Yesterday, I read on the Advocatus Atheist Blog, some information regarding a hypothesis of how religions came to be through a type of evolution ... now in fairness, I only scanned the blog post linked here, but I hit on the evolution/development concept and it got my mind to wondering off on a tangent. Now, while most people just kind of roll with the idea that religion/god has just "always been there" - since they just take their medicine on demand (like I did once upon a time) and accept what they've been told and taught. I started trying to think how the first supernatural rites and rituals first came into being.
What occurred to me ... and I wouldn't mind input on the idea ... is that something unexplained or undesirable happened and early humans wanted a different outcome. ... like say ... rain or lack of rain ... So they tried "stuff" ... like sacrificing something - dancing, chanting etc. to "help" arrive at the desired outcome. When, whatever kookie idea/ritual coincided with the desired result became the new ritual for every time a similar event occurred.
Fast forward to modern times ... and what NOT religious event/activity do millions of people concoct all manner of rites, rituals, totems and dejinxers to try to sway an outcome in their favor ... ?
Sports!
How many people do you know that do all manner of zany rituals to ensure their favorite team wins the game? Rally Caps, Flags, towels waved to the right or left x number of times, turn lights on/off, wear a certain shirt/jersey, prepare a certain meal/snack, drink only a certain beverage.
I have to wonder, given enough time, if all these rituals could become religions in their own rite. Take Hockey, for instance, when a team reaches the play-offs, most players and many fans, coaches and employees of the team organization, stop shaving to grow a "Playoff Beard". I'm not sure how/why this superstition came to be - but now it's common place AND think for a moment the similarities it has with the story of Sampson (a story I am only vaguely familiar with as of this writing) ... as I recall, Sampson's hair was somehow his link to god and provided him his strength ... when his hair was cut, he no longer had the power that men feared ... hockey players see the shaving of beards as a jinx that will make them lose.
The point that I'm trying to make is that when we want something to work a certain way and we have no earthly idea how to achieve it - we'll try anything to gain the desired result. And when we actually DO gain that result, whatever ritual or action we did gets adopted for the next similar situation. Now imagine all the horrible things that happened to pre-scientific humanity and all the kookie things they would have tried to gain the desired results ... from rain dances and prayers/chants to animal and human sacrifices in the most horrifically terrifying manners. The things that worked became common practice and because they "worked", no one revisited these issues to understand how/why they "worked" ... they just kept doing them.
The consequences of NOT doing these bizarre and/or horrific rituals could be earthquakes, lightning strikes or all manner of things - so it became paramount to enforce these ritual strictly and make them "happen" even if people didn't want to participate ... hence ... religion - an enforcement mechanism. Now these things are so integrated with societies that trying to undo them is nearly impossible. I just wonder if - as we see with all the different superstitious rites and rituals surrounding sports and stuff, if a couple hundred years from now those rituals/rites could evolve into something like a religion in it's own right especially with the conflicts and controversies regarding the old and established religions.
Anyway - the discussion/thought experiment is to think of how a simple random wishful gesture that conveniently coincides with a positive result could evolve into an established religion/custom.
The other thing - is this whole "Thanking God/Sending Prayers" business. I think it is really a reflexive reaction coming from most people anymore simply because they need to say SOMETHING when Joe is stricken with an illness or Sue was in a car accident (NOTE: these are arbitrary fictitious events). I think many people, who probably haven't seen the inside of a church in decades or cracked open a bible in a longer time (if at all), have been conditioned through early indoctrination and social standards/media to respond with these cliche saying. They don't actually "pray" or bow and give thanks to god ... they just absentmindedly say these things - they are cavernously hollow platitudes.
Since becoming aware of what religion and god is and is not (in other words, since becoming atheist) I have become keenly aware of when people say these things ... when I use to say these things. But why is this a problem, you ask? Well, because so many people have spent their lives devoted to honing skill because they want to really and practically save lives and help people - and all their time and effort spent learning, practicing and perfecting these skills to be able to expertly administer the correct remedy to save life and limb and summarily dismissed with "Oh thank god you are well/safe/better"
It's actually disgusting at how may real people with real skills and intentions are completely dismissed with these statements.
Additionally, a recent situation leaves me in a weird position. A "candle light prayer vigil" has been arranged and scheduled for a friend who is in a hospital. Now granted, in all practicality, I cannot attend - time/distance etc. but if I could ... could I attend? Well sure ... but to do what? Pretend? Lie? Fake? I know my attendance would show support for my hospitalized friend - an outpouring of love and support is always encouraging ... but praying? It's useless, in my experience, and there are scientific studies that show it to be an empty gesture at best. So my attendance would only be to demonstrate to other friends and family that I was committed to my hospitalized friend's speedy recovery ... and to bolster the bottom line for some candle makers.
So, these seemingly "simple" statements of "Thank god" and "prayers sent" along with seemingly hopeful gestures like prayer circles and candle light prayer vigils ... these things ostracize and dismiss the positive acts and thoughts of MANY people. UGH!
Ok ... end of rant ... if you have thoughts, experiences and/or solutions - please comment - lets discuss :)
