Ivory figurines, such as the Lion
Human and the Venus, found in German caves, were part of human mythology 35,000 to
40,000 years ago. Ivory musical instruments found in the same layers with those figurines
suggest they were used ritually, possibly in the worship of the figurine
deities. Funerary caches in early human burial sites from 30 TYA indicate some
sort of belief in an afterlife and probably in one or more deities. The
adornment of graves was ritualistic in ways that went far beyond mourning for
the deceased.
So, humans believed in
the supernatural tens of thousands of years before Adam began preaching the
religion of Yahweh. Humans are the only animals that show any religious tendencies and seem so strongly programmed that they will invent a religion if they don’t have one.
The dawn of religions and mythologies is a
consequence of brains becoming capable of formulating complex philosophical
ideas and language sufficiently sophisticated to discuss them with others. The earliest religions are
thought to have been invented to explicate the inexplicable and to provide hope
in the face of hardship. A year of drought or a destructive flood could
be attributed to the anger of a god. So people invented rituals and offerings hoping to appease divine displeasure. Sorrow over the deaths of loved ones
could be assuaged by the belief that spirits simply passed into another realm
to join departed family and friends. Neanderthals, as intelligent as modern humans, may have had religion as part of their cultures more than 400,000 years ago.
Now that science takes
the mystery out of the weather and natural catastrophes, why are most people still strongly
inclined to believe in some form of higher power? 89% of Americans said yes when asked, “Do you believe in God?”
(Gallup, 29 Jun 2016)
Notwithstanding their myriad
anomalies, fallacies, and contradictory doctrines, more than four thousand
religions still hold sway in the world (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism,
Buddhism, Taoism, Shinto, et cetera). So, mankind’s urge to believe is so
strong that doctrinal deficiencies do little to dissuade devotees. And it’s not
that people can’t see problems. The fact that Christianity alone has 33,000
different denominations suggests that people have been very aware of doctrinal
and organizational defects, attempting with the creation of each new sect to
remedy troubling issues.
The so-called “God gene
hypothesis” proposes that a particular allele on gene VMAT2 contributes to the
human predisposition to seek spiritual meaning. (The God Gene: How Faith is Hardwired into our Genes, Dean Hammer,
2005) It would make sense that God has in some way designed humans to be
spiritually receptive and more inclined to believe in Him.
Scientists have theorized that
natural selection might have promoted faith by endowing people with extra
optimism and thereby improving their odds of survival. Multiple studies show
that religious people are happier. And, not only are happy people more likely
to survive tough times, they also have the evolutionary advantage of begetting
more children than sad people. (Kim & Hicks. 2015. Happiness begets children? The Journal of Positive Psychology, 1-8
DOI: 10.1080/17439760)
So, evolution could perhaps explain the “God-shaped
hole in the human heart” that televangelists talk about. Believers see God’s fingerprints in mankind's need for spirituality. But science doesn't tell us how to dust for them. Science suggests that man invented
God to fill emotional and psychological needs.