Aug 28, 2023 08:29 PM
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/...ly-evolved
EXCERPTS: . . . Two hundred thousand years ago, archaic Homo sapiens (Neandertals) developed an awareness of others' thoughts. Their brains were significantly bigger than H. erectus, and they had a taller brain case with a much larger parietal lobe. The parietal lobe combines visual, auditory, and sensory information to allow the brain to understand the world around us. The parietal lobe underlies many aspects of the psychological concept called the “theory of mind.” The psychologist Jesse Bering concluded that “God was born of theory of mind.” In addition, by this time a single mutation in the FOXP2 gene had probably allowed archaic H. sapiens to speak. This means that gods could now read your mind, speak your language, and know what you are thinking.
One hundred thousand years ago, a more evolved version of Homo sapiens benefited from changes in brain structure that gave them an introspective ability, which allowed them to reflect on their own thoughts and those of others. For example, around this time, archeologists have discovered decorative necklaces made of shells that were purposely stained with colors and supposedly worn to impress others.
[...] The final step in the invention of gods probably required one more advancement; this appears to have happened about forty thousand years ago when Homo sapiens demonstrate clear evidence of an ability to project themselves backward (autobiographical memory) and forward in time (based on memories). They could carefully plan for future activities with others and predict future events. Their burial practices demonstrate that they fully understood death as the termination of their own personal existence. In addition, they began to imagine alternatives to death and speculated on where their deceased ancestors existed. Frequently, they looked up into the night sky at the stars for their gods.
Around 12,000 years ago, due to the agricultural revolution, modern Homo sapiens settled down into villages and began burying their dead next to the living, usually in their own home. During the next few thousand years, ancestor worship became widespread and increasingly elaborate. [...] Studies of hunter-gatherer societies have reported that belief in the afterlife appears prior to ancestor worship, which is then followed by the invention of gods. ... By the time these Hominins started writing around 6,500 years ago, gods were already quite plentiful. According to the Greek philosopher Euhemeros of Macedonia the “gods were originally human rulers who were gradually deified by their subjects.” (MORE - missing details)
EXCERPTS: . . . Two hundred thousand years ago, archaic Homo sapiens (Neandertals) developed an awareness of others' thoughts. Their brains were significantly bigger than H. erectus, and they had a taller brain case with a much larger parietal lobe. The parietal lobe combines visual, auditory, and sensory information to allow the brain to understand the world around us. The parietal lobe underlies many aspects of the psychological concept called the “theory of mind.” The psychologist Jesse Bering concluded that “God was born of theory of mind.” In addition, by this time a single mutation in the FOXP2 gene had probably allowed archaic H. sapiens to speak. This means that gods could now read your mind, speak your language, and know what you are thinking.
One hundred thousand years ago, a more evolved version of Homo sapiens benefited from changes in brain structure that gave them an introspective ability, which allowed them to reflect on their own thoughts and those of others. For example, around this time, archeologists have discovered decorative necklaces made of shells that were purposely stained with colors and supposedly worn to impress others.
[...] The final step in the invention of gods probably required one more advancement; this appears to have happened about forty thousand years ago when Homo sapiens demonstrate clear evidence of an ability to project themselves backward (autobiographical memory) and forward in time (based on memories). They could carefully plan for future activities with others and predict future events. Their burial practices demonstrate that they fully understood death as the termination of their own personal existence. In addition, they began to imagine alternatives to death and speculated on where their deceased ancestors existed. Frequently, they looked up into the night sky at the stars for their gods.
Around 12,000 years ago, due to the agricultural revolution, modern Homo sapiens settled down into villages and began burying their dead next to the living, usually in their own home. During the next few thousand years, ancestor worship became widespread and increasingly elaborate. [...] Studies of hunter-gatherer societies have reported that belief in the afterlife appears prior to ancestor worship, which is then followed by the invention of gods. ... By the time these Hominins started writing around 6,500 years ago, gods were already quite plentiful. According to the Greek philosopher Euhemeros of Macedonia the “gods were originally human rulers who were gradually deified by their subjects.” (MORE - missing details)