Welcome to the Street Prophets Coffee Hour cleverly hidden at the intersection of religion, art, science, food, and politics. This is an open thread where we can share our thoughts and comments about the day. In today’s American politics, there are many people who feel that their god has laid down the rules for government. Let’s take a look at the evolution of the idea that government was given to people by the gods (or god for those who are monotheistic).
For most of the past 300,000 years, Homo sapiens lived in relatively small hunting, gathering, and fishing bands. The social organization of these bands was egalitarian—there were no ruling classes, no dynasties, no kings. Leadership was diverse and task-oriented. Then, beginning about 10,000 years ago or so, came agriculture, cities, and the emergence of social classes.
As societies became larger, the informal methods of social control which worked well for the hunting and gathering bands were no longer adequate. Social organization had to change, and government and religion became more formal and closely intertwined. In his book The Believing Brain: From Ghosts and Gods to Politics and Conspiracies—How We Construct Beliefs and Reinforce Them as Truths, Michael Shermer writes:
“When populations became too large for informal means of social control (such as gossip and shunning), religion and government evolved as social watchdogs and enforcers of the rules.”
In order to explain and justify why they were empowered to rule, and therefore others were required to simply serve, the ruling elites relied on the concept of gods. Their right to rule, argued the elites, was the will of the gods. In his book Understanding Early Civilizations: A Comparative Study, Bruce Trigger writes:
“In all early civilizations kings and members of the upper classes claimed a special role of mediators between the terrestrial realm and the gods. It was through their intervention that the energy on which the gods, and hence the universe and all human beings, depended for their survival was channeled from the human realm back into the supernatural one.”
Bruce Trigger also writes:
“The ability to maintain contact with the gods was the most important source of political authority.”
In the early agricultural civilizations, religious and governmental roles became more formalized. The concepts of priest and king emerged as specialized occupations. In his book The Faith Instinct: How Religion Evolved and Why It Endures, Nicholas Wade writes:
“Many leaders of archaic states asserted that they had been appointed by the gods or, at the least, that they ruled with divine approval. Some assumed the office of chief priest.”
In many of the early complex civilizations and city-states, such as those in Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Mesoamerica, the king had religious functions and performed ceremonies on behalf of the people. In this role, the king was the intermediary between the gods and the people.
In her book Fields of Blood: Religion and the History of Violence, Karen Armstrong writes:
“It seems that a strong monarchy often generates the cult of a supreme deity, creator of the political and natural order.”
Bruce Trigger writes:
“Because of their close association with supernatural forces kings were ascribed various divine attributes.”
In egalitarian hunting and gathering societies, norms were unwritten and informal standards which guided peoples’ behavior. As societies grew larger, more complex, and hierarchical, informal norms evolved into more formal laws. In addition to designating certain individuals or certain family groups as rulers, the gods also dictated the laws which the people were to follow. Bruce Trigger writes:
“Laws were often claimed to originate with the gods, who transmitted them to humans through the proclamation of rulers.”
He continues:
“Supernatural powers were believed to support the legal process by revealing guilt or innocence through oracles and ordeals and by punishing oath-breakers. The gods punished individuals whose crimes went undetected or unpunished by humans.”
For many people, moral rules are laid down by the gods and thus, the laws created by human governments must follow these rules.
Open Thread
This is an open thread—all topics are welcome.