How did religion start?
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23 Answers to "How did religion start?"
Posted by artbandit Apr 12th, 2012 at 2:15AM
schizophrenia, then the academics jumped on the band wagon, add capitalism with monopoly style business policies and voila!
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Reply by artbandit Apr 12th, 2012 at 2:17AM
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Reply by EarthlingWise Apr 12th, 2012 at 2:52AM
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Posted by hartfire Apr 12th, 2012 at 3:57AM
It is believed that religion may have developed as a response to fear, as an attempt to gain a sense of security or control. Since religion began before writing, though, we really don't know for sure. You can find more information here: http://www.religioustolerance.org/rel_th...
John Shelby Spong, retired bishop of the Episcopal Church, USA has written:
"Religion is primarily a search for security and not a search for truth. Religion is what we so often use to bank the fires of our anxiety. That is why religion tends toward becoming excessive, neurotic, controlling and even evil. That is why a religious government is always a cruel government. People need to understand that questioning and doubting are healthy, human activities to be encouraged not to be feared. Certainty is a vice not a virtue. Insecurity is something to be grasped and treasured. A true and healthy religious system will encourage each of these activities. A sick and fearful religious system will seek to remove them."
David C. James, rector of St. John's Episcopal Church & Diocesan Mission Center in Olympia, WA, wrote:
"Many times when we think we are worshipping God, we are actually comforting our very fragile egos. I’m not so naïve as to assume that we build temple and erect altars to ourselves…directly. But our core need to been safe, secure and sound mandates that we construct reality systems that will support us."
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Reply by baljit47 Apr 15th, 2012 at 8:23PM
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Posted by EarthlingWise Apr 12th, 2012 at 3:09AM
Lots of questions about life, then lots of social strifes to be settled. Expedients were found. Like when a kid asks some complex question, and you give them a simple stupid answer to be quiet.
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Posted by dx2dsquared Apr 12th, 2012 at 2:54AM
Steven Kings great great great great great grandfather got stoned one night and wrote a book
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Posted by chrismark61 Apr 12th, 2012 at 2:19AM
aliens that planted DNA on earth
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Posted by deadpan46 Apr 12th, 2012 at 2:13AM
hallucinogens most likely
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Posted by NoOnespeical Apr 12th, 2012 at 2:13AM
I believe it was the sumerians. I'm not 100% but I am pretty sure
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Posted by baljit47 Apr 15th, 2012 at 8:30PM
Religion was started by MEN who felt threatened by others that they would loose pow er.
True religion ,be it any is just a way of life to guide people a way to be a good human being and steer themeselves in a righteous path without hurting / denigrating anyone else for their way of life.
I feel it is the different religion teachings which are breeding hatred, in people by brain washing them and putting fear of going to hell or heaven.
He ll and Heaven are very much here .In ourpresent existence , we have to reach out for it by opening our minds ,ears,eyes to the true realities of finding it ..
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Posted by Lacewetter Apr 12th, 2012 at 8:35PM
First man invented god, then decided he could control other men with this invention, so religion was invented.
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Posted by Goodwill22 Apr 12th, 2012 at 4:01PM
Quote me right, religious origin was what the first man like doing. With time others apply there own like. If you make a different many may like it too. The first man in question believes that after the activities life became easy for him.
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Posted by pinkgodslippers Apr 12th, 2012 at 5:29AM
People were still living in caves and only had a fire to watch, When God thought of a game to pass the time until television and the internet could be invented. God really wasn't that smart when it came to thinking ahead because he forgot to put a time limit on how long a religion would last. Over the years a few whoppers were told over and over to new players and when God died no one knew how to end this game. So God the caveman is to blame for years of indoctrination that became the religion game and written down from cave walls to pyramids and the bibles.
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Posted by hopefullyhumble Apr 12th, 2012 at 3:26AM
Religion might be man's attempts to "figure God out" or if there is a god...then he decides what God would want him to do, or in his mind , what God would want him to make others do...it is confusing and counterproductive I believe in God but don't have time for much religion
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Posted by juliegirlie Apr 12th, 2012 at 3:20AM
fear of emptiness !
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Posted by MissGaga Apr 12th, 2012 at 3:02AM
It started with the creation of Adam and Eve.
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Posted by H3LLl3OUND Apr 12th, 2012 at 2:52AM
The two things that seperate mankind from the rest of the animal kingdom are opposable thumbs and the ability to create and implement tools. Religion is a multi-tool. It fills in gaps of knowledge with myth and conjecture, which is how I believe it began. Since the first person explained a seemingly unexplainable occurrence (i.e. Rain, death, disease, crop growth, infant survival rate, changing of seasons, ad infinitum) with a creative story that convinced others of its verity, religion has grown and evolved with mankind. The more intelligent among our ancestors quickly discovered that along with giving hope and a sense of belonging with those who shared beliefs, religion could be used to subjugate, control, fleece and police the faithful. The same stories were told and retold, plagiarized and cannibalized and the "popular" beliefs fell to new doctrines as more effective systems were created. The different "faiths" we see in society today are the result of tool making that began at the dawn of mankind. Nothing in the history of our species has given more people strength, hope and unity as these various faiths. All the while controlling, enslaving, separating those with different views, teaching hatred, intolerance, self loathing and making even the most vile of atrocities seem divine in their execution. Faith has the power to cover oceans of iniquities.
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Posted by Remand Apr 12th, 2012 at 2:36AM
I believe the catholic/christian religions were oringially designed to create order and control; enforced by a ruler whom can't be overcome or subverted.
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Posted by abstraction Apr 12th, 2012 at 2:32AM
It's so early they can only speculate on what they find. It appears to be part of neanderthal practice as well. I think the why is a deeply profound question. Animals treat death as it comes. Why do homo sapiens 'rage against the dying of the light'?
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Reply by EarthlingWise Apr 12th, 2012 at 2:55AM
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Reply by abstraction Apr 12th, 2012 at 3:01AM
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Posted by BrokenWithin Apr 12th, 2012 at 2:24AM
Uh, I dont know
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Posted by CPTrilling Apr 12th, 2012 at 2:23AM
I would guess that some novel characters appeared in dreams with information that was useful in waking life. When this insight was communicated and proven useful, truth and reality were confounded.
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Posted by StarWanderer Apr 12th, 2012 at 2:15AM
Through misinterpretation and too many people telling the same story.
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