Re: The God Spots in the Brain

"Immortalist" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in alt.atheism

> Anthropologists and Darwinian theorists have frequently speculated that
> religion may have developed as a self-policing mechanism as cooperation with
> others became useful. With their intelligence and skills at making weapons,
> there was little to stop early humans from slaughtering each other like wild
> maniacs, until they began to fear unseen beings even bigger and badder than
> themselves.

Then the pushers of those bigger badder beings told people who to kill
and when to kill them, while claiming to speak for the bigger badder
beings.  I personally think that tribal elders, tribal alpha male
figures/kings and ancestor worship are all part of the beginnings of
organized religion.  Those leaders often sought the advice of people
who claimed they had talked to some god, or that they could predict
the future somehow.  Shamans and medicine men who often imbibed
hallucinogenic substances during their rituals would provide advice to
the king or tribal leader, as well as some that might have had some
form of epilepsy.  Kings and other leaders today still seek advice
from astrologers and psychics who claim they can predict the future.

-- 
Elroy Willis
EAP Chief Editor and Newshound
http://web2.airmail.net/~elo/news