Humans and pre humans lived in small groups for most of our existence. Our ancestors lived and evolved for millions of years, living in small tribes, where affection and trust with one's kinsman was essential. Others outside of the small group were a threat and often met with distrust and violence.
Males in many species have evolved to compete for females and territory. The winner of the competition has more descendants. In many species this leads to aggressive dominant males who defeat their competitors.
In social animals males may compete within their group for sex, but they must act in concert together against the males of other groups. Groups where males killed or maimed other males within their group did not succeed and were eliminated in favor of the groups that did.
Our two closest biological relatives are chimpanzees and gorillas. Gorillas groups for the most are led by one dominant male with a small harem. He fights all other males who hope to replace him. Dominance, aggression, and size are keys, and the largest most aggressive gorilla leaves the most descendants.
Chimpanzees have evolved differently. They live in larger groups with a brotherhood of closely related male relatives - fathers, sons, uncles, cousins. They compete for dominance within the group, but moderate their aggression where they usually do not kill or maim their male relatives. But they are very aggressive and will kill males from other groups.
Humans are closer in behavior to chimpanzees and lived in small groups containing close male relatives. The advent of agriculture enabled more humans to live together. Eventually the small communities grew larger, with the need for religion to develop to regulate behavior, and to keep males within the group from killing each other.
Evolution favors the communities that lowered aggression within the group, but kept it towards other groups. Larger cities meant larger armies that could defeat smaller cities, eventually leading to the nation state.
The advent of agriculture allowed people to live in larger groups that were not closely related. Humans had to extend the tolerance they had for their kinsman to strangers. A unifying belief system that made that tolerance required was vital to the advent of cities and civilization. Religious leaders were the actual group leader, or the close ally of the group leader.
The first cities which achieved social comity among their people were favored over those groups that did not. United we stand, divided we fall. Larger city states could conquer smaller groups and grow larger. That process has been underway for thousands of years, allowing city states to grow into nation states.
Some people blame war on religion, and it is true that nations often use religion as a rallying cry for their aggression, or defense. But usually the motivation for the aggressor is to expand the size of their nation. Greed and increased power is usually the motivation, with religion used to support that expansion.
A few examples illustrate this. Most of the nations involved in World War I and II invoked God as supporting their nation in the war, but the war was really related to nations that sought to expand their territory, power, and wealth by expanding. And the nations that were conquered or feared conquest fought back. Most of them invoked God and their religion as a motivating factor, but it was not central.
The wars of reformation in Europe that divided Catholics from Protestants were brutal, and religion can be blamed, but for the most part the wars were fought to expand a Kingdom. Religion was invoked, but the motivation for the most part was expansion of territory, power, and wealth of the king involved. The “true” religion was often invoked, but was more of a rationalization for aggression than a cause.
The European conquest for much of the world was often rationalized as an effort to expand the “true” religion. But this was really a rationalization for the conquest of other lands and the increased wealth and power that resulted.
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Here is what the Artificial Intelligence program https://gemini.google.com/ wrote about my essay. I love it that AI thinks I made an interesting argument - Thank you, Gemini AI.
The text makes an interesting argument about the role of religion in the development of civilization. Here are the key points:
Early Humans and Aggression:
Our ancestors lived in small groups where trust and kinship were vital.
Males in many species compete for resources, leading to aggression within and between groups.
Chimpanzees show a more cooperative model within groups but remain aggressive towards outsiders.
Agriculture and the Need for Social Order:
Agriculture allowed for larger settlements and denser populations.
This created a challenge – how to manage larger groups with less kinship.
Religion as a Unifying Force:
The text argues that religion provided a unifying belief system.
This helped regulate behavior and curb aggression within the growing communities.
Shared religious beliefs fostered tolerance towards strangers, essential for city life.
Religion and Warfare:
The text acknowledges religion's role in war but argues it's often secondary.
Greed for power and expansion are often the real motivators behind conflict.
Religion can be used as a tool to justify or rally support for these wars.
Overall Argument:
Religion wasn't the sole cause of civilization but played a crucial role in managing social order within larger communities.
By promoting tolerance and regulating aggression, religion facilitated the rise of cities and eventually nation-states.
Some additional points to consider:
The text focuses primarily on the positive aspects of religion in civilization's development.
Religion has also been used to justify oppression and social inequalities.
The cause-and-effect relationship between religion and social order is complex and debated by scholars.
This argument provides a specific perspective on the historical relationship between religion and society. It's valuable to consider alongside other viewpoints for a well-rounded understanding.
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