The Origin of Our Beliefs
Our recorded history, beginning
about the 4th Millennium or
roughly 6 or 7 thousand years ago,
provides us with an abundance of
archaeological and written hints of
early traditions, speculations about
the whyʼs of human life, and of
Larry Wonderling
course, traditions and beliefs.
Prehistory suggests it took about 15 million years or
so of incredible planetary evolution before we humans
were finally able to record our history. Another estimate
is that 15 million years ago the human population was
roughly a miraculous 5,000 primitive humans. Since
then we humans began perfecting our beliefs into social
groups, empires, and increasingly organized speculations
regarding the purposeful nature of our existence with
spiritual implications of life beyond a physical demise.
Our population is now well over 7 billion, exuding a
worldwide variety of beliefs.
In general, evidence of existence or communication
beyond life is certainly replete with religious hopes,
skepticisms, faiths, worship, dogmas, concerns, and
beliefs. In fact, the origin of beliefs may have begun just
about everywhere with birth and death concerns.
As of 2014, an estimated 4,200 religions are practiced
on our planet which may be astonishing to some religious
ideologues, yet clearly tenable to world traveling
humanitarians. Most educated humans in industrial
nations realize that the 5 or 6 major religions include
Christianity, Roman Catholicism, Islam, Judaism,
Hinduism, and Buddhism. The others probably consist
of outgrowths of the above major religions, other
localized segregated churches, and cults throughout the
world. I donʼt doubt that most religions and cults provide
explanations to anyone from all areas of our world with
palpable reasons for human existence and enticing
sermons about life beyond, which provides us with even
more promising beliefs.
Consequently, Iʼll close this article with a paragraph
from the last chapter on Religion in my first
book, Seductive Illusions, published 20 years ago.
“Life is hard and then you die” was written for those
folks whose life is shackled to the struggle. Why should
they compliantly endure such a hard life, and how do
they accept their plight when constantly confronted
with those bright, clever, financially greedy ones. For
those less advantaged humans, church becomes their
salvation, their redemption, and certainly their hope.
The church provides them with the guidance they need
to more serenely survive the chaos. It also offers them
the promise that, ʻlife is hard but when you die, you go
to heaven.”
For me personally, I donʼt disbelieve any of the religions
Iʼve experienced in living throughout the world. I do
believe, however, in those 5 or 6 major religions mainly
because they all promote helping others with a promise
of a divine God who may care for others spiritually for
eternity. These are beliefs I can comfortably live with.
– Larry Wonderling, Ph.D.
Email: [email protected]
12 April 2017
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