Mankind has lived with the conceptual belief in gods for roughly 10,000 years, coinciding with the rise of settled human civilizations and agriculture.
The Timeline of Humans and Gods
- Anatomical Humans: Modern humans (Homo sapiens) have existed for about 200,000 to 300,000 years.
- Early Spirituality:
For most of human history, people practiced animism (belief in spirits
of nature or ancestors) rather than worshiping distinct, human-like
"gods."
- Rise of Formal Gods: Distinct gods emerged roughly 10,000 years ago
when humans transitioned from nomadic hunter-gatherers to permanent
agricultural settlements. Living in larger communities required shared
moral and administrative frameworks, leading to personalized deities
that oversaw weather, harvests, and society.
- Written Records: The earliest written evidence of named gods appears in ancient Mesopotamia and Sumeria around 5,000 to 6,000 years ago (such as the Sumerian sky god An or Anu).
- end quotes:
- So, humans it looks like have only believed in Gods and God for around 10,000 years and before that they believed in animism(belief in spirits of nature or ancestors).
- I find this fascinating to understand because my research into Cultural Anthropology dovetails into my studies of Comparative religions down through the ages too.
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- What I have realized is that ALL religions basically are about what to eat and how to behave so societies don't fall apart. So, it's like:
- 1. Eat this so you don't die (like Muslims say don't eat pork because they live in the desert where it spoils quickly.
- 2. respect marriages and so don't kill men or women in those marriages.
- 3. Treat others with respect and kindness especially if they are in your same religion.
- 4. Don't kill people because that reduces the effectiveness of society and civilization.
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- All the above are qualities of all religions which were and often are the social glue that holds religions and societies together worldwide.
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