What is the Original Religion?

by Satanus 21 Replies latest jw friends

  • Satanus
    Satanus

    Seems to me that the primordial religion, if it could be called that, is a form of paganism that has pantheism, animism and shamanism. Also, it may contain sun worship.

    In this 'religion', they felt a connection w the land, had respect for nature and the animals. They often explained or apologised to the animals that they had to kill for food. This form was practiced around the globe, on all continents and islands. Is this the true religion? Or, does it make more sense that later, more developed, what could be called proper religions are more correct? Which form is more compatible w science?

    S

  • B_Deserter
    B_Deserter

    I saw an interesting thing on the discovery channel about Homo Erectus. They showed a migrating group when a woman and her child wandered off and they ended up getting struck by lightning. The brother rushed over and tried to revive them, but only to no avail. He placed animal skins over their bodies and the group stopped to mourn. A few hours later, the daughter woke up. The brother, thinking the pelt he placed over his little sister was magic, tried it with his mother, but she didn't wake up. Vultures started circling overhead so in order to keep them from damaging the body, the son buried his mother to keep her safe until she woke up.

    I realize that's purely conjecture but I could definitely see something similar happening. To the primitive man, the world was a scary unexplainable place, so religion was invented to explain it.

  • TopHat
    TopHat

    My guess is when the angels came down to earth to mate with the daughters of men...they were made into Gods and their offspring became semi Gods and is how Greek Myths were born...Stories told and handed down from Noah and his sons.

  • R.Crusoe
    R.Crusoe

    I wodred about American Indians and how much of life held a sacredness for them and if this was a common theme amongst many peoples overthrown by 'Christian' takeovers in past centuries. I have often wondered if they were closer to their maker than those who labeled them as heathens!

  • tula
    tula

    Y'all are building a good case for evolution of the mind here.

    It sounds like we were an experiment all along.

    Maybe we are headed "Back to the Beginning"

    "Now, yet another example of the Environmental Religion comes to the forefront. It now appears that the writings of the chief prophet of the United Church of Environmentalism are now being placed in a hotel in place of the Gideon bible, long a staple in American hotel rooms. Gaia Nappa Valley Hotel and Spa will find an edition of the prophet’s writings, “An Inconvenient Truth.” "

  • quietlyleaving
    quietlyleaving

    From my perspective at the moment, I am fascinated by how religions of the past and present focus on light and darkness and how humans draw meaning from the contrasts.

  • Satanus
    Satanus

    The inuit that resisted christianity had a very close feeling to the land. The felt that animals also had a spirit and some animals gave themselves up to the hunters.

    S

  • Satanus
    Satanus

    Tophat

    Wouldn't you say that adam talking to god was the original religion?

    S

  • R.Crusoe
    R.Crusoe

    The idea that there was a first man/woman is like the one about chicken and eggs. It doesn't really amount to religion. It's more a logic exercise which has an unknown degree of certainty respecting the answer.

  • worldtraveller
    worldtraveller

    RC is right. But do we really think that during the early days of this planet that when early man had to work hard just to survive. Imagine life with creatures all around you significantly larger than yourself thinking you are tops on the food chain. Hardly enough time to worry about religion!

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