Is religion a byproduct of evolution?

Answer 1

Part of our evolution into humans meant that we were given the gift of imagination. When a fellow human would die for instance, we could imagine that he was going somewhere else. This was not necessarily a trait that helped our survival, but rather a side-affect of our superior intelligence. As we developed more, we began to imagine why the wind blows, and why there are storms, and why the sun rises and falls. In that way, religion was definitely part of our evolution.

Answer 2

Evolution is a thought process responsible for change in living style, culture and traditions of society and civilization whereas Religion is Unchanging Truth and Principles.

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Amazing question. Naturally, people of faith and anyone invested in religion as a genuine expression of the reality of God will have a unique perspective as can be seen in the first contribution. The social evolution alluded to above leads to many possibilities, and I think that religion as a byproduct of evolution is one of them. A perspective that I am currently developing is that the religious experience is a result of brain, or mental entropy. Basically, we have much more capacity than we need on a moment-to-moment basis, and the excess, or entropic brainpower turns to creativity, wonder, and the solving of problems that it itself creates. This links religion with both social evolution and with Biology. Think of it this way. Animals that are perfectly adapted to their environments, and that would fail if even the slightest changes happened to their habitats, tend to be the animals with the smaller brains and brainpower. Animals that are more adaptable tend to have more brainpower, or have unique social connections (like ants) that allow a kind of group process that is beyond any individual. So what happens with all the unused energy in our heads? God! Who knows?

Answer 3

First answer: No. Religion is as old as the civilization. Religion is TRUTH which does not change with time or age. To tell a right thing Right and tell a wrong thing Wrong is Religion. This is a Universal Truth. With evolution certain ill-concieved notions or beliefs get attached and adopted but are untenable and untruthful.

Second answer:

Yes.

Answer 4

1) Mankind didn't evolve; we were created by God (Genesis ch.1). 2) Religion has always been around; it didn't just appear.

See also:

More about Evolution and Creation

More about the earliest religion

Answer 5

Some scientists propose that religion could be a byproduct of evolution, as elements of religious beliefs, such as the tendency to seek meaning and connect with others, could have provided evolutionary advantages to early human societies. However, the relationship between evolution and religion is still a topic of debate and research in the scientific community.