2. Evolution of Religion

I spent most of my adult life wondering why people believe what they believe.

Why are people so ride or die for their religion?

Why would your gogo risk a stroke praying louder than the generator during load shedding?

Why did I have more debates with Jehovah’s Witnesses than I ever completed homework assignments?

I wasn’t just curious. I was confused.

I was that kid in Sunday School who asked the questions no one wanted to hear:

“If Adam didn’t eat the apple, would we all still be naked in a garden somewhere, stress free and snacking on mangoes?”

Safe to say… I got side eye. Not answers.

And that’s where the journey started. Not with rebellion, but with curiosity.

I wasn’t trying to burn down anyone’s church. I just wanted to understand.

Not what religion says it is, but what it actually is.

Not as a divine constant, but as a living, changing, breathing thing.

Something that evolves.

What If Religion Is More Human Than Divine?

Here’s a spicy take: what if religion isn’t some heavenly download straight from the divine cloud?

What if it’s a human invention, not a glitch in our brains, but a feature?

From an evolutionary perspective, nothing sticks around unless it serves a purpose.

If it doesn’t help you survive, it gets left behind.

So why has religion been such a universal, long lasting part of human history?

Why are there thousands of religions, but only one calculus?

Because religion solves real problems.

Not math problems, people problems.

Tribal cohesion. Moral behavior. Existential dread. Death. Suffering. Fear of the dark.

Religion was our psychological Swiss Army knife:

• It explained what science hadn’t figured out yet.
• It made you feel like someone was watching you, so you behaved.
• It turned scattered individuals into unified communities.
• It gave you purpose when life felt like chaos.

As our ancestors moved from small foraging groups to massive civilizations, our gods scaled up too, from tree spirits to omnipotent sky dads.

Cognitive scientists like Justin Barrett and anthropologists like Pascal Boyer suggest it’s because our brains are wired to over detect patterns and agency.

Hear rustling in a bush? Better assume it’s a lion than risk it.

Eventually, better assume it’s a spirit. Or a god. Just to be safe.

Religion: A Cultural Mutation That Spread Like Fire

Think of religion like a meme, not a TikTok dance meme, the OG kind, the Dawkins version.

A cultural idea that replicates, mutates, spreads.

Religions evolve the way languages do. Like music. Like fashion.

Some catch on and last for centuries (Christianity, Islam).

Others disappear faster than your cousin’s “prophetic” YouTube livestream.

Religion is subject to cultural natural selection.

The belief systems that stick tend to be the ones that:

• Keep groups cohesive.
• Punish free riders and cheaters.
• Make people feel morally upright.
• Sometimes help the powerful stay powerful.

In other words, survival of the most believable.

Is Religion an Adaptation or a Byproduct?

Now here’s where it gets juicy.

Did religion evolve because it was useful?

Or is it just a weird side effect of other useful stuff?

Some researchers say it’s:

• A byproduct of imagination, language, and empathy.
• A side effect of storytelling and social bonding.
• Like a belly button, not useful in itself, just a leftover from something that was.

Others say religion is:

• A group level adaptation that helped societies survive.
• A coping mechanism for the terror of death and suffering.
• An evolutionary cheat code to make people cooperate when no one’s looking.

Maybe it’s both.

Maybe it helped once, but now in a world of science, human rights, and pluralism, maybe it’s a bit like Internet Explorer. Still there, but mostly holding us back.

So, Where Are We Now?

We live in a world where:

• Some people still quote ancient commandments like they were posted yesterday.
• Some leave church, but still light incense and check star signs.
• Some see religion as sacred. Others see it as suspect.
• Most of us? Just trying to survive, stay sane, and make sense of it all.

But here’s the one thing we can know for sure: religion evolves.

And maybe, just maybe, it needs to evolve again.

Not towards louder dogma, but deeper compassion.

Not towards rigid belief, but honest curiosity.

Not “my God is better than yours,”

But “how can we be better humans together?”

And Maybe the Next Evolution of Religion…

Isn’t religion at all.

Maybe it’s:

• Philosophy.
• Science.
• Poetry.
• Art.
• Empathy.
• Community.
• Mindfulness.
• Meaning without magic.

Maybe it’s the courage to say “I don’t know” and still live with purpose.

And if that’s a new kind of faith, well, then call me a believer.