Religion is a set of human beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the Universe based on faith in something supernatural that many call God.

Humans have long believed in something supernatural, trying to explain the ups and downs of life with forces beyond the natural world and seeking comfort from the thought of an afterlife when confronting death.

Hunter-gatherers believed in animism, assuming that every natural thing, such as animals, plants, oceans, mountains, and thunderstorms, had an awareness and that their spirits were capable of helping or harming others, depending on their moods. Therefore, humans respected nature and its creatures, and no living being was considered inferior or superior.

When the Agricultural Revolution began and humans started domesticating animals and plants, the relationship between humans and other living beings changed. Humans saw themselves above the rest as they controlled the lives of tamed animals and plants.

However, though humans could lock the animals into pens and interbreed the most suitable ones for their purposes, as well as choose the best plants to cultivate and enhance their growth, they had no say in natural disasters, environmental challenges, epidemic diseases, or deaths. For that reason, it is believed that gods came into being in the human imagination.

People began to provide prayers to the gods of sky, land, and war in hopes of getting more favourable results in events beyond human control. Cities, states, and peoples may have had their own gods who could co-exist, mix, and change as empires expanded and toppled.

While polytheistic religions were prevailing around the globe, Abraham, one of the most important figures in the history of religion, was born in Ur, Mesopotamia, around 1800 BCE. Whether Abraham was a real character or a folklore, he is claimed by Jews, Christians, and Muslims as their founding father.

Abraham is considered the first monotheist.¹ Abraham, sane or not, began hearing a voice in his head, telling him to abandon other gods in favour of just one omnipotent. The voice led him to the promised land of Canaan (which is today Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria) and tested his loyalty with a command to sacrifice his son Isaac. Abraham was faithfully obeying, already holding a knife above his head and ready to give a deadly blow. But the voice intervened and offered a ram to be sacrificed instead of Isaac. Over time, the followers of Abraham formed Judaism, and from Judaism, Christianity evolved in the first century CE. Islam was born from the two in the early seventh century CE.

Monotheistic religions remained insignificant long and began to gain a foothold only after Christianity became a state religion of the Roman Empire in the fourth century CE. Missionaries started to disseminate the word of only one God, who did not tolerate other deities. Christianity spread fast as people converted voluntarily or by force.

Religions may have many virtues as they can provide comfort and hope for many, but when monotheistic religions began to spread, religion became a common cause of hatred as well. Over the past one and half millennia, millions upon millions have been killed based on their wrong convictions, and bloody wars have not been targeted only to other religions. For example, Christianity has separated into hundreds (if not thousands) of different sects that argue about how to interpret the Bible, and Shia and Sunni Muslims can't agree on who can lead all of them. Besides, along with monotheism, the open sexuality of antiquity became a closed act between man and woman, and homosexuals became persecuted.

Today, more than half of the population on Earth are either Christians or Muslims. Hinduism (polytheistic) is the third most common religion, while atheism (a lack of belief in gods) is rising as science can explain many phenomena once beyond human understanding.

¹ The story of Abraham is based on texts in the Bible, a book that is not regarded as the most reliable historical source. If Abraham was not a real character, the first known monotheist was Pharaoh Akhenaten in ancient Egypt, who institutionalized the worship of Aten as a state religion around 1350 BCE. He became so fond of his favourite God that he started to believe it was the only one and ignored other deities. After the death of Akhenaten, Egypt abandoned Aten in favour of the old gods and polytheism.

Bibliography

Holloway, R. 2017. A Little History of Religion. New Haven, United States: Yale University Press. 256 p. ISBN 9780300228816.

Harari, Y. N. 2015. Sapiens a Brief History of Humankind. London, United Kingdom: Vintage. 512 p. ISBN 9780099590088. Pages 233-263.

DK. 2022. Big History the Greatest Events of All Time from the Big Bang to Binary Code. London, United Kingdom: Penguin Random House. 375 p. ISBN 9780241515525. Pages 274-275.

Potter, W. 2023. Homo Sapiens the History of Humanity And the Development of Civilization. London, United Kingdom: Arcturus Publishing Limited. 256 p. ISBN 9781788280914. Pages 46-47.

Gombrich, E. H. 2008. A Little History of the World. New Haven, United States: Yale University Press. 284 p. ISBN 9780300143324. 24-28.

DK. 2021. Ancient Egypt the Definitive Visual History. London, United Kingdom: Penguin Random House. 320 p. ISBN 9780241446867. Pages 178-179.

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