The Evolution of Faith in God
Photo by Naitian（Tony） Wang on Unsplash Something that most people do not contemplate is the evolution of faith in God. Yet, it can make a significant difference in modernized societies if the majority of the population no longer believes in God. Since ancient times, civilizations have worshipped multiple gods. These cultures perceived their gods as having specialized powers tailored to the daily events of life.
Early examples of polytheistic cultures included the Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians and Assyrians. These civilisations believed that every natural force was a manifestation of a deity. Their gods were often volatile, reflecting the unpredictable flooding of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers of Mesopotamia. In ancient Egypt, religion was based on maintaining balance and truth. Egyptian gods were often zoomorphic – possessing the heads of animals that represented their specific attributes. In ancient Greece and Rome, the Greco-Roman gods were essentially super-humans in that they felt jealousy, fell in love, threw tantrums and meddled in mortal affairs. In India, Hinduism historically embraced hundreds of millions of deities representing different facets of the Supreme Reality (i.e., Brahman). In the Mesoamerican cultures, the gods were associated with the cycles of time, agriculture (especially maize), and celestial movements.
As humankind continues to make scientific advances, faith and religion evolve accordingly. Regarding this correlation, Stephen Sanderson, a visiting sociology scholar at the University of California, Riverside, observed, “Advances in subsistence economy, increases in population, and the development of writing and record keeping were necessary conditions for religious evolution over the long run.”[1] The bottom line is that as a nation’s culture changes, so does the level of faith and perception of God, and the purpose of religion.
For many centuries now, humankind has increased its understanding of its surroundings (primarily through scientific discoveries) and decreased its faith in God. As the author Alex Shelby concluded, “The more we know and understand, the less necessary God becomes.”[2] Huston Smith, a renowned historian of religion who taught at the University of California, Berkeley, also concluded that “The more the universe seems comprehensible, the more religion seems pointless.”[3] Karen Armstrong, a renowned British author of comparative religion, observed, “People must outgrow God in their own good time.”[4]
According to a recent Pew Research study, over one-quarter of American adults now identify as religiously unaffiliated, compared to just 16% back in 2007. The unaffiliated (28%) now outnumber both Catholics (23%) and evangelical Protestants (24%). The share of American adults who identify as religiously unaffiliated, now known as “Nones,” is larger than any individual religious cohort.[5]
The millions of Nones are broken down into three main categories: agnostics (20%), atheists (17%), and those who believe “nothing in particular” (63%). Nones are also almost evenly split between men (51%) and women (47%). Jason DeRose, the religion correspondent for National Public Radio, reported in The Washington Post, “I think it’s possible these people don’t believe in anything [supernatural]. We just don’t have the language [or religion] yet to describe what they do believe.”[6]
However, it has been shown that believing in a higher power is healthier, at least mentally. The benefits outweigh the harm if one chooses to believe in God.[7] Finding solace in times of grief and loss is a human need. Religion and faith in God have enabled the release of guilt, turning grief over to a higher power.
There is no denying that religion taps into a psychological comfort zone. Research shows that religious Americans (50%) are generally happier and less stressed than non-religious Americans.[8] Shelby noted that as long as there is anxiety associated with our future, there is the potential for prayer and, therefore, a continued belief in God.[9] One reason for this comfort with God is the fear of the unknown that is universal to human beings.[10] Another reason is that people need hope and comfort, and having faith in God can provide that.[11]
Next, as we have witnessed with the fundamentalist movements in all three Abrahamic religions, many people are resistant to change. Limiting change is one of the primary goals of religion.[12] So, as humankind evolves away from having faith in God, it is clear that faith will probably never disappear, no matter how much science has discovered.[13]
Evolution of Religions
Throughout history, religions come and go. When a religion dies, it tends to become a myth. As for new religions, they are often perceived as cults in the beginning, with most not surviving long. The key to the survival of any new religion is an effective champion (such as Apostle Paul with Christianity) with a message that resonates with people (such as the belief in Jesus as the son of God is the only way to get into heaven[14]).[15]
Finally, there is the impact of the Internet. Greg Cootsona, a professor of religious studies at California State University, Chico, reported that discussions on social media are largely hostile toward religious faith. Countless comments such as “The Internet will kill religion,” and “Jesus will soon go the way of Zeus and Osiris,” adversely affect the opinions of millions of Internet users regarding God and religion.[16]
A new, revised religion is ripe to emerge at any time now. It should not require much faith as there is little appetite for it today, especially among the younger generations. In fact, the fewer requirements a new religion has, the more likely it is to flourish in a modernizing world. As such, a new religion should be limited to just one leap of faith – the belief in god. However, the belief in an almighty God that is all-knowing, ever-present and all-powerful is, in fact, many leaps of faith. Therefore, as discussed earlier, this new, revised God would not be omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent. Indeed, the future of God could be a personal god tailored to each individual. An individual’s personal god could have some power to affect their life, but to what degree would be unknown. As well, having a personal god also mitigates the suffering and evil issues addressed by theodicy. Mass evil events causing suffering could not be attributed to any personal god, but rather to explanations better provided by science.
This new religion would also be the easiest to adopt as world religions have many tenets one must believe in. The three Abrahamic religions (i.e., Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) have numerous traditions, customs and beliefs that adherents should follow. For example, there is no reason to believe in an afterlife, including Heaven, Hell or the Kingdom of God (as if God were a monarch).[17]
Next, humankind’s “inherent sin,” the foundation of the Abrahamic religions, would not exist. Therefore, sin could not be used as leverage to influence anything one does while alive.
Analogous to inherent sin is that the reincarnation of souls also would not exist. Therefore, providing money, resources and prayer to religious organizations would not affect anything for the provider after dying or for their ancestors who have already passed.
As well, karma would not apply to death. “One gets what one deserves” applies only while a person is alive. In other words, one’s life is one’s own responsibility. Nothing in life is predestined to happen (see Open Theism). Hence, being reincarnated as a result of how you lived your life is not realistic.
Historically, the leverage employed by organized religion using sin or karma to get people to do what they otherwise would not do is a concept that is important to understand. To atone for one’s inherent sins and those committed during one’s lifetime, the Abrahamic religions ask for penance and prayer to be done, frequently involving money. For example, during the Crusades, the pope granted crusading knights fighting on behalf of the church absolution of all sins (past, present and future!) and a guaranteed entrance into heaven. (Many millions of innocent people were unnecessarily slaughtered during the Crusades.)
Guardian Angels
Analogous to having a personal god are guardian angels. Guardian angels are typically viewed as non-human divine beings. Their love is unconditional. The concept of guardian angels dates back thousands of years.
One of the earliest sources of this belief comes from Zoroastrianism (in ancient Persia), which describes the Fravashi—a guardian spirit or divine essence that exists for every individual, protecting them and helping them fight for good. In Judaism, Rabbinic literature developed the idea that God appoints angels to watch over people. Turning to theology, the Catholic and Orthodox traditions generally teach that every believer is assigned a guardian angel at birth or baptism to guide them toward salvation and protect them from spiritual harm. For Islam, the Qur’an describes Hafaza – guardian angels who protect individuals from death until their destined time.
From a psychological standpoint, the belief in a guardian angel serves as a powerful buffer against loneliness and existential fear. It externalizes intuition. For example, a person might attribute a sudden, life-saving intuition (“Don’t get on that plane”) to a guardian angel. The bottom line here is that guardian angels are really everyone’s personal gods.
Conclusion
For thousands of years before Jesus Christ, historic societies believed in multiple gods (or divine entities), including the Mesopotamians, Greeks, Hindus, Romans and American Indians. During the time of Christ, humankind’s religious development eventually evolved into having faith in only one almighty deity, commonly referred to as “God/Yahweh/Allah.” While the majority of the world’s population today believes in just one God, there are still multiple religions that believe in many “gods,” such as Hinduism and Shinto. The growth in faith in one God corresponds with the diminishing faith in multiple gods.
Today, religious evolution concerns the nature of God. God may no longer be perceived as omnipotent, omnipresent and all-knowing but rather as a personal confidant and supporter of the believer. According to Robert Bellah, a professor of sociology at the University of California, Berkeley, there is a deep human need to think of God as personal.[18] John Caputo, a professor of philosophy at Villanova University, declared that God is within each person.[19] This could be interpreted as each person having his/her own god for as long as they live. The evolution here is that when you die, you are dead, and your personal god ceases to exist.
It appears that humankind is on the verge of another evolution of faith – the belief in just one life and one personal god. This evolution accommodates the continued scientific advancements characteristic of modern societies.
Bibliography
Armstrong, Karen. A History of God. New York: Ballantine, 1993.
Bellah, Robert. Religion in Human Evolution: From the Paleolithic to the Axial Age. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2011.
Caputo, John D. The Folly of God: A Theology of the Unconditional. Salem, OR: Polebridge Press, 2016.
Cootsona, Greg. “Some Ways Emerging Adults are Shaping the Future of Religion and Science.” Zygon, vol. 51, no. 3 (September 2016): 557-577.
DeRose, Jason. “Religious ‘Nones’ are now the largest single group in the U.S.” NPR, (January 24, 2024): https://www.npr.org/2024/01/24/1226371734/religious-nones-are-now-the-largest-single-group-in-the-u-s
Sanderson, Stephen. Religious Evolution and the Axial Age. London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2018.
Shelby, Alex. The Evolution of Religion: How Religions Originate, Change, and Die. 2014.
Smith, Huston. Why Religion Matters. San Francisco: Harper Collins, 2001.
Sumit, Paul-Choudhury. “Tomorrow’s Gods: What is the Future of Religion?” BBC Future (August 1, 2019).
[1] Sanderson, 190.
[2] Shelby, 212.
[3] Smith, 37.
[4] Armstrong, 357.
[5] DeRose (Jan 24, 2024): https://www.npr.org/2024/01/24/1226371734/religious-nones-are-now-the-largest-single-group-in-the-u-s
[6] Ibid.
[7] Shelby, 40.
[8] Ibid., 49.
[9] Ibid., 191.
[10] Ibid., 51.
[11] Ibid., 45.
[12] Ibid., 51.
[13] Sumit (2019): https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190801-tomorrows-gods-what-is-the-future-of-
religion
[14] In John 14:6, Jesus declares, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except
through Me.” This verse emphasizes that belief in Jesus is the exclusive path to heaven.
[15] Sumit (2019).
[16] Cootsona, 567.
[17] https://www.atheists.org/activism/resources/about-atheism/; Atheists do not believe in any form of an afterlife. Instead, atheists believe that this life is the only one you get.
[18] Bellah, 104.
[19] Caputo, 114.