Why does man need to create religion?

[Donray]

Both Homo Neanderthal and Homo sapiens demonstrated religious beliefs tens of thousands of years before man created the Jewish religion that Christians and Muslims took over as their own. Why did the homo species feel the need to have religion?

People are Superstitious
People from the beginning of their existence seem to be very superstitious. People feel they need to ware their special underwear to a baseball game for there team to win. They need to talk with gods to get rain or stop bad weather. A religion depends heavily of superstitions.

People are Anthropomorphism
People talk to inanimate object like computer, etc. Have you ever talked out loud “where did I put my keys?� So why not talk to gods or mother earth? What about talking to the weather to ask for rain. Religions support this talking to non-existing things.

Need for Purpose
We seem to have a natural ability to see purposes for things. We want to know what our purpose in life is. Religion can help answer this question. We need to have a purpose for disease and religion answers that question. The Christians blame Eve for starting all the bad things

Belief in Justice
People simply hate to see wrongdoing unpunished and it’s a common factor in religions that there’s a *lot* of punishment going on. So, the invention of heaven and hell in religions.

Hope of Afterlife
The other side of the belief in justice; when someone dies, one of the stages of grieving that people go through is anger—it just seems so wrong, so unfair that someone we love is gone. Who would not like it to be true that we’ll see them again?

It Brings us Together
Humans are social animal and feel the need to be with others. Religion fills the need the need to be like others and be liked by others. Religious belief brings people together—or more precisely, that it allows lots of people to live together without killing each other. Religion gives us a set of common beliefs. One interesting point about the theory is that it doesn’t matter what the religious beliefs are, but it is important that everyone in the community believes the same thing. That may explain some of the bizarre beliefs in religions.

Are there other reason man needed to create religion?

[Donray]

I guess I got all the reason man created religion correct. No adds or anyone disagrees?

[bluethread]

I would add that we are also imaginative. We are capable of imagining alternative realities. This allows us to experiment with various alternatives, thus reducing risk and increasing efficiency. Mythology and ritual provide us with ways of remembering past lessons and passing those lessons on to others via archetypes.

[William]

[Replying to post 1 by Donray]

Are there other reason man needed to create religion?

I think these are more symptoms of than reasons for.

Bluethread offered another reason.

"We are capable of imagining alternative realities."

This is somewhat true, but only as so far as this is commonly what we think is going on.

What is really going on is that these realities are NOT imagined. They are genuinely experienced and this has been happening for as long as human beings have existed.
These alternate realities (altogether known as The Astral realm) are the exact reason for WHY human beings developed cultural myths and eventually religions and from their, organised religions.

The list you provide shows the symptoms of such development rather than the main cause.

I share more about this idea in this thread;
Finding evidence through experiment/experience...Looking into the science of Astral Projection


and also mention it in some detail in this post #47, in the "To hell or not to hell?" thread;

[ThePainefulTruth]

[Replying to post 1 by Donray]

THE number one reason religion was invented was for control of the population, especially as mankind worked it's way out of tribalism and into "civilization".

What people want most from religion is answers--which they don't get, just redirection (God helps those who help themselves). The Book of Job was a little more honest, sort of, by having God tell us it's none of our business, and it takes forever to spit that out.

[Donray]

[Replying to post 4 by William]

So, all the fantasy books and science fiction books are real. There are really imps, fairies, martins, etc. There are realms where all sex fantasies are true? The Greek gods are real and the story of Hercules are real?

Do you have any proof except the number fantasy books?

[William]

[Replying to post 6 by Donray]

You asked;

"Are there other reason man needed to create religion?"

I gave you another answer to which you had clearly not considered.

I gave you links.

I made no claims about fantasy books and science fiction books,imps, fairies, martins, Greek gods Hercules realms where all sex fantasies are true etc being real or false.

All I offered was what I think is the MAIN reason why religions evolved.

One can discover for themselves if Astral Projection and alternate realities is something which can be experienced as real.

All I was pointing out is that this is the most likeliest reason that religion evolved and become an organized aspect of the human species.

[Donray]

[Replying to post 7 by William]

Sorry, but it is a stupid idea. The concept that man has imagination is a good reason to image a god, but when one starts saying that imagined things are real then that means you are only my imagination. So, if you real then your theory that you belive must be false. Because I am imagining you and there Astor projecting you. So if you are real then your belief is false are not real I am only imaging you the maybe its true.

So, are you real or my imagination?

[William]

[Replying to post 8 by Donray]

Sorry, but it is a stupid idea.

It is a stupid idea to learn how to leave your body and experience what that will allow you to experience? I don;t think so personally, but each to their own.

But again, I remind you that I was simply answering your question so while you think it may be a stupid idea to try it for yourself and see what happens, this in itself does not mean that my answer was stupid or incorrect.

The concept that man has imagination is a good reason to image a god, but when one starts saying that imagined things are real then that means you are only my imagination.

Because real things are thus imagined? I think that is what you are saying here, so correct me if that is not the case.
But assuming that it is the case, then no. How can real things be imagined? How can what you experience as a reality, be imagined?

Sure, I know that some great inventions have been made real from first being imagination. This happens because people have the material and know-how to make it so. At least we know from that, that imagination is an important quality and without it life would be drastically different.

As to the Q are these alternate realities real? There is no reason to believe they are or are not. That is why I counsel the individual learns to do this natural enough thing and discover for themselves.

So, if you real then your theory that you belive must be false. Because I am imagining you and there Astor projecting you. So if you are real then your belief is false are not real I am only imaging you the maybe its true.

So, are you real or my imagination?

I am real and I am treating you as real, whether I am imagining you or not. Primarily because my imagination is real.

Or is it? What do you think? Is imagination real?

[Donray]

[Replying to post 9 by William]

No imagination is not real nor is what you belive in leaving your body. I have a great idea to prove what you are saying. Why don't you vist me since I am in a different relm then you? Say to exactly two hours?