2006-12-17 05:53:06 · 13 answers · asked by Nicole 5 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Most likely that the dead survive in another world.
2006-12-17 05:56:53 · answer #1 · answered by Sweetchild Danielle 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
I agree with Danielle: a belief in the afterlife is the most common belief among ancient civilizations. It's not the object of worship: Some worshipped the sun, some worshipped the moon, or the thunder, or the wind, even another human they thought was divine. What they worshipped varied. But the REASON they worshipped anything at all is rooted in a wish for an afterlife.
Until primitive man saw and understood death of his own species, he had no reason to doubt that he would live forever, if he could escape his predators. All little kids think that they'll live forever, before they're fed religious pablum about heaven and hell. Mourning a dead loved one, early man wanted to believe that life continued unseen, beyond his vision, maybe underground or in the stars. Just think about dreams... ancient man surely thought that when he dreamed of someone who was dead, he was seeing his "spirit" in another "plane".
Primitive man is thought to have believed that the stars were hearth fires of their deceased loved ones, which makes perfect sense.
It's from this belief that life continues beyond death that the idea of worshipping an object -- the sun, thunder, fire etc. -- emerged. But a belief in the afterlife, I firmly believe, came first.
2006-12-18 08:27:48 · answer #2 · answered by Emerald Blue 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Other than China, which worshiped no deities, various forms of Paganism were the most common among ancient civilizations. In fact, a lot of monotheistic tradition is based on Pagan practice.
2006-12-17 14:01:28 · answer #3 · answered by gjstoryteller 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Most ancient religions believe in Creation, a Universal flood and the idea of a Messiah. Most also required a sacrifice in some way or another. Baal worshippers passed their sons through fire. Central America tribes also did human sacrifices.
I believe all these to be deviations from a common worship that was suposed to be transmitted from generation to generation.
2006-12-17 14:13:15 · answer #4 · answered by veggie 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
A lot of people repeating a lot of nonsense. Ancient religion was not akin to modern neo-paganism. The guy who said "the sun" is right - the cults of Adonis, Osiris, Persephone, Dionysus, Tammuz, Jesus, Metatron, Helios, Mithras and Sol Invictus, just to name a few, were all based on the course of the sun through the solar year.
2006-12-17 14:02:41 · answer #5 · answered by NONAME 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the expanation of something that could not be explained.
most belief structures circled around the idea that if you give something up you will be rewarded in one way or another. That in itsself is the apex of any belief structure. Sacrifice, offerings, tithes, meditation, and even shopping...they all center around suffering for a moment to be rewarded at another time.
2006-12-17 13:59:43 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
They all worshiped different things like sun, moon, water and lightning. The earliest religious text was 3000 bc it talked about dragons.
2006-12-17 13:58:22 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
they all had a form or forms of higher power to worship and if did the deed sought out by this higher would recive an eternity under ther wing in a paridise place after death
2006-12-17 14:05:34 · answer #8 · answered by Zack M 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Animism.
2006-12-17 13:59:44 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
They were nature based animistic religions. They believed that all animals, plants, rocks, etc had spirits, similar to Native American beliefs.
2006-12-17 13:56:42 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋