• This forum contains old posts that have been closed. New threads and replies may not be made here. Please navigate to the relevant forum to create a new thread or post a reply.
  • Welcome to Tamil Brahmins forums.

    You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our Free Brahmin Community you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join our community today!

    If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact contact us.

The origin of religions in the world

Status
Not open for further replies.
How wealth gave birth to modern religion
The Business Line
Published on January 1, 2015
So God followed the money trail? More like, today’s major religions were born after humans figured out how to provide for their own long-term needs, according to new research published in this month’s issue of Current Biology. What’s the study about? The study’s four researchers were trying to figure out why the world’s major religious traditions— Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam— all rose roughly at the same time (from 500-300 BCE) in different parts of the world. Besides, all of these religions factored in the value of morality and “personal transcendence”, the notion that human existence has a purpose that is over and above that of material success. And this was different from what ancient religions said? Yes. In much of ancient mythology, take Greek for instance, the biggest gods weren’t exactly known for their scruples. (Think of the all-powerful philanderer Zeus.) And the Greeks weren’t alone. The gods of some of the most powerful empires– the Egyptians, Romans, Aztecs and Mayans — did not prescribe the straight and narrow. Then our ancestors didn’t do charity or give up their favourite foods?
Moderation, abstinence and compassion, according to these researchers, are inventions of the modern spiritual style. To prove this, they gathered historical and archaeological data from the societies that birthed today’s major religions. Using this, they created a statistical model to predict what kind of societies suited the birth of a modern-day religion— should they be rich or poor, primitive or politically advanced. Their results showed that what societies needed was a factor called ‘energy capture’. Spiritual energy, you mean? Harnesssing chi? No, food. Today’s moralising religions began in societies whose members had access to at least 20,000 kilocalories of food each day. This implies that other basic needs— a roof over their heads, provisions for a rainy day— were also taken care of. You mean, it would be pointless preaching abstinence to empty stomachs? Exactly. People of the ancient world were prey to frequent famine and disease. But towards 500 BCE, things started to get better. Civilisations began to urbanise as the first cities were built and life in general became more systematic, with the promise of a reasonably secure tomorrow. People could now start worrying about how to help themselves in their afterlives. So did the beginning of affluence alter religion? A Science Daily analysis says what affluence did was change people’s psychology, which in turn, changed the nature of their religious worship. The more likely people were to have a surplus – of food, or wealth or any other resource — the easier they could be convinced that they needed less of it. Today’s ‘moralising religions’ focus on compassion and selflessness, but these virtues became possible only when the devotee’s focus shifted from finding his next meal. In that case, all of the world’s religions are more or less the same? They have common origins, according to the study’s results. Some critics say that religion has more to do with the size and complexity of a society. Isn’t this slightly obvious? Not really. For long, researchers believed that religion built, defined and held together civilisations. But this study proves that religion might have, in fact, ridden the coat tails of a civilisation’s own success.
 
The above appears to be true when one notices that poorer sections of society, religion holds little attraction.

many would be prepared to change their religion if it offers them the basics, ie food and shelter.

this also makes me believe in the thought that middle class of highest caste would throw away

their caste ,if a better lifestyle and material affluence is guaranteed to them in western countries or

elsewhere
 
Krish – Let me clarify !

The poor & the poorest of NB Tamils go to Palani, Thirupati, & various temples every day as part of 1000s of yrs of tradition. Religion, culture & tradition are the way for life for Tamils/Dravidians in general, not just the TBs !

In south, most of the poor people are strongly rooted in religion for all times & they go to these temples every year irrespective of any difficulty, even if it is just to the mariamman temple in the next door village !!
 
Last edited:
To add, in almost all homes irrespective of poor or rich, there is a small place for the Gods & they worship them regularly. Even the car drivers will have a photo/small statues of the Gods in their cars & they will not start work without praying in the morn !! Religion did not originate from the Brahmins, the basic worship comes from the dravidians, only the Brahmins specialized it !! Please do not assume things. . . .
 
though there is change of govt at the centre, you are yet to get its real after effects such as conversions and moral police .there are going to be interesting times for south indians in course of time
 
Religion did not originate from the Brahmins, the basic worship comes from the dravidians, only the Brahmins specialized it !!. . .

OMG! So what were Brahmins in the North doing? There was no Dravid there to teach them prayer.
 
Renuka –

The word Brahmin comes from A-braham, & this comes after the Alexander soldiers settled down in Coorg & build the trojan, greek, Egyptian empires. However this Brahmin community is intermixed with the existing Dravidian priests + Greek + Roman + Egyptian. The religion, culture, traditions as we know today is heavily built upon the existing Dravidian worship + Egyptian + Greek & Roman. The very concept / origin of "priests" as a separate community / caste system is Dravidian !!

All Brahmins/priests come from the south & they later migrated to the North as part of conquests since the South Kings also occupied some of the areas in the North or went there propagating their faith. They also go to South east asia, Egypt, Incas etc..

That’s why the North Brahmins / Indians worship Dark gods or for that matter the entire world since Jesus (Krishna) was also Dark skinned !!

Cheers,
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.

Latest ads

Back
Top