Did our ancesters have a better understanding of religion?

Could it be possible for our ancester to understand religion better then us because of our fast ways of life and modern way of thinking? Are we so caught up in our time, politics, jobs, parties, materials, science, etc..... that we have lost the knowledge of religion?

Certainly it's possible but whether it's likely is another question. I don't know if religious thought is a matter of having more understanding, or gaining "knowledge" in the traditional sense of gathering facts. I think that perhaps religion played a more important part in the lives of our ancestors, because it was the only explanation they had for the unexplained in there lives. An erupting volcano meant the God's were angry and needed to be appeased. Lightning was the weapon of Zeus, and typhoons became a "divine wind", simply because such tremendous events were so out of the ordinary that they must have some greater meaning. Today we know that lightning is not the wrath of God and volcanos are a natural earth building process. Thus, religion does not play as large a part in our lives. So in effect we have less religion not because of a lesser understanding of religion but rather, a greater understanding of our universe.

One thing to remember is that religion does not exist in a vacuum. Religion could not exist without a class of people to spread the faith i.e. the priests. I think part of the reason we still have religion is that we still have priests. The job is a good one to have in any society, especially a primitive one. In most primitive societies priests occupy an exalted position, enjoy great status, and are exempted from the daily work of survival. They also may have a certain amount of politiacal influence in a tribal setting. Quite often in primitive societies the priesthood was hereditary, so you could pass on these advantages to your offspring.

I know this might be an unpopular opinion, but I believe that as we discover more about our universe the "supernatural" explanations will lose popularity, and the need to believe in the "divine" will fade.

You may be correct, but why is it that every group had a religion, even those that were/are out in the middle of nowhere? I'm not talking about any certain type of religion I'm just wondering how "any type" of religious belief started. You are correct certain Gods etc... were created to explain certain things, earth quakes, floods etc... What about other things, did/were ancient people able to tap into some hidden part of the brain? Look at the way certain tribes can do certain things, they truelly believe they can go to a different plain of existance.

Originally posted by mad dog
You may be correct, but why is it that every group had a religion, even those that were/are out in the middle of nowhere? I'm not talking about any certain type of religion I'm just wondering how "any type" of religious belief started. You are correct certain Gods etc... were created to explain certain things, earth quakes, floods etc... What about other things, did/were ancient people able to tap into some hidden part of the brain? Look at the way certain tribes can do certain things, they truelly believe they can go to a different plain of existance.

I really don't know if primitive man had an ability to tap in to some hidden part of the brain, but I suspect not. I think an ability like that would have been so advantageous from an evolutionary standpoint that it would still be with us today. I'm not sure what you mean about certain tribes being able to do certain things.

I think man started having religious thoughts when he reached the point of sentience. Most, if not all religions, try to answer three basic questions, where we came from, why we are here, and what happens to us when we die. When man's mind developed to the point where this level of self-awarenesss was possible I think religious thought was born.

I do agree, but look at kids today the imagination is going. They don't invent or use their imagination when they play, all they do is plant their arse in front of a gameboy. Common sense is slowly going away, I have seen alot of people put into leadership positions just because they have a degree. I think it is great they have a degree, but half of them don't know enough to tie their own shoes. It just seems as time is going by material things are whats important, not the basic's. I would love to take a bunch of kids 18 to 25, dump them in the middle of the woods and see who would live??? Most would freak out(probably die from fear :) ) others would just cry, and die off. I'm sure their would be a couple that would survive, but compare that to numbers from 100 years ago??? My point is with our modern way of thinking how much have we lost from the past? This is a hard question to answer without a time machine, or some way to tap into our primitive thought.

Take a bunch of kids 18 - 25, from 1640, and put them in Times Square. They'd freak out and start looking for demons & witches! How many would survive?

What skills from 100 years ago, or even more are needed today? If you're talking about survival skills if all the modern conveniences cease to exist, then I suggest getting copies of the Foxfire series of books.

It does seem that in simpler times religion was more a part of peoples lives than today.

Es

I'm not saying they don't have the same capabilities, what I'm saying is they just have forgotten what to do. If there were such a place as hell(with demons, etc...) then times square or any other city would be a good place to start the search :).

You are correct I also believe in simpler times religion was the norm.

Lets go back to ancient Egypt 4000-5000 years ago, could they have known something we don't? learning took a huge hit over the head when Christianity came along. The older religions seemed to be more towards learning about the unexplained. There were scientist that allready believed the earth went around the sun etc... then Christianity came along and said "stop it heathen" Did Christianity know something? Did the lost civilizations know something? We supposedly become smarter as time goes on, new inventions etc... but at the same time how much important stuff do we loose? How many folks, even on this forum could kill a deer and use all the parts for something usefull..... Glue, thread, food, clothing, needles, and other tools. How many college people know how to fix their own car. In past years it was the norm to work on the car on sunday, changing oil cleaning, inspection etc... Now most people just get in and drive and don't have a clue as to what is happening under the hood. The same goes for religion most folks own this or that book but don't take the time to learn whats in it. How much truth or knowledge of religion has been lost with time. Take someone from 2000 years ago and show them the big city with all the pollution. Who was smarter us with our modern conveniences or them with their home grown food. We invented better medical, but we also invented Mc D's. We invented cars, but we also invented smog.

" If it can rust or moths can eat it , do not worry about it."