How did gods evolve? I can¡¯t promise to answer a question of such gravity this week, but I can perhaps raise some interesting ideas.
Note that I¡¯m not specifically referring to the Christian, Islamic or Judean deity ¡ª I¡¯m speaking more broadly about the roots of our belief in a higher power.
Some scientists believe religion has evolved over time. It¡¯s similar, they say, to the way in which giraffes acquired long necks or mammals produced milk for their offspring ¡ª it¡¯s a trait that has helped humanity to survive. If that¡¯s the case with religion, then it probably evolved in stages over time. Ancestors of modern giraffes, for example, had shorter necks, while primitive mammals produced a liquid far less nutritious than milk.
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