don't utter the "G" word, their religion is PC.

Then again, I've noticed that Christians that are left leaning and embrace such things as abortion are perfectly acceptable to the Left, like the Catholic Biden who is in love with the genocide of abortion.

So long as Jesus bows his knee to the DNC, all is well with Christianity.
 
Religion and politics is toxic

It is why today teachers are teaching children the propaganda of CRT and gender studies. Now children believe that they are either a perpetual victim or oppressor, which will then later influence them to vote for people who peddle this child abuse.

Why? Cuz Merrick Garlands son in law needs to get rich selling this stuff to schools


Meanwhile, the state forbids God from being taught in the classroom. Our salvation now comes from the state, often referred to as our collective salvation that comes in the form of government programs.

But since they don't utter the "G" word, their religion is PC.

Then again, I've noticed that Christians that are left leaning and embrace such things as abortion are perfectly acceptable to the Left, like the Catholic Biden who is in love with the genocide of abortion.

So long as Jesus bows his knee to the DNC, all is well with Christianity.

Why not send your children to Church and Sunday school?

What religion do you want to teach as school curriculum?
 
The Secular perspective on this subject can be as frustrating as the "True Believer" one at times, both having a limited perspective and that being one that thinks "we humans" are the only Sentients in the Cosmos. More on that factor in a later post here. For now, and to get the subject going ...

The Ancient Rites That Gave Birth to Religion​

Sacred beliefs likely arose out of prehistoric bonding and rituals.​

Interesting stuff. My personal theory is that religion comes from medicine. Every primitive society knows what plants, animals, and minerals found in their environment can be used to treat diseases and injuries. The preparation of some may be complex and involved. How and why these things worked was a mystery and it's easy to think a supernatural force was at work. That knowledge would be passed down as oral tradition and shamanism was born.
 
Or they could send their kids to religious schools nd forego math entirely.
Nope, private schools that include religion have great math programs, and there is no reason to forego one for the other.

This is another reason why school choice would be a blessing instead of Big Government insisting one size fits all and all learn exactly what Big Government wants and brushes aside anything it doesn't. School choice! :)
 
Nope, private schools that include religion have great math programs, and there is no reason to forego one for the other.

This is another reason why school choice would be a blessing instead of Big Government insisting one size fits all and all learn exactly what Big Government wants and brushes aside anything it doesn't. School choice! :)
Yeah, those charter schools are a great example of 'school choice'.

Where mom can drop off the kids at school and do her grocery shopping, without ever leaving the parking lot.
 
"Religions" can also be a handy population control device that spares one from having to have a large occupation garrison.
The use of religion to use for political power goes back centuries

It used to be that rulers would convince the populace that they were a god, such as the Egyptian Pharaohs. But when that no longer worked, rulers convinced the populace that they spoke for God, such as the Catholic church in the Dark Ages when the populace did not have access to the written word and relied, instead, on Popes to read it and interpret it for them. These were Popes that were more like kings waging wars across the globe than religious leaders. And when this no longer worked, rulers convinced the populace that there was not God, such as Stalin, thus making them the ultimate authority once again.

These same rulers crucified Jesus to a cross, and will do the same to you if you dare get in their way.
 
Religion and politics is toxic

It is why today teachers are teaching children the propaganda of CRT and gender studies. Now children believe that they are either a perpetual victim or oppressor, which will then later influence them to vote for people who peddle this child abuse.

Why? Cuz Merrick Garlands son in law needs to get rich selling this stuff to schools


Meanwhile, the state forbids God from being taught in the classroom. Our salvation now comes from the state, often referred to as our collective salvation that comes in the form of government programs.

But since they don't utter the "G" word, their religion is PC.

Then again, I've noticed that Christians that are left leaning and embrace such things as abortion are perfectly acceptable to the Left, like the Catholic Biden who is in love with the genocide of abortion.

So long as Jesus bows his knee to the DNC, all is well with Christianity.
Teaching religion in the classroom is impossible, given that there are so many religions and so many subdivisions among them. Your reference to "Christians that are left leaning" shows that you know this already. Christians hold all sorts of views. Your characterization of Biden as being "in love" with abortion is a gross exaggeration. He may just be, and probably is acknowledging that a public official has the duty to govern in a neutral manner whatever their personal feelings are.

Mixing religion and politics is not a good idea.
 

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