If the examination of historical events & reality were allowed to shine down into this discussion there would be only the least compelling reasons to believe that there's any supranatural source for morals & ethics but only realtivism based on human necessity & inventions clearly observable thru time . Any regulation of human behaviors that wasn't otherwise observed scaling back to man's early tribal practices in sympathetic ritual magic , animalism , totems and later embodied diety worship hasn't shown any real change , just modulated with more complexity . The basic formula for human morals, ethics & values is one of the easiest things to see built right from the start in nature ....from love instinctual of mother & offspring , love devotion within the family unit & identity & loyalty of belonging to a tribe .
Just starting with the first & most poweful relationship mentioned 1rst above , the instinctual protection & love of Mother to child should be one of the most obvious things built right in , that goes back as far as you want . I don't suppose one would have to mention the powerful image of the Madonna here to effect acceptance of this idea (?) , or that the "Chosen One" enters the world but thru the womb of woman . Then the duty of the man/father to protect & hoepfully cherish what is his own closest kin . Not always the case of course as is the reality we all know with some inlaws ....but being a Christian you love even your mother in laws , lol.
One observes simply what man worships initially is that which is beyond his reach, is more powerful & cannot control around him but as he did learn to control these he "naturally" looks farther afield but retains much of the former symbols & ritual into the evolving new forms . This is plainly evident when one looks to the rituals & liturgies that exist today compared to past forms of practicing sympathetic magic evolving into a wide pantheon of many dieties, heavenly bodies great & small . One see's distinct evolution of beliefs , rituals & definitions when human beings develope language , transform from early scavenging hunter gathers with the domestication of animals on into large river based agricultural societies with the accompanying specialization of skillsets & roles plus the luxury of free time to concoct even more complex "stories" .
All Nature , right from the start ...what is Religion today is no more than the original totems, sympathetic magics, worship of the unseen as we surmise from studying our own history book of life now thru anthropology , just added modulations & adaptations built up complexity . |
