Superstition of God

[bazarov]

Hello, dear members.

I've read this last night, and got me interested a lot. It's Fyodor Dostoevsky; Demons:


“We know, for instance, that the superstition about God came from thunder and lightning.” The girl-student rushed into the fray again, staring at Stavrogin with her eyes almost jumping out of her head. “It's well known that primitive man, scared by thunder and lightning, made a god of the unseen enemy, feeling their weakness before it.”

So my question is, although I have no reason to suspect in His words; when did man actually became theists, mono or poli is irrelevant? Why?

P.S.

I asked one theology teacher, and she sad it was when humans started to question themselves about eternity. Homo sapiens was first intelligent form, so he could be the first.... But I don't like that.

[billyjack]

a guess:

gradually man started inferring from his experience seeming consistencies and types. these were then deemed natural while inconsistencies/anomalies were deemed supernatural. folks that were more naturally inclined to this unquestioned inferring were typically more successful at surviving since generalizing types and finding consistencies is useful in day to day life. seeming types and consistencies may not be true and most likely are not, but truth is moot in terms of survival (i can believe it true that a flying spaghetti monster is the ruler of the universe and this, although absurd, could make me content and more likely to react appropriately when $h*# hits the fan). this pragmatism, although lacking in truth, proved itself a successful trait to possess and eventually took hold in the form of common sense. with the foundation of common sense laid down, theism was a natural consequence in explaining events that didnt subscribe to our basic ideas of the natural world. anything that didnt make sense could be chalked up to the work of the god(s) and the integrity of common sense could be held in tact.

theism started with our ability to make inferences. this probably occurred right around the time we left the trees, maybe pre speech and pre homo sapien--homo erectus perhaps?

[togre]

Are any of these views scientifically quantifiable, measurable, demonstrable or repeatable?

Unless they are, they have no more empiric reliability than the bald statement "Man became a theist, shortly after God created man and then introduced himself." Right?

[billyjack]

erroneous on all counts. it can be scientifically proven that we infer things that arent true but are fine and dandy for the greater good and surviving. i can witness people doin what i just said on a day to day basis, here and now--(every sunday morning for instance). god introducing himself to man is something i've never witnessed nor has anyone else

so no--the empiric reliability of god is not equal to what i stated in the above post.

[backline]

I SEEN him!


Elvis, I mean.


He was out flagging traffic for a big construction company, just down the road from that tree where some folks see images of the virgin Mary if they squint jes' right.

[dzebra]

erroneous on all counts.

so no--the empiric reliability of god is not equal to what i stated in the above post.

I disagree. Since history cannot be scientifically proven (there is no way to repeat and test history), the theory that God approached a man and said, "Hello, now believe in me," is equal in provability to what you have suggested.

The way I would go about figuring out when humans became theists would be to track down old, reliable documentation of theism. I would not try to figure out how it could have happened based on the way the world currently works, because I know that things have not always happened the way things happen now.

[backline]

...I know that things have not always happened the way things happen now.


Oh I think they do indeed.
However they may not be perceived as they once were.

[blazeofglory]

Hello, dear members.

I've read this last night, and got me interested a lot. It's Fyodor Dostoevsky; Demons:



So my question is, although I have no reason to suspect in His words; when did man actually became theists, mono or poli is irrelevant? Why?

P.S.

I asked one theology teacher, and she sad it was when humans started to question themselves about eternity. Homo sapiens was first intelligent form, so he could be the first.... But I don't like that.

These are really very interesting questions. Nothing has ever stirred up our imagination more than the question of God.