Evolution of Religions - Research Paper Example

Evolution of Religions Researchers have postulated numerous theories, in an endeavor to explain the evolution of religions. The process of religious evolution has been considered a gradual process, with its emergence in the ancient times (Dow 69). There have been numerous adaptive evolutionary adjustments of religions throughout history. In his works, Darwin highlighted that various living organisms existed, not because of the creation, but through natural selection that lasted numerous million years. Owing to Darwin’s standpoint of evolution, numerous critics began to explain various social aspects from an evolutionary perspective. Darwin argued that since variability and natural selection were the key reasons behind organisms’ adaptive changes, they could apply this concept in sociological, cultural and religious transformations (Dow, 69). Numerous theories also serve to explain the nature of religious behaviors, and the reason behind the existence of diverse religious beliefs. Experts deem man to be a religious animal, owing to his desire to explain various natural phenomena and his fears of the mysterious natural and spiritual ideas. Besides, religious beliefs are deemed critical owing to a number of benefits (Dow, 69). For instance, various religions are critical in promoting a healthy lifestyle, in both mental and physical aspects. Additionally, religion serves to promote altruistic cooperation among individuals within denominational in-groups. The evolution of religion leads to the inquiry of the origin of various religious beliefs that transformed into modern religions (Matthews 219). The emergence of such practices as the magic and divination within Europe in the 19th century were deemed as remnants of the religion evolution, similar to the vestigial organs in evolving organisms (Matthews 221). Additionally, the cultural change civilization shifts served critically to explain the concept of religious evolution. However, Durkheim highlighted a critical aspect that elucidated the inexistence of religious evolution, through the explanation that such practices were ever-present. Durkheim explains that such origins were the transformation of religious beliefs from the non-civilized ideas to more civilized ones (Matthews 221). In another perspective, critics may argue that, during the evolution of man in the ancient times, man developed the communication capability (Sosis 319). This was significant in capacitating humans to share their feelings by means of syntactic communication his inner forms with his peers. Man’s capacity to communicate highlighted the need for survival in groups, and, therefore, cultural transmission emerged (Sosis 319). These adaptation models and need to survive in groups led to the emergence of religion. Various concepts have emerged, in an endeavor to explain the challenges of the evolution of religion. Commitment theory, initiated by Robert Frank and developed by Richard Sosis attempts to answer questions regarding the origin of religions (Sosis 319). To begin with, the Commitment theory underlines that various religions are both rational and irrational. The justification of the fact that religion is rational is that it attempts to bring individuals together, and cooperate towards the achievement of dissimilar endeavors. The irrationality of various religious beliefs lies in the fact that such beliefs are based on unverifiable paranormal beings and forces (Sosis 319). The theory highlights the notion that people irrationally commit themselves to unverifiable truths. These truths are crucial in creating trust among members of such groups. The concept states that trust is a predicament to individuals, owing to its creation of a platform that individuals may employ to deceive others (Sosis 321). As such, individuals may desert the logic, and endeavor to pursue irrational beliefs, an action that may compel other individuals to follow his or her course. However, religious organizations are perceived to have a higher internal teamwork and have successful endeavors as compared to their non-religious counterparts. As such, Commitment theory emphasizes that a religion evolves to sustain the benefits of group collaboration while attaching individuals to empirically subjective structure of faiths (Sosis, 328). These commitments lead to a conducts boosts mutual aid. Besides, because religion is also a culture in itself, studies associate modern industrial cultures with longevity and health. Individuals may also view the rationality of religion in an economic perspective. Religions have also evolved over time to promote closeness. One may experience the psychological benefits of religion since it serves as a cohesive family. Some cult-like religions may highlight the need of closeness, to the point of imposing taboos that deter involvement of members with the extended society. Cognitive theory also attempts to explain the origin of religions (Sosis 320). The cognitive theory also endeavors to underscore the rationale behind the popularity and wide acceptance of diverse religions globally. The reasoning is that the popularity results, owing to the religions ability to promote enhanced survival and reproduction, owing to the implication that the behavior within a religion encompasses these advantages (Sosis 320). Besides, emotionally attractive things attached things to religion include its ability to explain how certain things happen, and the effortlessly memorized tales that aid in understanding one’s culture. Developers of this concept also point out that as the brain capacities of the brain (known as modules) evolved, so was the evolution of their religion. This concept does not highlight whether this resulted to the adaptive religious evolution. The developers indicate the mental development of religion in individuals has both biological and religious integrations (Sosis 320). They also add that the development of religion may have emerged in an endeavor to solve nonreligious challenges such as the responsiveness of predators and exposure of cheaters. A key concept of these modules is the idea of animism and anthropomorphism (Matthew 237). This underscores the fact that the early age humans theorized ideas at an incredible rate, without testing their logic and observations. The universal acceptance of the fact is that these ideas occur, owing to their causative agents. These causative agents may be humans, imaginary forces or superhuman beings (Matthew 237). As such, religions are perceived to contain numerous beliefs of unseen agents, gods and spirits, which serve as causative agents of various occurrences. In their works, Atran and Norenzayan noted that a religion is not an evolutionary adaptation, but an inveterate by-product of multifarious evolutionary setting that lays down cognitive, emotional and material situations for regular human connections (Sosis 327). Religious basis lies in the fact that it endeavors to solve existential challenges such as death and deception. However, they clarify that the beliefs within a religion may not have a deductive or inductive justification. Thereby, the justifications occur only through the emotional attachment. Cognitive theory is a byproduct evolution theory that pops up from other evolutionary theories (Sosis 327). It proposes that a religion is an overboard materialization of other conducts the adaptive judiciousness which is different from religious convictions. This tends to perceive religion as culturally developed mannerisms of numerous unrelated behavior modules (Sosis 327). The developers of the theory state that its challenge is its incapacity to alienate the human from the pre-human concepts of the theory (Sosis 327). As such, dissimilar religious experts, fail to consider the nonhuman aspect of religion. Another theory is the ecological regulation theory. The theory advocates that a religion evolved owing to its ability to send control signals to various groups, enlightening them on how to interact with the environment (Matthew 232). The theory assumes that only religion can influence individuals within a group emotionally, thereby compelling them to accomplish a specified task. Besides, the theory assumes that religion has the capability to respond to a group’s change in their environmental interactions and that the groups are part of natural selection from which religion evolves. The theory also extrapolates the materialistic nature of religion and culture (Matthew 232). Additionally, it is evident that certain religious practices consequentially defy logic, such as the Indians endeavor to protect cows (Matthew, 232). The theory also highlights that rituals served as group signals, and that religion was a component of a continuing adaptive mechanism entrenched in ways of life. Besides, various cultures have diverse anthropological myths that undertake in explaining the origin of dissimilar naturally occurring phenomena (Angulo 324). As such, they pass information throughout generations about the origin and the continual development of numerous religious beliefs. Besides, numerous theologians may cite divine revelation as the origin of the major religious affiliations. Another individual that has worked relentlessly in researching the origin of religion is Robert Bellah (Wunn 390). In his works, Bellah concentrated on the religious development in the highly developed nations that include the US and modern Asia (Wunn 390). Bellah attempts to classify religions, both contemporary religions and the archaic ones. He attempts to indicate the development of religion from the low to the high multiplicity and sophistication. He also perceives that religious evolution has a direction and an intention. He denotes that religion developed in numerous phases from the primitive to the archaic phase, to classical religion (Wunn 390). The development then moved to early modern and finally to modern religion. He explicates that the causes of this development resulted from the diversity processes, which ultimately caused the greater intricacy and interdependence of evolving entities. The uphill process may also have resulted from the increased human knowledge and personal liberties and choices (Wunn 391). Besides, he states that there is a disparity between the biological evolution and the religious evolution. In biology, the evolution emanates from natural selection and variability, while, in religion, the evolution relates to the sequential procedures of progressive development (Wunn 390). Owing to this, religious researchers may classify religion as being primitive, archaic or advanced. However, the aspects of religious evolution may be perceived in a biological perspective, where it shows the adaptive modifications of religion all through history. Other researchers of religion have been quoted arguing that religion emerged abruptly, devoid of any precedents (Wunn 396). They claim that religions have changed over time, owing to the dissimilar sociological, economic and environmental transformations, and adopted foreign customs and confirmed and triumphant symbols. These researchers cite Christianity as an example, owing to its origin from the Judaist beliefs, thereby incorporating Greek philosophies and beliefs, and grew to an independent religion (Wunn 397). Dissimilar religions also seem to have significant similarities. Christianity, Judaism and Islam appear to have critical resemblance. Additionally, religions in the Indian subcontinent have key similarities, and hence they share their origins (Wunn 392). Changes n major religions may also lead to the emergence of new religions even in the present day. The belief-systems of followers vary crucially across religions, and their consecrated practices and customs may vary. In the classifying religion as an evolutionary aspect, it is evident that it has variations. Though followers may be within a single religion, their nature of beliefs may be at variance. The variation may be within the ideas of the Supreme Being, the elucidation of the holy manuscripts and their rationale behind death and life after death (Wunn, 392). Additionally, the interpretation of the holy manuscripts and storylines receives critical transformations over time, owing to the improvement in the research on theology. Theology has noteworthy impacts in the transformation of individual beliefs. These concepts are true in not only Christianity but also other religions. In diverse religions, new elucidations of the archaic traditions come out as a dissimilarity, which only a small number of followers may understand, and then fade away. A new variety of the religion may reemerge and pose as a fresh autonomous religion. Besides, religious beliefs and talents may have an unequal distribution among members of a certain ethnic group as numerous scholars claim. Besides, just like evolution in biology, religious evolution also possesses the characteristics of selection. As such, while some belief-mechanisms remain and even spread out, other aspects only remain meaningful to only a small number of followers and ultimately fade away. Forces within diverse traditional religions are critical in either promoting or hampering new inspirations. The surfacing of various needs leads to the development of the variety with diverse religions. The Mormons is an example of such a religion, which is traditional with a number of variations. Other religions may succeed for a short duration; and later become extinct, as it is evident in the various cult religions present in the ancient Roman society. Just as the selection leads to transformations and stabilization in organisms, it is also applicable in religious evolution, where it leads to the stabilization of various religions and extinction of others (Wunn, 396). However, it is only in few atypical situations, where environmental transformations influences on the religion. For instance, during the renaissance, political environment’s instability within the Roman Empire led to religious instability that caused the emergence of numerous sects within Christianity. Works Cited Angulo, Jaime de. ": Myth In Primitive Psychology . Bronislaw Malinowski. ." American Anthropologist 30.2 (1928): 322-326. Print. Dow, James W.. "The Evolution of Religion: Three Anthropological Approaches." Method & Theory in the Study of Religion 18.1 (2006): 67-91. Print. Matthews, Luke J.. "The Recognition Signal Hypothesis for the Adaptive Evolution of Religion." Human Nature 23.2 (2012): 218-249. Print. Sosis, Richard . "The Adaptationist-Byproduct Debate on the Evolution of Religion: Five Misunderstandings of the Adaptationist Program." Journal of Cognition and Culture 9 .1 (2009): 315–332. Print. Wunn, Ina. "The Evolution Of Religions." Numen 50.4 (2003): 387-415. Print. Read More