by Linda Whiting

Created on: October 01, 2009   Last Updated: October 05, 2009

Religion has always been a part of human race since humans began walking the earth. All religions and myths have similar stories great floods, great evil coming upon the world, Gods wrath, Karma, reap what you sow, and being good to those who are less or greater than you.

In early religion, gifted individuals formulated ideas drawing from experience, reason, and imagination to explain the world around them seeing spirits, having dreams, or reading signs and patterns of the world. They saw another way of looking at things. Some ideas were revolutionary and became known as revelations. They may have been called Prophets.

Early man needed the world explained. Learning from his environment about language, other minds, and linguistic intelligence. The rituals helped them feel in control and alleviate their fears of the unknown with supplement, barter, and sacrifice giving them a feeling of control over bad fortune and pain. A supreme being could explain life, life after death, and personal happiness.

Mircea Eliade (historian of religion) believed that early man used religion ritual for hunting societies. He believed that the practices followed by the Paleolithic man followed same religious practices as hunters and gathers today. There was mystical solidarity between early man and the animal that he hunted. It was much like the hunter-gather communities of today. Early man would pray before and after a hunt giving thanks to their God. For agriculture communities, the harvest had prayer, no insects, to end of draught and thanks at end harvest.

Many cultures and societies have meaningful rituals, colorful festivals, and pilgrimages to sacred places that bring unification and clarification to the group. They have ways of disciplining those who do not follow the rules or disrupted the group.

Religions inspired acts of charity and great works of art. If you look at the Temples (many religions have Temples), Mosque, Vihara, and Churches, you will see the beauty, peace and serenity. Religion gives a sense of security, happiness, belonging, and inner strength. It has helped people to cope with being slaves, captives of war, or annihilated.

On the down side of this, those in power have used it to bolster intolerance and unbridled nationalism. Extremist have used religion used to annihilate groups of people. People have fought against each other claiming their religion is the one when in fact the bases of their religion teach tolerance.

Joseph Campbell (known for his comparison of mythology and religions) looked at religion as having similarities. He sees a theme running through most of them such as thinking only good thoughts, speak only good things, and do only good things.

Every religion is true one way or another. It is there when understood metaphorically. However, when it is stuck in its own metaphors, interpreting them as facts, then you are in trouble. - Joseph Campbell

People, who did not believe in God, then gave into the need for a being greater than them have become less selfish and more in tune with the world around them caring for people. I was an atheist at one time. It took me awhile to believe that a Loving God could love the human being with all our faults, but I did. I now believe that whatever religion or non-religion a person practices should be there choice as long as it is caring.

http://plato.stanford.edu

http://www.hinduwebsite.com/zoroastrianism/zarabelie fs.asp

http://www.emile-durkheim.com/

http://www.worsleyschool.net/socialarts/marxengels/p age.htmlhttp://plato.stanford.edu/entries/nietzsche/#Oth

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