SOCI 1000U Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Paleolithic Religion, Animal Worship, Prehistoric Religion
Document Summary
Belief in god or gods is a form of ontology. Humans create belief systems to understand the world. This world may or may not have been created by god. What does this mean? || is there a god? || which religion is correct? . God may have made the world that is being interpreted or not: paleolithic religion. Paleolithic period: about 95% of human history until about 12,000 years ago. Animal gods (animism), animal worship, nature, stone worship: neolithic religion (10,000 2000 bc) Stone, the main object of devotion in the paleolithic, was replaced by earth. Polytheism worship of multiple human-form gods: premodern-modern religion. From about 1000bce, more singular god worship emerged. Religion began to be used to justify political leaders; leaders (including religious) were paid. Just as states were larger, more centralized, complex and hierarchical out of surplus. Large religions have many groups that often do not affiliate.
