THE CONTEXT OF RELIGIONS

Religion occupies a special place in the culture and daily life of millions of people, and religious traditions have survived for hundreds of generations. They have inspired the arts since prehistory, have been the source of love and hate, and have had a paramount role in the social and intellectual life of humankind.

In previous studies I had reached the conclusion that Homo sapiens developed a package of intellectual capacities which included visual art, complex articulated language, and religion (Anati 1983; 1999). These three elements of culture reflect the skills of analysis, synthesis, symbolization and sublimation which characterize the cognitive system of Homo sapiens. I suggested the presence of a package of religious thoughts, beliefs and rituals which developed before 30,000 years ago, out of which all subsequent religions developed (Anati 1999).

This package, which included the cult of ancestors, a belief in survival after death with cults and rituals for the dead, a vision of creation, a rich mytho- history, the presence of teaching and indoctrination, rituals of initiation, and more, reflects a core of concepts accumulated in the formative stages of Homo sapiens. From this core, the various aspects of religious faith and behaviour have followed a process of adaptation to different social, economic, and climatic contexts in the course of cultural evolution.

Although understanding the history and etymology of the word “religion” is complicated and a matter of dispute, it seems obvious - at least to me - that the origin of the word is Latin religio, deriving from the verb religare which has a double meaning: binding and separating.

Religion, according to the present conception of this term, is an assemblage of rituals related to beliefs which imply an association among people sharing the same behavioural patterns. Rituals and beliefs are cultural elements which have accumulated and grown over time. Besides rituals and beliefs, religion also implies social and moral rules.

Religion is one of the most widespread and deepest aspects of identity, especially where more than one religion is present within the area of social interaction. This fact may answer one of the above-mentioned queries: human societies created such ideological confraternities as a means of creating identity and circumscribed solidarity.

The sources of information on prehistoric religion come from the archaeological evidence, the immense documentation of rock art, and comparative studies with surviving hunter-gatherer populations that were able to preserve their traditions and did not succumb to occidental indoctrination.