The story of religion is a long and complex one, filled with tales of conquest, conversion and redemption. Sometimes brutal and violent, religious groups have long fought with each other for control. Control over territory, land, and the minds of men. Only recently (on a historical scale) with the creation of the United States, was the idea introduced into modern society that the ruling government should be completely free from any religion.  For the vast majority of recorded human history, societies were ruled by governments that were indistinguishable to most people from gods. One does not have to look further than Iran or North Korea to see evidence of this even in today's modern, information filled world.

But what are the true origins of religion? How did religion get started? Most scholars agree that religion is about ten thousand years old. Since most also agree that man had the ability for complex spoken language for approximately thirty thousand years, there is a large gap. About twenty thousand years where man walked the earth without the need for any form of organized religion.

What happened? What caused man to bow down and worship his fellow man as if he were a god? As if he had the keys to the kingdom of heaven?

The answers lie in agriculture, and base human desires. Before the invention of agriculture, man lived in small groups of about two hundred. The wealth, property, and mating opportunities were not spread evenly. Those that were the strongest naturally got most of the good stuff. This is clear today by studying groups of primitive apes, with which we share common ancestors.

When agriculture was invented, or discovered, societies quickly grew to enormous sizes. The old style of bashing your neighbor over the head to get his stuff and his woman didn't work any more. Society needed new rules to keep order. Religion was perfect for this. A short look over the ten commandments show that they are a perfect set of rules for keeping a society in order. Don't kill, don't covet, don't sleep around.  And with these rules came the necessity of a God or group of gods to deliver them. The idea that an all knowing, all seeing entity was watching your every move was perfect to keep people honest.

Has the time come for these old ideas? Are humans evolved and smart enough to make conscious and rational decisions based on human laws, instead of divine ones? Only time will tell.