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How did religion and civilization shape and create each other?
- Thread starter the voice
- Start date
I suppose the best way to approach this question is to first define what constitutes a religion. If a religion is defined as an organized or corporate worship by Homosapiens of a perceived deity which may involve rituals or rites, then it appears to have first occurred over 70,000 years ago in Africa. There is evidence that these Homosapiens worshiped a python god.
This discovery was made by Associate Professor Sheila Coulson, from the University of Oslo in 2006. She was in north-western Botswana studying the origin of the San people. The article can be found at Science Daily http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/11/061130081347.htm
It is particularly interesting to note how a rock resembling a python head was discovered. It was also noted how the light from a fire could make the python rock almost appear to move. So, did the indigenous people create a worship practice complete with rituals around this python illusion?
It is a reasonable conjecture to state that civilizations tend to seek out and find what would be a believable deity to explain their existence. It might also be said that as the civilization invests more of its culture to their belief they must also devote more of its resources to it evidenced by the many carvings found in the cave. Civilizations will continue to evolve its worship until something greater comes along.
So, the ancient people of the San gave life to an inanimate rock and this same rock gave an explanation of their creation. It is fascinating to consider how a rock or belief in what that rock represented could affect a civilization. I find it interesting how there always seems to be a yearning for an explanation for our existence. Can civilizations ever truly be autonomous?
This discovery was made by Associate Professor Sheila Coulson, from the University of Oslo in 2006. She was in north-western Botswana studying the origin of the San people. The article can be found at Science Daily http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/11/061130081347.htm
It is particularly interesting to note how a rock resembling a python head was discovered. It was also noted how the light from a fire could make the python rock almost appear to move. So, did the indigenous people create a worship practice complete with rituals around this python illusion?
It is a reasonable conjecture to state that civilizations tend to seek out and find what would be a believable deity to explain their existence. It might also be said that as the civilization invests more of its culture to their belief they must also devote more of its resources to it evidenced by the many carvings found in the cave. Civilizations will continue to evolve its worship until something greater comes along.
So, the ancient people of the San gave life to an inanimate rock and this same rock gave an explanation of their creation. It is fascinating to consider how a rock or belief in what that rock represented could affect a civilization. I find it interesting how there always seems to be a yearning for an explanation for our existence. Can civilizations ever truly be autonomous?
I suppose the best way to approach this question is to first define what constitutes a religion. If a religion is defined as an organized or corporate worship by Homosapiens of a perceived deity which may involve rituals or rites, then it appears to have first occurred over 70,000 years ago in Africa. There is evidence that these Homosapiens worshiped a python god.
This discovery was made by Associate Professor Sheila Coulson, from the University of Oslo in 2006. She was in north-western Botswana studying the origin of the San people. The article can be found at Science Daily http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/11/061130081347.htm
It is particularly interesting to note how a rock resembling a python head was discovered. It was also noted how the light from a fire could make the python rock almost appear to move. So, did the indigenous people create a worship practice complete with rituals around this python illusion?
It is a reasonable conjecture to state that civilizations tend to seek out and find what would be a believable deity to explain their existence. It might also be said that as the civilization invests more of its culture to their belief they must also devote more of its resources to it evidenced by the many carvings found in the cave. Civilizations will continue to evolve its worship until something greater comes along.
So, the ancient people of the San gave life to an inanimate rock and this same rock gave an explanation of their creation. It is fascinating to consider how a rock or belief in what that rock represented could affect a civilization. I find it interesting how there always seems to be a yearning for an explanation for our existence. Can civilizations ever truly be autonomous?
This discovery was made by Associate Professor Sheila Coulson, from the University of Oslo in 2006. She was in north-western Botswana studying the origin of the San people. The article can be found at Science Daily http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/11/061130081347.htm
It is particularly interesting to note how a rock resembling a python head was discovered. It was also noted how the light from a fire could make the python rock almost appear to move. So, did the indigenous people create a worship practice complete with rituals around this python illusion?
It is a reasonable conjecture to state that civilizations tend to seek out and find what would be a believable deity to explain their existence. It might also be said that as the civilization invests more of its culture to their belief they must also devote more of its resources to it evidenced by the many carvings found in the cave. Civilizations will continue to evolve its worship until something greater comes along.
So, the ancient people of the San gave life to an inanimate rock and this same rock gave an explanation of their creation. It is fascinating to consider how a rock or belief in what that rock represented could affect a civilization. I find it interesting how there always seems to be a yearning for an explanation for our existence. Can civilizations ever truly be autonomous?
I suppose the best way to approach this question is to first define what constitutes a religion. If a religion is defined as an organized or corporate worship by Homosapiens of a perceived deity which may involve rituals or rites, then it appears to have first occurred over 70,000 years ago in Africa. There is evidence that these Homosapiens worshiped a python god.
This discovery was made by Associate Professor Sheila Coulson, from the University of Oslo in 2006. She was in north-western Botswana studying the origin of the San people. The article can be found at Science Daily http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/11/061130081347.htm
It is particularly interesting to note how a rock resembling a python head was discovered. It was also noted how the light from a fire could make the python rock almost appear to move. So, did the indigenous people create a worship practice complete with rituals around this python illusion?
It is a reasonable conjecture to state that civilizations tend to seek out and find what would be a believable deity to explain their existence. It might also be said that as the civilization invests more of its culture to their belief they must also devote more of its resources to it evidenced by the many carvings found in the cave. Civilizations will continue to evolve its worship until something greater comes along.
So, the ancient people of the San gave life to an inanimate rock and this same rock gave an explanation of their creation. It is fascinating to consider how a rock or belief in what that rock represented could affect a civilization. I find it interesting how there always seems to be a yearning for an explanation for our existence. Can civilizations ever truly be autonomous?
This discovery was made by Associate Professor Sheila Coulson, from the University of Oslo in 2006. She was in north-western Botswana studying the origin of the San people. The article can be found at Science Daily http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/11/061130081347.htm
It is particularly interesting to note how a rock resembling a python head was discovered. It was also noted how the light from a fire could make the python rock almost appear to move. So, did the indigenous people create a worship practice complete with rituals around this python illusion?
It is a reasonable conjecture to state that civilizations tend to seek out and find what would be a believable deity to explain their existence. It might also be said that as the civilization invests more of its culture to their belief they must also devote more of its resources to it evidenced by the many carvings found in the cave. Civilizations will continue to evolve its worship until something greater comes along.
So, the ancient people of the San gave life to an inanimate rock and this same rock gave an explanation of their creation. It is fascinating to consider how a rock or belief in what that rock represented could affect a civilization. I find it interesting how there always seems to be a yearning for an explanation for our existence. Can civilizations ever truly be autonomous?
Dancing Phalanges
New member
Civilization is the root of religion. Before civilization, people moved and traveled, hunting and gathering. Their sole concern was survival. Once agriculture came about and people began staying in one place for extended periods of time, we began to see specialaized workers emerge- smiths, builders, merchants, etc. When survival was no longer the main concern, people began looking around them and seeing things that they couldn't explain- why the sun rose, why the river flooded, and so on. They began using gods to explain these things, hence, religion is born.
Religion shaped civilization in that it provided a basis for daily life. Many cities were based around a temple, and religious principles served as morals by which to live. For a long time, priests and religious leaders ruled societies. The pharohs of Egypt, for instance, were revered as gods. Religion also led to major world events, namely wars. It has constantly changed the map throughout history as well as society itself.
Ultimately, religion and civilization go hand in hand: where you find one, you are likely to find another.
Religion shaped civilization in that it provided a basis for daily life. Many cities were based around a temple, and religious principles served as morals by which to live. For a long time, priests and religious leaders ruled societies. The pharohs of Egypt, for instance, were revered as gods. Religion also led to major world events, namely wars. It has constantly changed the map throughout history as well as society itself.
Ultimately, religion and civilization go hand in hand: where you find one, you are likely to find another.