Natural Religion continued

Romans 1:19-20, Acts 14:17

“Because what can be known of God is clear to their inner moral sense; for in this way God Himself has shown it to them. For ever since the creation of the world, His invisible characteristics – have been made intelligible and clearly visible by His works. So they are without excuse . . . (Williams’s translation) . . . yet He didn’t fail to give evidence of Himself by doing good, giving you rains from heaven and crops in their seasons filling you with food and happiness. (Beck)

 

So in the beginnings of civilization, mankind knew that the sun was the servant of God. As some men acquired political power through natural abilities according to Polybius, this leadership arose from the organization of hunting bands. Hunters accustomed to following direction from a leader in the field, would naturally retain this rudimentary social organization upon return to the larger group. Even the production of spear points required an intensive apprenticeship. These hunting bands soon found that they had power over the distribution of food. Later, as agriculture required public works an officer cadre’ was already in place; to encourage a transition from an egalitarian state to an authoritarian state, stratification had already set in as a division between hunters and non-hunters. As both classes became producers, the trade of meat for grain tended to consolidate the power of the hunting class to which possession of, and expertise with, weapons was no detriment. As production increased, so did the population. The primordial social organization increased as well with the increase in population came a concomitant increase in specialization and the stratification of that population. When production increased to the point of supporting a leisure class, it was only natural for warchiefs to become priests and kings.  In this way the egalitarian power of the Big Man becomes the authoritarian military power of the king.  When public works were no longer essential the hunting/labor organizer needed a new format to consolidate his power.  He either needed to rule with an iron fist or to win their hearts and minds.  This was done by exchanging the invisible creator for a visible Idol.  This was accomplished with miracle, mystery and authority.  The king encouraged all the sins enumerated by Paul in Romans 1:24-32.  Paul ascribes the origin of idolatry to a development arising from a failure to act upon the inherent natural religion that because we are here, we were put here by an existent powerful God.  In initiation rites, the supplicant was often given “magic” and “holy” drink and food that altered their conscious perceptions of the event.  There is evidence of this original natural religion, for in most idolatrous systems the sun figured largely in the pantheon.  But the most ancient appellation for the sun was “Shamash” or “Shemash” that is to say, servant.  The earliest artifacts we have for religious practices are the “Venus” figurines which date to the beginning of grain cultivation.  This indicates that sex was a major aspect of this early object worship.  The exaggeration of the sexual characteristics of these figurines supports this assumption.