From an evolutionary standpoint, what influenced humans to have religion?

Question

Say, do lizards have religion? Is it just a human thing, with our highly advanced brains? And why has it been a part of every culture way back to the dawn of humanity? Is it because a sort of higher power does exist, or is it because the human brain has developed a need for the sense of spirituality?

Answer 1

All animals and reptiles have unique adaptations to survive!
We as mammals, developed thought, "I think therefore I am"!
So what influenced humans to have religion?
DEATH!

Answer 2

Human survival depended on understanding nature. An opportunistic hunter such as a Neanderthal could kill a deer that it happened upon. Modern humans, however, studied the movements of deer during the course of the days and seasons. They had a better idea where the herds and the berries would be on a given day.
An obvious feature of things in Nature, is that they move....Usually, there is an explanation for why they move...Primitive scientists tried to fill in the blanks for things that moved without any obvious reason (wind, volcanos, the Sun and Moon were humanized). They were perceived to be very powerful and fickle entities. Eventually they were deified by primitive humans. God continues to be a construct that helps the primitive human mind to understand things that happen without an apparent reason.

Answer 3

Humans have the brain capacity to consider things, and once they realized how finite they are and how infinite everything else seems to be, they filled in the blanks with a sense of awe. But it's not just humans. Chimpanzees have been observed doing this. I saw a primate special on PBS a few years ago where a wild chimpanzee was dancing--and I do mean dancing--in front of a waterfall in the jungle in obvious rapture. Even the camera crew thought so.

Answer 4

This question leads one to the Taboo section of reality. That is it is considered taboo by government, and government has taught society to avoid those environmental factors responsible for profound spiritual insight.

Download the free Winamp Player and watch the video stream I-AM-THAT-I-AM on Shoutcast TV, you will find your answer there.

The worshiping of the Golden Cow is one of the best known analogies of finding spiritual insight. You see the cow produced the dung, that grew the mushroom, that great men saw god with. So it was not the cow that should be worshiped, but the god that loves us. The mushroom is merely a tool of communication between the divine man and evolving man (angels walk among us trying to help us see).
From these profound alchemical meditations, religions were born, only to be confiscated by governments and then distorted to serve government purposes.

Answer 5

Not necessary a need for spirituality... but rather safety, comfort and survival. Staying alive is the one true instinct we are all born with and share with the other animals on earth. Religion, a man made social structure, provided protection in numbers to all those who followed... and provided a sense of comfort in knowing that even after death you would still live on.

Our next step in "evolution" as a species will be coming to terms with our mortality. The idea that this is the only one we get is frightening to some, but also has the potential to compel people to live life to the fullest, and try to make a difference for the better. Sadly, religion can compel people to murder themselves and others... as they are convinced they will be blessed in the next life.

Answer 6

In sticking to a strictly evolutionary view, I doubt that death had anything to do with it. I don't believe there are any early religious writings claiming life after death. If anything it would probably have to do with the act of birth. On a secondary note, you may also argue on the fact of man's need for food such as hunting and farming where weather and other elements come into play.

Basically, any unexplainable events that occur or are beyond our ability to understand.

Answer 7

Julian Jaynes attributes religion in ancient tribes to the function of the bicameral mind (two minds). Because the left and right brains are poorly connected and one side favors space relations while the other favors thought, the logical side was always forced to explain poorly understood 'observations' of the other side. Likely the importance of totem animals (Freud?) during hunting and a needed explanation for the death of strong leaders (only the strong led) who continued to 'communicate' after burial led to beliefs that somehow they survived death. The bicameral mind ceased to operate in the ancient manner with the 'invention' of full-blown languages that described everything and needing less 'explanation' of what the two brain hemispheres experienced. He claimed that ancient Greek oracles were usually poorly educated country girls who could still use their bicameral minds; but usually needed astute interpreters to gather meaning from their rambled words and visions. Of course this is quick and dirty(?) and you must research Jaynes yourself to get the totality of his novel ideas. They were of course not universally accepted as a good explanation for modern religion.

Answer 8

Nature. The water ,the wind & the sun,the moon & the stars. Lizards don't need religion. They're sole purpose is to breed.Humans need love to exsist & can always turn to they're spiritual God to love them.

Answer 9

Without religion we would live in a world of chaos. There would be nothing stopping us from our savage instincts. If we didn't have these religious scripts from guiding to the light of our saviour we would live in utter chaos.

Answer 10

first off look around you and see the creations that are before you eyes. common sense