A question that has haunted me all my life

[Dave Skummie]

How is it that every ancient isolated culture invented everything from languages to gods. If this is true, Then only two possible explanations can come from this that I can see. 1. If there is a real god then I'd say this god created a method to communicate. That would make all gods true and worshiping any would take you to the same spot at the end. 2. The simple psychology of ruling in man has created a need to worship something greater. This would mean all gods were made up by the psychological design of the human brain. If anyone has number 3. I'd be very interested. Thank you for your time. Dave

[Justin108]

How is it that every ancient isolated culture invented everything from languages to gods. If this is true, Then only two possible explanations can come from this that I can see. 1. If there is a real god then I'd say this god created a method to communicate. That would make all gods true and worshiping any would take you to the same spot at the end. 2. The simple psychology of ruling in man has created a need to worship something greater. This would mean all gods were made up by the psychological design of the human brain. If anyone has number 3. I'd be very interested. Thank you for your time. Dave

If 1. were true, no god would ever say "thou shalt worship no other gods before me"

[benchwarmer]

[Replying to post 1 by Dave Skummie]

Welcome Dave!

I'm having a little trouble with your premise or perhaps I misunderstand. Are you suggesting that the isolated cultures started from nothing (language and spirituality)? If that is your meaning, then I'll have to disagree right there. The people obviously originated from somewhere and they will have carried their original language and beliefs with them. Once isolated, sure, they will continue to develop and eventually have their own language and beliefs.

Humans, by our inquisitive nature, generally like to have answers for everything. In ancient times, a lot of unknown phenomenon were ascribed to gods, goddesses, spirits, etc because they knew no better. Our ability to tell stories and make up reasons for things does not necessarily point to there being some invisible being(s) that control everything. You'll notice that as science developed and the more we learn how things actually work, the things left to ascribe to a god are a shrinking pool of unknowns.

I think it is far safer to simply admit "I don't know" than to claim "well I guess <insert favorite god character> must be responsible". Perhaps there is a god. Would it not be better to use observable facts and all the knowledge we've gained so far to find this god if it is there rather than just assume it must exist?

[Monta]

How is it that every ancient isolated culture invented everything from languages to gods. If this is true, Then only two possible explanations can come from this that I can see. 1. If there is a real god then I'd say this god created a method to communicate. That would make all gods true and worshiping any would take you to the same spot at the end. 2. The simple psychology of ruling in man has created a need to worship something greater. This would mean all gods were made up by the psychological design of the human brain. If anyone has number 3. I'd be very interested. Thank you for your time. Dave

I would go with no 1 - God created a method to communicate.
Genesis tell us that God brethed into man and he became a living soul.
As a 'living' soul he has intelligence and can think and freely will what to do next.
So it is not a matter of inventing but reasoning.

I think no 2 is a weak argument - man had a need for God therefore decided to create one.

[JP Cusick]

How is it that every ancient isolated culture invented everything from languages to gods. If this is true, Then only two possible explanations can come from this that I can see.

1. If there is a real god then I'd say this god created a method to communicate. That would make all gods true and worshiping any would take you to the same spot at the end.

2. The simple psychology of ruling in man has created a need to worship something greater. This would mean all gods were made up by the psychological design of the human brain.

If anyone has number
3. I'd be very interested. Thank you for your time. Dave

Hi Dave, welcome to this forum, and here is my view to your dilemma:

You are correct in all 3, because (2.) humans do have a very strong psychological need or desire for structure and for rules and that is best established by attributing those to a God rather the God is truly believed or just fabricated. And (1.) there is a real Creator that we call as "God" and so all the Gods are true as all Gods lead to the same end and to the same goal. Your number 3 is that humans need to dig deeper and seek more than the superficial Gods and our superficial psychology in order to find the bigger truths - we must not be satisfied with the cultural Gods nor with the psychological Gods because the TRUTH is so much more.

Everyone has some truth and some virtue, and everyone has some flaws and some errors - so that is our challenge and our quest to seek out the accuracy about our Creator from any source, and then to act upon our findings.

[Justin108]

How is it that every ancient isolated culture invented everything from languages to gods. If this is true, Then only two possible explanations can come from this that I can see. 1. If there is a real god then I'd say this god created a method to communicate. That would make all gods true and worshiping any would take you to the same spot at the end. 2. The simple psychology of ruling in man has created a need to worship something greater. This would mean all gods were made up by the psychological design of the human brain. If anyone has number 3. I'd be very interested. Thank you for your time. Dave

I would go with no 1 - God created a method to communicate.
Genesis tell us that God brethed into man and he became a living soul.
As a 'living' soul he has intelligence and can think and freely will what to do next.
So it is not a matter of inventing but reasoning.

I think no 2 is a weak argument - man had a need for God therefore decided to create one.

Part of 1. is that all gods are true and worshiping any would take you to the same spot at the end. Do you believe this as well?

[1213]

...3. I'd be very interested. Thank you for your time. Dave

I think in scientific and Biblical point of view; all people are from same source. They have appeared at one place and then the offspring has later moved further. Therefore, people are not really isolated originally. So, if God communicated with first people, all people may have from that the idea of a God. However later people have become isolated and perhaps forgot some of the original God. Also, people have rejected the original God in many cases. For example, Jews, even after God had rescued them, rejected God and made own golden calf and then worshiped it as a god.

This is why the option number 3 is, people had knowledge about the real god, but didnt like Him and then made own versions.

[dio9]

I like you point out different peoples approach what they perceive as God from their different perspectives. That we universally perceive and feel a need to worship is intriguing . The universality of it that is found anthropologically speaking even in the separate unrelated parts of the world. Implies there is something we are engineered to relate to as part of our human experience. In short we are created or have evolved to perceive believe and have a need to worship the same thing in our different ways.

[liamconnor]

[Replying to post 1 by Dave Skummie]

If this is true, Then only two possible explanations can come from this that I can see. 1. If there is a real god then I'd say this god created a method to communicate. That would make all gods true and worshiping any would take you to the same spot at the end.

I do not see how the premise leads to the conclusion.

#3 A single god created man. Part and parcel of man's derivative status is the recongition of powers greater than himself and the impulse to worship them. Some made up powers to worship; others worshiped the real god.

[Dave Skummie]

[Replying to post 2 by Justin108]

Justin thank you for your reply. I understand what you're saying my only problem is does every God say do not murder do not rape do not steal and do not worship other gods. These seemed to be the fundamentals of all gods. In any organization you need dedication. Dedication optimizes survival and seems to be the basic rule of each author