The evolution of religion: is religion a psychological hiccup?

we dont need religion. what good they've done good could have been done just as easliy, and probably better, by simply understanding that we are all built similarly and we all capable of feeling the same emotions and sensation. on the otherhand, empathy would be a hard sell as a reason for witch trials, jihads, or crusades. they were first primitive instruments to understand the world around us. then they became instruments with which to control and destroy. and our capacity for destruction is too great at this point in history to take this irrationality lightly.
evangelicals convert to save alleged "souls".
rationals explain to simply save us from ourselves.

we won't be around long enough to know! ;)

religions were needed throughout time...they gave people a sense of faith and hope...religion has served those in need of emotional solace...but as the article says it is a hiccup or hold-up in our consciousness.for the younger generations religion isn't a big thing...the questions still come up? Who created us and all those unanswerable questions but the ol' "god made the world in 7 days" crap aint flying with the youngsters...I mean it just sounds bogus....maybe they should start a new religion where everyone tries to reconnect to self...atleast there we all are on common ground.

Atheists are so busy rallying against a single specific type of crazy, hateful, evangelical "Christianity" that they don't realize how narrow minded they are being.

What do you mean by religion?

Organized religion?

Or spirituality?

Because Buddhism and Taoism are more like practical applications of anarchist philosophy than religions. Are they just flukes?

Jesus had some good things to say on the subjects of love, service, and forgiveness, and they generally work.

As does the Bhagavad Gita which is a nice metaphor for internal master of self as well. Just ask Ghandi.

Religion is a word that really describes a level of interaction. People should always have something that makes them feel stronger(meaning able to undergo something). Social sects will always exist. People really need to get over their fear of the question.

Religion was created to control the human animal. And now, it varies to control the ignorant human animal.

Yes but normal adult people have developed a new brain on top of the primordial brain and should be able to use these new cells to look forward the reality and the expansion of kno0wledge, not being bogged down in antiquated thought seeping through the mist of the cretaceous period.

la religión NO TIENE NADA QUE VER CON EL SENTIMIENTO RELIGIOSO; por eso creo que en varias de estas respuestas se mezclan estos conceptos entre sí. La religión sí se ha utilizado, a lo largo de la historia, para someter a los de otra raza o creencia. Lo neutral es, en este punto, solo indiferencia, no mas. El sentimiento religioso sí es ese "salto cualitativo" que, por ejemplo, aparece en el fenómeno de la conversión, o de la "iluminación", eso sí podría ser un "hiccap" (si no me equivoco, y disculpenme por mi mal inglés)

If you had ever experienced GOD or had any kind of spiritual experience, you would understand just how silly this sounds to me. No disrespect intended.

The belief in God is not the same thing as religion. Religion is about doing good deeds and pleasing some higher being. I am very happy with what I believe and I'm sure not an atheist. I am a fan of science and reason, and I do not believe that it has to be one or the other. Why couldn't science and God co exist...? It would actually be good because then you wouldn't have the major task of trying to explain where everything came from without a higher being.

But first you should worry about fixing all the "hiccups" in the evolutionary theory before worrying about religion and where it fits in.

You humans have evolved to think, understand, question and answer those questions with "faith",... which begat religion.
Too bad you don't have Natural Selection around anymore to tell you if religion is a progressive evolutionary trait or if is prohibiting your "next step."
Like Delia hinted at earlier,... what happens when present religions become "mythology"? Imagine the faiths that have yet to come. I just hope that the future religions learn from the current follies.

I believe in evolution,... I just don't like what it's done.

Some belief systems just aren't "neutral."

It's like saying, "I don't care about racists one way or the other. I don't agree with them, but why does everyone have to bash them? Why can't we just let live how they want to? If they want to refuse service to African Americans or force them to sit at the back of the bus...so what? Can't we respect all beliefs equally?"

No. Because some belief systems -- especially ones are based on the subjugation of others -- aren't neutral.

Believing in Bigfoot? That's neutral. No one is in Congress rewriting the Consitution based on THAT belief.

That's the problem with Religion in America. These guys aren't Amish. They are not content to merely sit at home and plow the fields and let others live.

Good example of religion infringing on the rights of others: They are declaring (by basis of religion) that homosexuals are not "real" citizens and should not be entitled to all the rights and privledges therein (such as getting married or joining the military).

If religion were just a kooky belief up there with UFO's and Bigfoot....no one would care.

Of course religion is a flaw. If you take a couple seconds to look around you can realize that we humans are the ACTUAL CREATORS.

Religion is not a hiccup. Everyone is entitled to their beliefs as long as it doesn't infringe on anyone else's rights.

Whatever anyone has to say with about my religion/race/culture it's OK I've been hearing it all lately. Current is becoming a place for bashing it seems and for a bunch of people who scream for peace and progress it doesn't make sense to me.

I find that saying anyone but your beliefs a "pyschological" hiccup or bump in evolution and completely dismissing it as primitive with no REAL knowledge of it or anything spiritual a bit rediculous, especially since nothing can be proved. So don't trust what anyone tells you.

We can take religion out of the picture, but we are still dictated by human nature and our human faults and that hasn't changed since religion was created.

si, creo que parece evidente, pero: "el chip se ha cambiado en algún momento" por efecto de algo externo, ya existente. La religión es una determinación psicológica en el curso de la evolución; pero la existencia de algo parecido a Dios, tal vez no.
¿lo sabe alguien?

I don't believe in religion, I believe in God. organized religion has made a mockery of God. Personally I believe in Jesus, Allah, Buddah, and any other leader who does not preach about killing thier enemy.

Religion is something you can't prove or disprove and therefore doesn't matter. Atheists piss me off as much as religious people.

If I die and end up at the pearly gates, so be it. If I die and I just cease to be, so be it.

I'll be praying for those who believe it's a hiccup.

For someone who hates religion Dawkins has near patholigical obsession with it.

And Discordinaism is the marijuana of the lunatic fringe. I've always seen religion as an evolutionary step. I'm sure this article is not popular among those in organized religions however.

Religion is, indeed, the opiate of the masses. Its served its purpose but now its holding back civilization from progressing.

Religion is as important to me as Big Macs, so I agree with the article.

so long and thanks for all the fish lol.

"...humanity realizes WE must decide "right" and "wrong"..."...I agree, Delia, but FIRST We must get Humanity to accept HUMAN as THE ONE RACE on this planet. Until We accomplish that, "right" & "wrong" will always be determined subjectively instead of objectively.
(I'm not denigrating the intelligence & self-awareness of dolphins, either...They don't have the capability to destroy the planet...maybe We oughta get THEIR opinion)

Black president, big deal .. show me an atheist and we'll be making progress. Represents about 14% of the population and growing.

So, what are you saying, trying to get people to do the right thing in the wrong way doesn't work?

it seems that the creation is trying once again to define the creator. why is the vastness of man's ability always suffering the limitations of its own ablities to recognize the maker of mankind?

this is plausible but i dont think you can completely discount mysticism and magic that is inherent in any human being's basic understanding of life and the universe (love 4 instance?).

that wud b BOOORRINNNNGGG!

(and where the f would art come from???????)

good post

The premise is intuitive for most atheists, agnostics, anti-theists, and brights. Indeed, for the non-believer it seems almost self-evident.

What is odd is how something so obvious for some can be vehemently denied by others, i.e. believers.

Faith has always seemed like a crutch to me. People don't like to think that this is it because it makes things seem a bit futile... but I enjoy life and try to live life to the fullest because if this is it, then I want to make my time here well worth it and not spend my time trying to be a "good person" based on the standards of a two thousand year old book filled with so many hypocrisies it's impossible to count them on all your fingers and toes. If people believe in God, or gods, why do they need to go to a town gathering once a week to read passages, and give their money away to prove that? Does God really need our money... especially when there's this much inflation in the world? Furthermore, what is organized religion besides some form of governing power? It organizes masses of people and leads them to believe this and that and has been involved with dynasties, and democracies for as long as modern history. So despite the fact that this is an article from suicidegirls.com, I agree that religion is a hiccup... it was around long before science to explain the inexplicable.

Two things I'm pretty sure off...

God is a concept by which we measure our pain. -John Lennon

& suicide girls are cyber-goddesses ;)

Could religion also be but a tool to keep the rabble docile or/& at bay ?

"A tyrant must put on the appearance of uncommon devotion to religion. Subjects are less apprehensive of illegal treatment from a ruler whom they consider god-fearing and pious. On the other hand, they do less easily move against him, believing that he has the gods on his side" - Aristotle

Makes sense.

Psychologically speaking religion could be some kind of maladaptive hold over from when we're infants.

An infant can't do much for itself so it has no choice but to appeal to a higher power (Mom, Dad, nearby silverback gorrila, whatever) to survive.

If that primitive survival mechanism is faulty or just doesn't work correctly outside of a totally feral existence then it makes sense that people (around the world) would feel compelled to invent a all-powerful "Mother" that they could appeal to for help in times of distress.

When your an adult ape you probably don't have any religious ideas about "magic ape-gods in the sky" that can be appealed in times of trouble.

That existence is so close to nature and so primitive (without a lot of down time to wonder about such things) that there is no religion.

But what happens when you take a human out of the grasslands of 50,000 years ago and give them lot's of free time and burden them with lots of things that they have no control over?

Curious question. Why do humans have religion and apes don't?

And if an ape did decide to get religion...what religion would he pick?

Religion certainly had an important place in the past and continues to have it's place in our society today. However, just like every other belief system was once taken very seriously and time turned it into "mythology", I think the same thing will happen to modern religions. As science helps us understand more about the world we live in and humanity realizes WE must decide "right" and "wrong", we will see the modern gods go from real to conceptual as all others have done. Perhaps it will be replaced by a new belief system, hopefully one devoid of worship to supernatural beings.

I disagree with this article.
And others like it. It's a common theme. Been overdone so many times it's crazy, but that by no means says that it's correct.

I really like the computer upgrade analogy to explain the slow evolution of life. Our laptops of today are like supercomputers compared to the giant behemoths from when computing was first invented. This is something that a lot of minds can wrap their understanding around; because everyone has heard about computers and most marvel at how quickly the technology changes and improves year to year.

I agree 100% that religion must be taken seriously and not flippantly dismissed. If we look at the numbers of people who choose to put superstition before reason, it is terrifying; especially because these people have the ability to inflict substantial damage to those who disagree with their superstition, be it through the use of money and propaganda, or through force with weapons of mass destruction.

Thank you so much for this article and the illuminating perspective of Dawkins.

When man finds himself at a wagon wheel full of crossroads in life, he would immediately become immobile with indecision without some form of directional guidance. Religion sets forth a basic set of parameters in which to make these life's decisions.

Will we ever outgrow the need for these guidelines? Maybe, but they have flourished for millions of years, so don't expect Religion to go away any time soon.

i think religion could possibly be important in our development, but it's obviously a two-sided coin.

we sometimes think of religion as having disrupted our process of developing rational thought, but is it possible that much of our worldview, our philosophy, our general understanding of the world could not have come about except through religion as a conduit?

our rational thought seems to follow intuitive metaphor. as in dreams, we begin projecting our thoughts as objects, symbols, which function as intuitive understanding. it's only then, through reason, that we can demystify this symbolism and understand it rationally.

i'm not sure if this makes sense. it's something that occurred to me just this morning. i'll try to expound after i get some rest.

In all honesty it really wouldn't surprise me if this was true.

I can see how that would make sense.