The Tribe Called God
Religion has been the most persistent institution in human history. No other institution has managed to survive for that long. Not merely survive, but thrive magnificently. It has destroyed empires and shaped new ones. It has sent men to war. It has encouraged mankind to kill, and also to defend itself till its last breath.
When you think about all the things that once existed and all the things that have vanished, it is baffling how religion has survived almost everything. From plagues to technological irrelevance, it has sailed through every major transformation of civilisation.
The reason it has managed to endure, I believe, is because humans have always required God to be present. The world has undoubtedly progressed, yet no amount of progress has brought lasting contentment or comfort. Every progressive transformation also introduces a new set of uncertainties.
If we go back more than seven thousand years, we find humans across the Indus Valley civilisation and the Sumerians trading with one another and worshipping gods according to season and geography. These gods were believed to be responsible for good harvests and successful trade.
Communities were divided into clans with specific rules. These clans grew larger and became tribes, giving birth to traditional societies where rules were firmly embedded. Tribes expanded further and went to war with other tribes. They became kingdoms, and kingdoms became empires.
Throughout this journey, gods were used as benevolent entities that empowered people. Victory strengthened faith in one’s gods. Defeat, however, forced the losers to question theirs. Since they could not accept that their gods had failed them, they refined their theories instead.
These refinements gave birth to the earliest forms of theology. The early Jews were henotheists. The Babylonian exile solidified their transition into monotheism, establishing the supreme authority of Yahweh. Early Christianity emerged as a Jewish sect, rejecting the authority of the Torah while remaining deeply inspired by it, much like how Buddhism rejected the authority of the Vedas while still drawing heavily from them.
As civilisations evolved, so did the nature of gods and the theologies surrounding them. Humans have always needed God to counter the uncertainty that defines their lives. Imagine being a peasant in the medieval era. One day you own agricultural land, a house, and some gold. The next day your land is scorched by enemies, your gold plundered, your city burned, and you are sold into slavery in a foreign land.
That was the level of uncertainty most people lived with during medieval times. Prayer was often their only tool. Sometimes, by sheer luck, they survived, which further strengthened their faith in God. When they did not survive, they convinced themselves it was divine punishment.
Their gods gave them the courage to endure even the harshest conditions. They gave people hope. And in those times, fortunes could truly change overnight. All it took was a different ruler on the throne, and one’s fate could transform for better or for far worse.
Religion also played a crucial role in bringing people together. In medieval terms, all religions functioned as large tribes. They were blind to the violence they inflicted upon others while loudly protesting the violence inflicted upon themselves.
Jews were persecuted by Babylonians, Assyrians, Greeks, Romans, Christians, Islamists, and others. Christians were persecuted by Romans, Sassanids, and Islamists. Hindus were persecuted by Christians and Islamists.
Religion has consistently united people into strongholds bound by a common ideology. It promised a glorious future through religious doctrine and carefully constructed theology.
When the Parthians established the Arsacid Empire, they were nomadic people from the Iranian plateau who rose to power by rallying populations around the idea of restoring the ancient Zoroastrian legacy of the Achaemenid Empire. When the Sassanids overthrew the Parthians, they used the same Achaemenid past to establish a renewed Zoroastrian empire.
Christians survived Roman persecution and eventually ruled through the Byzantine Empire. Western empires were largely born out of Christianity. Islamic empires, however, proved to be among the most ruthless.
As civilisations continued to evolve, religious theologies adapted to accommodate changing times. To such an extent that today we have detailed theological scriptures across all major religions. These are followed by layers of commentary that make theology appear refined, poetic, and otherworldly.
Hinduism evolved in a similar manner, though it developed perhaps the most sophisticated theology, wrapped in philosophical debates surrounding a vast pantheon of gods. It is the last surviving polytheistic religion. It survived because it managed to encompass almost every religious impulse.
One can be monotheistic while remaining Hindu. One can justify violence through warfare if necessary. Hinduism contains multiple schools of philosophy exploring the nature of God and reality. It survived because it contains all the elements required for survival. That is the primary reason it never lost relevance.
Nobody knows whether God is real. Nobody has ever conclusively figured it out. But as far back as we can go in time, we find some version of God. Where there is a god, there is a group that worships it. Worship becomes ritual. Accumulate enough rituals, and you have a religion.
All that remains is followers. To acquire them, one needs either divine intervention against oppression, convincing enough people to follow the cult, or forced conversion through violence. Both methods have worked in the past.
We are witnessing a resurgence of religion in recent years because we are once again living through turbulent times. Uncertainty is rising. No amount of technology has resolved the problem of uncertainty.
Resentment has fuelled xenophobia. Nations are experiencing economic crises. People have become territorial. Every country is angry with another. And religion, as it always has, acts as a vast tribe, enveloping civilisation like a balm for collective anxiety.
Religion once depended on imperial patronage for survival. Today, it is religion that defines civilisations. Western civilisation is predominantly Christian. Eastern civilisation is shaped by Hinduism and Buddhism. The middle is largely Islamic.
In times of uncertainty, mankind once again turns to religion to seek answers, courage, and belonging. Religion survives because it was created precisely for human survival. As long as humanity survives, so does religion. And in return, religion provides the courage to endure uncertain times.