theological diddling

[dreamsherd]

Is there only one god? Are all gods one god, all goddesses one goddess? what *is* a god, or "God"? Who are *our* gods? I've seen the concepts surrounding who or what we worship change and grow, evolve, over the last 25 years- those who have been around longer can probably add their experiences to this timeline. Ancestors? Heroes? Enemies?

Comments

[hwar]

I heard an interesting theory on our seemingly universal need for a god/god-like figure. As humans we have an uncanny (and unmatched) ability to project our consciousness. i.e. "I wonder what you are thinking?" And we can take it really far: "I wonder what you are thinking about what she is thinking about what he is doing?" This ability to project ourselves into new, future, other people's, or past situations makes us ascribe intent to everything. This is really helpful for building a complex society, working together in groups to accomplish a common goal, and is the foundation for altruism. But it also confuses us. The wind blows a tree that falls over and we wonder, "Why did the wind do that?" or "What did the tree do to deserve that?" Or "Are the wind and tree in conflict?" And by asking the question we anthropomorphize the wind and tree, or imply another type of being that is controlling their actions. Whether it's true of not, it's an interesting idea about a biological/brain-driven reason for the pervasiveness of religion in every culture.

[dreamsherd]

fascinating! was this something that you read? if so, can you remember the title (or close)?

[hwar]

It was actually part of the PBS series "The Human Spark." You can watch episodes on Hulu, but unfortunately I don't remember which episode it was in.