The root of religion is imagination. We can imagine a world where there is no hunger and death and so we imagine heaven. We can imagine a being that is sensitive and kind and generous and unconditionally loving, and so we imagine god. Take away imagination, and there is no heaven or God. It is a world where there are no possibilities.
Early tribal societies saw God in forces of nature and its many rhythms. They mapped their lives to these rhythms. Religion celebrated the change of seasons, migrating and breeding cycles of birds, fish and animals, the flowering of trees and movements of stars. And so came about rituals, songs and dance full of rhythm. The rhythm of nature.
With the agricultural revolution, we had learnt how to control the rhythms of nature. We could decide what food crop to grow and what should be pulled out as weed. Some plants came to be more valued than others. Animals could be caught and bred. The rhythm focussed on sowing and harvesting. But the harvest was not predictable. Sometimes, there was plenty of food. At other times, there was scarcity.
Our control over nature was an illusion. Worship of fertility goddesses began, perceived as those who could ensure great harvests and improve breeding capabilities of livestock, as those who could kill demons that caused drought and disease. Food stock had to be protected from thieves. So began the worship of guardian gods who protected the village.
With prosperity came trade, and cities grew. With cities came the need for rules. Man-made rules could be overturned, but not those believed to be created by gods. Thus, the nature of religion changed. It was all about gods determining rules of how city people should live. The gods reduced the number of disputes; they offered the promise of fairness and justice.
The different gods of different cities fought with each other as they had different rules and measures of justice. There was a need for one God, one greater than other gods, the Father God who disciplined all, who was distinct from the cities, farms and from the forest. Thus, polytheism gave way to monotheism. Different people fought as to whose god was the only real God.
Devdutt Pattanaik is an Indian physician turned leadership consultant, mythologist, author and communicator whose works focus largely on the areas of myth, religion, mythology, and management.
Comments