Was Religion a Critical Milestone in Human Evolution?

Religion has long been a central aspect of human culture and society, but its impact on the evolution of our species remains a topic of debate among scholars. This article explores whether religion played a significant role in human evolution or if it was merely a byproduct of cultural and social developments.

The Timeline of Human Religion

Our species, Homo Sapiens Sapiens, emerged approximately 300,000 years ago. By contrast, organized religions, characterized by structured beliefs and rituals, likely arose only about 6,000 years ago, accompanying the rise of early civilizations. Between these two periods, primitive pre-historic humans, from around 10,000 to 15,000 years ago, were known as "Animists" who believed in spirits but showed no signs of organized religions. This period marked a time of relative stability in human development, indicating that the human species was as evolved as it would ever be without the influence of structured religious beliefs.

The Role of Religion in Human Evolution

While it may seem intuitive that religion could have played a crucial role in human evolution, evidence suggests a different narrative. Religions have often been instruments of power, often used to justify the domination of one group over another. For thousands of years, these beliefs have led to violent confrontations and the persecution of non-believers, ultimately fostering a culture of fear and control. However, this form of governance could be seen as a survival mechanism, as it mirrors the hierarchical structures required in wartime conditions, where command structures are vital to survival.

Some researchers propose that early humans may have adopted more authoritarian structures as a means of coping with the harsh realities of their environment and the potential threats from rival groups. In contrast, in regions where the physical environment was less threatening, cooperation and collaboration were selected for, leading to societies characterized by more egalitarian structures. Alternatively, the predisposition towards authoritarianism in the brain may have been a non-selected trait, meaning that those individuals without a strong inclination towards leadership and control may have had better survival chances.

Recent studies have shown that the brains of religious individuals and their followers are physiologically different from those of non-religious individuals. Conservative and liberal brains also exhibit distinct characteristics, indicating that these differences may be linked to environmental and social conditions. Although the exact causes are still debatable, evolution has clearly selected for these traits, suggesting that human brains are adaptable and responsive to their environment.

The Impact of Religion on Human Culture

Despite the long history of organized religion, the extent of its influence on human evolution has been minimal. Cultural practices, including religion, have a profound impact on societal structures and behaviors, but they do not significantly alter the genetic makeup of humans over short periods. For example, it took around 25 million years for modern chimps, gorillas, and humans to evolve from their common ancestor, with humans and chimps still sharing 98% of their DNA today. Extrapolating this over 2,000 years of Christianity, the genetic difference is estimated to be approximately 0.00016, which is negligible compared to the genetic diversity between different human races (approximately 0.4%).

In essence, the amount of change in humans due to evolutionary processes since the advent of religions is so small that it is effectively lost in the noise. Religion has contributed to the unity and stability of tribes and chiefdoms, but it has not significantly accelerated human evolution on a genetic level.