Chapter 1 - The Search for the Divine
From the begining humans by and large have always believed in something. The intangible something, the something that is greater than ourselves. Every civilization had a belief structure, from Ancient Incas to Egyptians from the scattered tribes of the South Pacific to the jungle tribes of the Amazon, a system of beliefs and worship were developed. While it is plausible that these polythestic societies developed to insure a sense of community and a hierarchy within the society, its is also plausible to state that these dieties were developed as a way to explain the unexplainable, thus giving a reason for natural disasters and famine. There wasn't Dopplar radar to show a hurricane coming but to anger the Water Gods gave people a scapegoat. So if we assume that early worship developed for those reasons of community, unity and reasoning, the ultimate question is why? While those are reasons they are not always the why. Why is it that these civilaztions which were seperated by distance and even time so closely similar and is the developement of worship and the wonder of the greater than ourselves divine embeded in our minds and DNA?
The earliest of the religions had a Sun God, a Water God, an Earth-type God and of course a Death God. For now lets focus on death, simply put what greater mystery is there than death? It is curious than one binds humanity is the concept of immortality, Freud suggested that it is because of our reluctance to accept death than we formed these ideals of a life after death, to him death was a natural act of nature. But humans, unable to accept death or to come to grips with their own mortality developed these elaborate views of Heaven or Nirvana. Freud may have been right in his assumption, but having 60 plus years after his death and advances in technology and archeology that wasn't there in his time, unveiled several socities which pre-date the organized major religions showed that even during the hunter gather periods of humanity had their Gods and beliefs, discovered caves bearing pictograms illustrate a simplistic belief system and afterlife. Could we infer that over the course of several generations and civilizations that this simplistic cave drawing became our version of Heaven?
If you read or seen the depictions of the journey of Ra through the underworld on the walls and tombs of the Egyptian dead you can see that the story involves a journey through the darkness and a "resurrection" which results in the rising sun. The idea of a resurrection has been with us for as long as the concept of worship has. So are todays' modern religions the result of "religious" evolution to make in more uniform?
It wasn't unitl the Christian movement began after Jesus' cruxifiction that the idea of monothestic and a "you're wrong and we're right" mentality took root. Prior to that Roman pagan beliefs were varied local dieties, personal ones were all over the Roman Empire thus giving them a sense of noone's wrong and tolerance. It was Christian beliefs that sought to uniform worship, the basis of it was based upon the life death and afterlife of one Man, not unlike the story of Ra, or the story of Horace in Egyptian mythology, or the Greek myths that preceded the Roman Empire.
So do we has a people find comfort more in death believing in an afterlife easier? The answer is no, its is harder to have faith in the afterlife than to not. To simple believe that this is it lifts a great weight of our shoulders, theres no burden for sin nor morality. But to believe in an afterlife as prescribed by religons makes it difficult moreso today because of science and common sense. Ignorance in previous centuries gave no scientific truths thus the clouds were heavenly, but anyone today who's every flwon knows that in cloud is nothing. So having faith in todays world were things can be proven is a true test of one's faith. belief and intelligence. Is it any wonder why we are still searching for divinity? Where we find truth in religion, science or shopping are we all not the same humans who once looked at the stars as Gods now look at celebrity, fame, riches and material wealth in the same way? Why is it that when someone says they believe there is a snicker? Why is that someone who says they believe get a curious eyebropw raised at them? Perhaps to have belief despite everything to the contrary is an abstract notion today.
The unwillingness to accpt death is a strong pull. We would like to believe that theres more than just this, that we'll see our loved ones again someday. It comforts us whther this notions are real or laughable depending on your view, we cannot mistaken hope for misguide ideology. Hope is what binded us together for so long, hope for the future and for ourselves. The bond to believe in something greater than ourselves and to answer questions is what made us who and what we are. Perhaps that is proof we need to show us that we have a soul and hope is a part of the human condition....
From the begining humans by and large have always believed in something. The intangible something, the something that is greater than ourselves. Every civilization had a belief structure, from Ancient Incas to Egyptians from the scattered tribes of the South Pacific to the jungle tribes of the Amazon, a system of beliefs and worship were developed. While it is plausible that these polythestic societies developed to insure a sense of community and a hierarchy within the society, its is also plausible to state that these dieties were developed as a way to explain the unexplainable, thus giving a reason for natural disasters and famine. There wasn't Dopplar radar to show a hurricane coming but to anger the Water Gods gave people a scapegoat. So if we assume that early worship developed for those reasons of community, unity and reasoning, the ultimate question is why? While those are reasons they are not always the why. Why is it that these civilaztions which were seperated by distance and even time so closely similar and is the developement of worship and the wonder of the greater than ourselves divine embeded in our minds and DNA?
The earliest of the religions had a Sun God, a Water God, an Earth-type God and of course a Death God. For now lets focus on death, simply put what greater mystery is there than death? It is curious than one binds humanity is the concept of immortality, Freud suggested that it is because of our reluctance to accept death than we formed these ideals of a life after death, to him death was a natural act of nature. But humans, unable to accept death or to come to grips with their own mortality developed these elaborate views of Heaven or Nirvana. Freud may have been right in his assumption, but having 60 plus years after his death and advances in technology and archeology that wasn't there in his time, unveiled several socities which pre-date the organized major religions showed that even during the hunter gather periods of humanity had their Gods and beliefs, discovered caves bearing pictograms illustrate a simplistic belief system and afterlife. Could we infer that over the course of several generations and civilizations that this simplistic cave drawing became our version of Heaven?
If you read or seen the depictions of the journey of Ra through the underworld on the walls and tombs of the Egyptian dead you can see that the story involves a journey through the darkness and a "resurrection" which results in the rising sun. The idea of a resurrection has been with us for as long as the concept of worship has. So are todays' modern religions the result of "religious" evolution to make in more uniform?
It wasn't unitl the Christian movement began after Jesus' cruxifiction that the idea of monothestic and a "you're wrong and we're right" mentality took root. Prior to that Roman pagan beliefs were varied local dieties, personal ones were all over the Roman Empire thus giving them a sense of noone's wrong and tolerance. It was Christian beliefs that sought to uniform worship, the basis of it was based upon the life death and afterlife of one Man, not unlike the story of Ra, or the story of Horace in Egyptian mythology, or the Greek myths that preceded the Roman Empire.
So do we has a people find comfort more in death believing in an afterlife easier? The answer is no, its is harder to have faith in the afterlife than to not. To simple believe that this is it lifts a great weight of our shoulders, theres no burden for sin nor morality. But to believe in an afterlife as prescribed by religons makes it difficult moreso today because of science and common sense. Ignorance in previous centuries gave no scientific truths thus the clouds were heavenly, but anyone today who's every flwon knows that in cloud is nothing. So having faith in todays world were things can be proven is a true test of one's faith. belief and intelligence. Is it any wonder why we are still searching for divinity? Where we find truth in religion, science or shopping are we all not the same humans who once looked at the stars as Gods now look at celebrity, fame, riches and material wealth in the same way? Why is it that when someone says they believe there is a snicker? Why is that someone who says they believe get a curious eyebropw raised at them? Perhaps to have belief despite everything to the contrary is an abstract notion today.
The unwillingness to accpt death is a strong pull. We would like to believe that theres more than just this, that we'll see our loved ones again someday. It comforts us whther this notions are real or laughable depending on your view, we cannot mistaken hope for misguide ideology. Hope is what binded us together for so long, hope for the future and for ourselves. The bond to believe in something greater than ourselves and to answer questions is what made us who and what we are. Perhaps that is proof we need to show us that we have a soul and hope is a part of the human condition....
posted by V.Daniel | 10:31 AM
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