What would you say is the root of all religion?

[ajax18]

RI asked how I thought people here might answer this question, so I thought, "Why guess? Let's just ask."

What would you say is the root of all religion?

Why are you so concerned about religion?

[huckelberry]

Quickie List

1. Human desire to find purpose
2. Human desire to figure out how "all this" came about (How did we get here? How did the natural world happen?)
3. Human sense that the power and interdependent relationships (including us) we see in nature refers to a higher power
4. Human wonder about what, if anything, happens to us when we die

This part is hard because where the above refers to belief, here comes the religion part. In no particular order.

5. A desire to gather with people with shared interests and belief
6. Living out the relationships we see described in religious texts with regard to to "church" and worship
7. So far as I am aware, the very root of religion was based on observation of nature starting with One God then changed over time due to human intellectual development to multiple gods that controlled their ability to sustain life--agriculture/worship/sacrifice related, then shifted over time to include variations of God concepts, forming of religious governments (councils) to make decisions on behalf of various groups of believers...etc. and etc.

I do think that items 1-4 (with the possible exception of 3) are human needs and/or desires that are common to humans, not just those who believe in a God. My evidence for that: the development of scientific thought. The second list, though not every item, is basically a study in sociology. Humans gather, establish governments...even young children do this.

I like Jersey girls answer because it is clear that there is no one root. There are multiple roots perhaps even contradictory roots. Peoples desire to defeat boredom with good stories. People desire to transmit actual knowledge with stories. Desire to supplement knowledge with magic and imagination. One could consider the need for focused personal reflection. People create a community context for reflection to increase memory.

Then sweat lodge was nice for warmth in the winter and a vision quest is a memorable adventure in which to attach oneself to values for your life. Then there are courage rituals to focus courage needed to continue the community. It is possible the desire to make sacrifice precedes theories about it and names for it.

Someone might say the root is an awareness of God without knowledge that we all have.I admit to having some attachment to that view but even if correct it would be a very incomplete picture of the roots of religion.

I may have been looking back at prebronze age religion for roots so skipped the political power plays that city states created. Then philosophical inquiry enters in. There are so many roots it becomes difficult to tell what is relgion and what is a good sport. I think sporting games played important religious roles in the past. I think they still do but we put sport in a separate catagory now.

Sport puts me in mind of fishing , "A River Runs Through it". Perhaps the root of religion is the ritual and particpation in hunting up enough food to avoid starvation.

[Jersey Girl]

Sport puts me in mind of fishing , "A River Runs Through it". Perhaps the root of religion is the ritual and particpation in hunting up enough food to avoid starvation.

If you love that film, you are my people, huck! One of my all time favorites that I watch several times a year!

[huckelberry]

Sport puts me in mind of fishing , "A River Runs Through it". Perhaps the root of religion is the ritual and particpation in hunting up enough food to avoid starvation.

If you love that film, you are my people, huck! One of my all time favorites that I watch several times a year!

I am very fond of that movie and book. It is one of those odd times when the movie make a positive contribution to the book. It is hard for me not to love some of the additions.

It has moments so true to trout fishing that I can feel myself almost magically there.

I have done a lot of fishing without my father but he first took me fishing and the family scenes seem to touch my father for me. Incidentally my father was a student of Norm's which I find meaningful but the movie would be as good without that little connection.

[Jersey Girl]

If you love that film, you are my people, huck! One of my all time favorites that I watch several times a year!

I am very fond of that movie and book. It is one of those odd times when the movie make a positive contribution to the book. It is hard for me not to love some of the additions.

It has moments so true to trout fishing that I can feel myself almost magically there.

I have done a lot of fishing without my father but he first took me fishing and the family scenes seem to touch my father for me. Incidentally my father was a student of Norm's which I find meaningful but the movie would be as good without that little connection.

That is so cool! The movie is just beautiful!