Which was the primordial, original religion
(or type of religion) of mankind? The usual answers are animism, shamanism
and/or ancestor worship. There is just one problem: not enough evidence. The
notion is based on 19th century evolutionary notions (often interpreted
in a “progressive” manner): animism – polytheism – monotheism – deism. Fill in
atheism at the end (and perhaps “animatism” at the beginning)! And sure, why
not? If biological organisms evolve, and there is at least a strong tendency
towards an increase in complexity, why can´t human culture evolve as well? But
already here, there is a problem: in what sense are monotheism or atheism *more*
complex than polytheism? So the cultural evolutionary scenario seems to be
based on the idea, not really of complexity, but of an increase in actual knowledge.
But that, too, seems to be absurd: how is monotheism more knowledgeable than
polytheism? At least from an atheist viewpoint, both seem equally absurd!
Actually, there is no hard evidence for
the evolutionary scheme. Historical records? The earliest ones are polytheist. Archeology
from “pre-historic” times? Impossible to interpret, but the presence of at least
one Proto-Shiva from the Mesolithic shows that even Stone Age religion might
have been polytheist. Also, Neolithic figures which resemble later goddesses.
Again, polytheism. The purely animist or animatist substratum remains elusive.
But what about anthropological research? Surely,
we can find some primitive tribe and study its religion as a pre-historical
survival? Well, no. First, all anthropology seems to suggest that, once again, “primitive”
peoples are polytheist rather than animist. They are already one step up on the
evolutionary ladder. Indeed, many seem to believe in a creator-god! And while
it´s true that influence from later monotheist religions can sometimes be detected
(the Mother Goddess might actually be the Virgin Mary!), very often the
religions seem uncontaminated by Christianity, Islam or whatever. As for primitive
survivals, many primitive tribes used to be more advanced in the past. This has
been argued for in the case of the Bushmen and the Tassagaray, for instance.
And lately, it´s become clear that the Yanomami and other “Stone Age” tribes of
the Amazon are remnants of a high culture that collapsed shortly after the
Conquista. There is also evidence that hunters and gatherers during the Stone Age
could create complex cultures…
Perhaps polytheism is the primordial religious
form of mankind. Maybe it was born like Minerva from the head of Jupiter, fully
armed and ready to go, when human brains mutated circa 70,000 years ago? A true
saltationist miracle, this!
Still, the idea that animism, shamanism
and ancestor worship really were the primordial religious forms of humanity does
sound…I don´t know…intuitively true, somehow. Perhaps there is some other way
to prove (kind of) that this was so? It´s interesting to note, to be sure, that
these three religious forms are the *last* to disappear even in a strongly
secular society? Indeed, they simply refuse to leave! This suggest that they
may be rooted very deeply in our psyche and/or our forms of perception and
information-processing. Animism is still with us: small children are “animist”
(they might think the teddy bear is alive and can speak, etc). Also, adults see
“space aliens” and all kinds of other hobgoblins – these are really the spirits
of animism. Shamanism is also with us: alien abductions, DMT-induced visions,
near death experiences…these are all shamanistic experiences. Note also the
popularity of séances! As for ancestor worship, yes, that would be All Saints
Day and All Souls Day. The secular Swedish tradition of visiting the grave of a
deceased family member and leave a flower at said grave is obviously a survival
of ancestor worship and sacrifice.
So perhaps this were the original religious
feelings stirring within humankind. Who knows what kind of weird and wonderful
polytheisms and monotheisms will grow from this ever-present archetypal
substrate in the future, when atheism and secularism are both phased out…
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