In his chapter, "The Origins of Religion," Wilson argues that the creation myths, which cannot exist without language, are not only the foundation of every religion, but also Darwinian devices for survival.
"The evidence that lies before us in great abundance points to organized religion as an expression of tribalism. Every religion teaches its adherents that they are a special fellowship and that their creation story, moral precepts, and privilege from divine power are superior to those claimed in other religions"The goal of religions is submission to the will and common good of the tribe." [pp. 258-259]
Wilson believes religion emerged when Homo sapiens began to reflect upon their own mortality and when, in dreams or drug induced states, they saw their deceased relatives -- as well as enemies, gods, demons and monsters. [p. 264]
Had Robert Bellah's book been available to him, Wilson would have learned that the earliest tribal religions practiced rituals that made sacred ancestors seem real, but they had no gods or supernatural beings. More significantly, Wilson would have encountered evidence suggesting that such rituals and religions emerged, not to serve Darwinian purposes, but from the rules "sheltered to some degree from selectionist pressures" [Bellah, p. 112]: governing child's play.
It is to Bellah's magisterial book that I turn in Part Two.
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