Posted on 12/13/2014 6:08:09 PM PST by SunkenCiv
The ascetic and moralizing movements that spawned the world's major religious traditions -- Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, and Christianity -- all arose around the same time in three different regions... The emergence of world religions, they say, was triggered by the rising standards of living in the great civilizations of Eurasia...
It seems almost self-evident today that religion is on the side of spiritual and moral concerns, but that was not always so, Baumard explains. In hunter-gatherer societies and early chiefdoms, for instance, religious tradition focused on rituals, sacrificial offerings, and taboos designed to ward off misfortune and evil.
That changed between 500 BCE and 300 BCE -- a time known as the "Axial Age" -- when new doctrines appeared in three places in Eurasia. "These doctrines all emphasized the value of 'personal transcendence,'" the researchers write, "the notion that human existence has a purpose, distinct from material success, that lies in a moral existence and the control of one's own material desires, through moderation (in food, sex, ambition, etc.), asceticism (fasting, abstinence, detachment), and compassion (helping, suffering with others)."
...shows a sharp transition toward moralizing religions when individuals were provided with 20,000 kcal/day, a level of affluence suggesting that people were generally safe, with roofs over their heads and plenty of food to eat, both in the present time and into the foreseeable future...
The researchers say that this transition is consistent with a shift from "fast" life strategies, focused on the immediate problems of the day, to those focused on long-term investments. They say that it will now be interesting to test whether other familiar characteristics of modern human society, such as high parental investment and long-term monogamy, might stem from the same historical change.
(Excerpt) Read more at popular-archaeology.com ...
Voice, Guitar, Piano, and Bass.
That’s the reason people in the inner cities are trapped. There are lot of good individuals there, but they are surrounded by destroyers. It’s not until people can trust one another that true civilization can occur.
Gotta watch those carbs! LOL!
I will never look at a Calorie the same again! Thanks! :-)
King David lived 5 centuries before that time period; Moses 9 centuries. What sort of religion do the authors suppose they practiced?
Look at Maslow’s hierarchy, put forth in 1943 and a basic in several study disciplines since then.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow’s_hierarchy_of_needs
BTW I think society has lost some of its institutional memory.
We seem to be unable to do simple things, which were taken for granted not long ago.
Wow, you’re talented.
Ever heard of Bob James, the jazz pianist?
I will look him up! Thanks! :-)
The two things pig liberals despise the most - morality and capitalism. Pure fantasy, of course.
author on crack
Me too.
I stopped reading right there.
That's just about as silly as fake Christians quoting Christ from somewhere in the Old Testament.
I don’t understand what you’re referring to.
The research flies in the face of reality.
It assumes the more materially secure one is in their physical needs, the more spiritual they become.
It’s interesting to note that each of three falls of Satan recorded in Scripture, were from the status of Perfect Environment. Perfect Environment doesn’t promote spirituality in humans. While it doesn’t pre-empt the spiritual life, it isn’t a prerequisite.
And that’s why urban areas are so Leftist/Democratic, while rural is so Conservative/Republican: pile enough people into a small place, and they’ll take keen interest in legislating & enforcing exactly who is allowed to do what, without which they will fast devolve into mutual destruction.
Once a society becomes morality based, it becomes far more caring and civilized.
I seriously doubt 20,000 kcal was a normal diet anywhere.
To suggest Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, and Christianity all arose around the same time is absurd and destroys the “study” before it gets started.
20,000 Kcal is 20,000 Calories. The kind you see on packages.
See my reply.
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