This article is an excerpt from the Shortform book guide to "Homo Deus" by Yuval Noah Harari. Shortform has the world's best summaries and analyses of books you should be reading.
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How and why was organized religion created? What role did the invention of writing play in the creation of religion as a centralized system of belief?
According to Yuval Noah Harari, the main impetus to the creation of religion as a centralized system of belief was actually the invention of writing. Writing allowed leaders to create a universal holy text to validate the story of divine guidance for the masses to follow.
Keep reading to learn about the creation of religion.
The Creation of Religion: How Faith in the Supernatural Was Born
The creation of religion dates back to prehistoric times. However, religion as an institution did not exist until the invention of writing.
Before writing was invented, people had to rely solely on the words of priests for spiritual guidance. However, these priests had no way of remembering everything their divine beings required, and thus they couldn’t create a centralized system of belief.
Writing allowed humans to organize themselves into complex structures. This is most apparent with religion. By creating a “holy text,” powerful leaders created a version of reality that could be shared and followed by large groups of people. Because many use religion as their guide to reality, religious founders could dictate the way they wanted people to behave and interact by claiming that a “divine being” demanded it, referencing the holy scriptures.
When these texts were at the height of their popularity, those who obeyed religious teachings were rewarded, either with promises for the afterlife or earthly power. Skeptics, on the other hand, were labeled heretics and killed for their rejection of the holy teachings.
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- Why technology is replacing humanist ideals
- How previous generations relied on prayer to deal with serious problems
- How AI and algorithms are going to run the world
