Imagine the situation. You are a primitive person. You're surrounded by African plains. You sit on the grass and wait for the antelope to appear nearby so you can grab it and cook it for dinner. Suddenly, the grass next to it began to move. Do you think about what causes a rustle (wind or predator) or something to do (run away)?
Nothing good will come from thinking too much about the reasons for the rustle, as there may be a lion or leopard hiding there. It is best to think that a rustling sound is a sign of danger.
Those who survived and progeny developed what evolutionary scientists call the "Overactive Mechanism Detection Device" (HADD).
Hadd is a mechanism that allows people to imagine that many things have the ability to act on their own. This understanding of how the world works has contributed to the quick decision-making process that people go through every time they hear a rustle in the grass: something in the grass is capable of attacking me, so I need to run away.
In addition to helping people make rational decisions, the hadd may have sown the seeds of religious thought. For example, in addition to attributing free will to lions, people are also starting to attribute free will to things that don't actually have any capacity to act on their own.
As a result, people began to confer the status of ** person (actor) on inanimate objects. Raindrops will now fall not only at their own behest or at the will of someone else (spirit). Water droplets, clouds, sunlight, trees, wind – became the medium of primitive man. This means that their actions have a specific purpose.
Purposeful action is the basis of what evolutionary scientists call the theory of mind (theory of intention). Anticipating the actions that other creatures might take, people began to plan their actions in terms of "other" actions. This allows them to distinguish between the positive and negative intentions of others, increasing their own chances of survival.
But when people began to attribute the purpose to the actions of inactive objects, a shift to religion occurred. The agitation of the sea is not due to natural causes, but to the will of the water spirit, or rather that the sea itself is a living, spiritual being that is angry at something, and therefore it is stirred (literally).
Not everyone agrees that religious beliefs stem from non-religious cognitive abilities. Some scientists see religion as an adaptation to help humans survive and pass on their genes.
Evolutionary anthropologist Robin Dunbar argues that religion initially aids group adaptation. She acts as a fastening element. The idea is not new; It was proposed a hundred years ago by Emile Durkheim, one of the founders of sociology.
Humanity has developed religion as a way to promote cooperation among social groups. Primates tend to live in groups because they benefit from it. For example, group hunting is more effective than hunting alone. But there are drawbacks to group living. Some deputies began to enjoy public goods without significant benefits to others. There is a risk of this. To avoid conflict, religion emerged so that everyone would walk on the same ideological path. More cohesive groups are more effective against less cohesive groups, so there is a great need for the social function of religion.
There are other interesting versions about the origin of religion. For example, religion is sometimes seen as a form of mental adaptation to the environment, without which our species would not exist. In other words, religion is just a means by which humanity needs an additional mechanism to understand the world around us.