Societies not driven by “Big Gods” of Christianity or Islam

Complex societies not driven by “Big Gods” of Christianity or Islam

New research on the evolution of religious belief provides evidence that Pacific cultures were able to build large complex societies without the punishing, moralising “Big Gods” of Islam and Christianity.

Instead the small and localised gods of ancient times such as deceased were enough to drive the formation of societies that evolved into the type of society we live in today.

Since ancient times, scholars have debated the role of religion in the evolution of human societies. Many have argued that belief in a supreme deity - an all-seeing, all-knowing God who punishes transgressors - played a key role in helping suppress selfishness and enhance cooperation so that larger and more complex societies could evolve.

But the new study, by doctoral researcher Joseph Watts and Professor Russell Gray of the University of Auckland’s School of Psychology, finds the role of these “Big Gods” may have been over-hyped.

“Instead, it seems that lots of little gods and spirits – anthropomorphic beings such as the spirits of deceased ancestors – were enough to facilitate the evolution of complex societies and the role of ‘Big Gods’ may have been over-hyped,” says Mr Watts.

The researchers studied 96 Pacific cultures through computational modelling using phylogenetic methods which test cross-cultural patterns by looking at “family trees” of cultures. These methods model the deep pre-history of cultures, and test the order that religious and cultural features evolved.

The research shows that belief in Big Gods arose within the last few thousand years, well after humans developed large cooperative societies. Instead, the threat of supernatural punishment by small gods, such as the spirits of recently deceased ancestors, was enough to drive political complexity.

The study suggests belief in one supreme supernatural deity arose from cross-cultural interaction arising from activities such as trade.

“A central message of this research is that humans are capable of building and sustaining large cooperative societies without the threat of punishment by a Big God,” says Mr Watts.

The study is published today in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

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