What caused humans to invent religion?

Question

Note: This question is in the biology category for a reason.

Note 2: This question is about causes, not purposes. In natural sciences like biology, purposes don't matter. Causality please. This is not teleology. It's a natural science.

Note 3: The first 6 answers don't explain religion from a (socio)biological perspective. They're off topic.

Answer 1

Our brains may be "hardwired" to believe in some kind of a god. It is probably an aspect of evolution, selective pressures, and a survival mechanism that lead to an increasingly better more secure society and culture. The cause is better explained in the following link:

Are humans hard-wired for faith?

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/04/04/neurotheology/index.html

Answer 2

In terms of biology the necessity to understand causalities in order to survive and the ongoing diversification of brain to an extend where it allows to understand rather abstract causalities.

Example: rats are quite clever and understand immediately if one of them gets poisoned by some kind of food. But: this kind of causality is limited by time. If a rat dies 3 days after it gets poisoned, the surviving rats do not see the relation between the red crumbs and the death of their mate. Humans and chimps see.

Understanding and developing abstract concepts of causality develops further with the ability to produce tools and diversification of tools produced. Again time is an important key. Using stones or twigs where found in order to get better results definitely proves the awareness of causalities. But: to prepare a flintstone for a specific purpose (cutting meat, cracking heavy bones etc) that will arise in a week and far away from the current place is a much more abstract understanding.

Humans became experts for seeing patterns in almost everything - even if there is no pattern at all (Rohrschach test in psychology for example). The step to assume an unknown force having a will as themself is not a very big one. And if you have a closer look on ancient Greek mythology you will find, that their gods behaved very human.

Nevertheless I think that biology alone is not able to explain invention of religion. You will need a lot of psychology and social sciences as well, me seems. Because once humanoids developed to the point where they where able to act at will and break concepts like "flee fire" but turn it into "seek and heed fire because it is an excellent tool" it will be very, very difficult to explain further development with biological concepts only.

Answer 3

Religion is big business!

Did you know the largest sellers of Catholic items (crosses, pictures of Christ etc.) is a family company owned by Jews?
Hey, anyway to make a buck!

To lessen the chance of us killing and exploiting one another?

Nescy's statement, reminds me of the belief:
If we did not have a religion or god,
we would have invented one.
Many people believe that's what we have done, invented one!

How could God let Notre Damn University lose so many football games this year?!

Was Mary the first surrogate mother?
A biological explaination for the/an emmaculate conception.
Mary experienced parthenogenesis.
(14 year-old pregnant girls use this excuse as well,
aside from the didn't wash hands or sieve phenomena.)
However if this were the case, only produces daughters (XX)
and Jesus would have been female ("Jessica"?).

Religion creationism vs. Evolution theory.
Maybe they are both right.
This means Eve had alot of hair on her face and chest!

But what puzzles me are:

Why do some athiests still say "God damn it"?

Why are people happy, friendly etc. in church,
but when trying to drive out of the parking lot after mass
they honk their horns and swear at each other?

Answer 4

Some good answers already. I don't know that anyone knows for sure. My theory... to explain what they could not understand. Prior to any understanding of science, much of y reference what ancient people saw could not be explained except by some mystical force. Religion or spirtual beings were used to explain weather, the seasons, birth, death, sickness, fire, the sun, the moon, the stars, rain, snow, and on and on. We now have scientific explainations for all these things. THere are still things we can not explain scientifically, maybe most importantly is what happens when we die.

I hope this helps

Answer 5

The need for something after death. The need to not feel alone in the universe. The need need for guidance when you are lost. Crazy Coincidences that can't be explained by any other way that that some benign being helping us, there are a load of reasons.

Answer 6

They looked up at the night sky and could see there was something amazingly big and awe-inspiring. They needed some way to reconcile that vastness and their relative smallness.

Answer 7

I imagine they used Religion to explain things that they themselves could not explain. Also to give themselves hope of something happening after death.

Answer 8

it depends if you like to have something to worship at you will have to invent a religion. for example....You love Star wars, then you Make your religion about star wars. Or some people invent religion because of what they believe at, and some just to fool the other people that trying to believe to their beliefs. it sounds crazy but this is what i think.

Answer 9

Desire to be immortal: the hope that spirit survives even after body has died.
And fear of unknown: What happens to the spirit after death?

Answer 10

or to control people.

In villages, people that talked to God we're always worshipped. Priests were rich, or at least fairly better off then anyone else
they became corrupt ...