Did man create religion , as an alternative to death, to gain and control individuals?

Answer 1

My theory is that religion was created to give man hope in a world of uncertainties and fear. Since humans easily fear the unknown, and out of this fear they harm each other and themselves, religion was created to control this fear and chaos. Obviously, this is derived from the Hobbesian idea of human nature. A war of all against all was controlled by implementing punishments for socially detrimental actions (murder, stealing, etc) and awards for socially beneficial actions (turning over the other cheek, etc).

However, once religion was created, it was later used for other reasons, i.e. political or personal reasons. Nothing good ever lasts forever.

Answer 2

Neither. Those became reasons later but the first reason was probably to explain that which man couldn't explain.

Why are there lights in the sky? God must have put them there.

Why don't they fall down? God stuck them into something - a firmament.

Why do they move? God makes them move to make day and night and to mark the seasons.

That's the ancient jewish (and current fundamentalist) explanation of the cosmos. Other groups developed other gods with other powers. The Greeks gave Apollo the sun and Diana the moon to move about the sky. It's only later that the structures around religion became important for control and it's only later that a belief in an afterlife developed.

Answer 3

Man didn't create religion for any of those reasons. Man created religion to fill the empty void within himself that calls out for some higher meaning. In doing so, he created a god in his own image and proclaimed to the world that his god was the true one. Mankind has been doing it for ages. Even atheists do it in their own way. Though their higher meaning comes from science rather than a deity, the result and objective is still the same.

Answer 4

Religion was not created by man.

Answer 5

Religion is one alternative to death... but spirituality is another.

As for "control"... I'm not going there. Do you really believe that people do not have the cognitive ability to think for themselves? :o

Answer 6

Early cave men had some sort of religion. They buried their dead, let the flesh rot off, and then disinterred them and painted their bones with red ochre, which many indian tribes do to put life back into the dead.

That indicates some belief in the eschatalogical.

Answer 7

I believe that man created religion to help keep the masses organized and orderly and when people have someone or something to worship they seem to be better people

Answer 8

no - man created religion as a means of trying to understand who God is. Over the centuries, it came (in various forms) to gain control.


blessings :)

Answer 9

Some were created this way, yes, others were simply as a way to honor and work with the elements as they understood them, and to help others.

_()_

Answer 10

Nah....God did.....he created christanity not man. Man just wrote down what god told them to...but some people make up religions...ha ha silly ones too lol