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The origin of religion

I read a very provocative theory the other day on the origin of religion. The book claimed that hunters and gatherers lived in sophisticated tribal nations during the transition to civilization and basically created Yahweh and other gods to manipulate resources out of early settled communities. Anyone else hear about this?

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Permalink Reply by Jessica Berman on July 8, 2012 at 8:27pm

I'm not commenting directly about the book but the entire premise is wrong. First Yahweh isn't even a real word. It's an attempted transliteration of the word/symbols for God in the Hebrew bible, and was first used in 1869 (see http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=yahweh ) The symbols used have no vowels, like the entire Torah, and the word is unpronounceable - in Hebrew it's spoken as Adonai or Shaddai.

The book of Job is part of the later parts of the writings of the bible and only became "official" in the 2nd century BCE, long after the origins of religion. It's a strange book, in which the translations of words, verses, and even chapters are still confusing to scholars. I'd want to know what translation the author used to interpret Job.

Like all beliefs and stories from the Bronze Age and earlier, wars, conquerors, killing and enslaving people were part of ancient stories. This is how cross-pollination of beliefs and religious practices occurred. Even the early Israelites often worshipped the pagan gods around them, while maintaining the one all-knowing, all-powerful supreme god. The claims about the origin of Yahweh in Babylonian or other earlier times have been around for awhile, and often try to say there is an ancient conspiracy by the Israelites to hide their God's origins. It sounds like this book is another version of this unsupported claim.

Permalink Reply by John Lynch on July 14, 2012 at 7:56am

The Invention of God: The Natural Origins of Mythology and Religion by Bill Lauritzen

Has any of you read this theory. I read it and it is far fetched as any you have mentioned. Any opinions on this book?

Permalink Reply by Madhukar Kulkarni on July 15, 2012 at 1:41am

So many different religions have originated in different parts of the world, over a long period of time, that it is impossible that all of them have the same cause for their origin. There are two components for all religions, one is god and worship and the other is a code of conduct. Both the Bible and the Qurran show these components. Besides these, there could be other local causes or components for a religion of that particular locality. I do not believe that any single book can tell the entire story of all religions.

Permalink Reply by John Lynch on July 15, 2012 at 8:24am

The book I mentioned was the reason for belief in a god or gods, not the beginnings of religion. I got off subject a bit. I suppose it is just as difficult to find when man kind decided it was the supernatural that guided events in there lives.

Permalink Reply by Jessica on August 27, 2012 at 7:21am

I have never heard of this. I agree with Lightnin' Lives. My general understanding and theory is that religions were made due to lack of scientific knowledge, the need to have a purpose in life and the refusal to accept death as the final end.

Permalink Reply by Ant Mac on September 13, 2012 at 2:29am

I always felt they were something to do with how we learn as a baby.

Things are new, inexplicable and strange to start with. Two or three of these strange things are comforting. They teach you to use words, which means you can begin to understand. They seem to know everything there is, at least as far as your baby mind can see.

At this point you are kinda programmed to accept there is (a) an explicable order to all you don't understand and (b) your parents are the main source for the explaination. (c) Grandad and Grandma taught them in their turn.

Little kids don't know to question, they just know mum knows.

If someone ever tries to think logically of a parent that taught the first parent . . . things like gods pop into the equation "naturally". Obviously due to faulty logical training, which you can also blame of "first grandma and grandad".

Permalink Reply by Adrian K. on September 15, 2012 at 6:52pm

Religion is essentially no different from mythology. Judaism-Christianity absorbed many elements from mythologies in Egypt, Greece, Persia and adapted it to suit their purpose. When people stop taking Judaism, Christianity and Islam seriously, then it'll stop being a religion and become merely mythology.