The progress of spiritual thinking over history.

[hallow]

I just had a thought, From my understanding of the evolution of the human. We always didn't seek spiritually throughout history. Also I am sure you all know some people are spiritual thinker's and others are not regardless of what our spiritual beliefs are there all basically the same.
My question is do you think spirituality over time was bred into humans over time in the same fashion as blonde hair for example? I am only asking because humans are the only being on this planet who seems to have this feeling of being spiritual.

[HITESH SHAH]

Originally Posted by hallow

I am only asking because humans are the only being on this planet who seems to have this feeling of being spiritual.

U may probably be right. In the kingdom of God , men's relationship with nature n world is that of fiduciary . In such relationships though technically there is no bar on one but practically every reason is there to use liberty very judiciously and in just manner. That's where man is made in the image of god. And this calls for spirituality.

People who are averse to spirituality are given the species most suited to their preferences

[hallow]

Humanity's closest living relatives are common chimpanzees and bonobos. These primates share a common ancestor with humans who lived between six and eight million years ago. It is for this reason that chimpanzees and bonobos are viewed as the best available surrogate for this common ancestor. Barbara King argues that while non-human primates are not religious, they do exhibit some traits that would have been necessary for the evolution of religion. These traits include high intelligence, a capacity for symbolic communication, a sense of social norms, realization of "self" of continuity. There is inconclusive evidence that Homo neanderthalensis may have buried their dead which is evidence of the use of ritual. The use of burial rituals is thought to be evidence of religious activity, and there is no other evidence that religion existed in human culture before humans reached behavioral modernity. Other lines of evidence have revealed that Homo neanderthalensis made cave art, which would be a manner of symbolic thinking comparable to the manner required for religious thought.

Elephants demonstrate rituals around their deceased, which include long periods of silence and mourning at the point of death and a process of returning to grave sites and caressing the remains. Some evidence suggests that many species grieve death and loss.

[hallow]

Given the information above, add human creativity to that such as art and the ability to write. All of is part of creativity that no other being on earth has besides humans. That probably aided the birth of spiritual thinking. the ability write aided the ability to hand down information to learn from and add to.
It seems that cave painting, the earliest known form of written communication had to take a great deal of creativity, imagination and intelligence. Those may have been a very desirable traits at the time only an extreme few could do. In turn the "natural selection" of life took place and the rest is history.

[ayar415]

QUOTE 3 EXCERPT:

Originally Posted by hallow

Elephants demonstrate rituals around their deceased, which include long periods of silence and mourning at the point of death and a process of returning to grave sites and caressing the remains. Some evidence suggests that many species grieve death and loss.

You are reading into elephant behavior something you feel in yourself. Anatomically, there is a connection. Emotional bonding is even possible between you and domesticated animals.

Do you think elephants can take leave of their senses and go spiritual like humans do?

[Altair]

Category I spirituality: The worship/reverence of nature, the Sun and the Moon, wild animals, trees, and plants as divinities. Being one with nature is the key to happiness.

Category II spirituality: The process of humanizing nature, worship/reverence of half human-animal hybrid deities. The deities are both human-like but also beastly. Category I and II may coexist peacefully.

Category III spirituality: The worship/reverence of exclusive human deities. Obedience to a human-like deity is the key to happiness. The deities are judgemental and heaven is a place of strict law and order, with a managed landscape. Like the human, the deity is a great builder, a mathematician and can feel anger and love. Category I and II are actively discouraged, for the deities are above it and humans should strive to be like the deities.

Category IV spirituality: The worship/reverence of human psychology. Deities are cast aside. Human psychology is the key to happiness. All that exists upon enlightenment is the inner feeling and the human journey is viewed as the crown of spirituality. All previous categories are tolerated but usually rejected as ignorance.

[ayar415]

Seems like everyone here except me is Category IV.

[Altair]

Originally Posted by ayar415

Seems like everyone here except me is Category IV.

Nah, I'm a 1 and there are others as well. Also theistic Hindus (II or III) and Christians (III).

[ayar415]

QUOTE 6 EXCERPT:

Originally Posted by Altair

Nah, I'm a 1 and there are others as well. Also theistic Hindus (II or III) and Christians (III).

Nah? Really? Ok, let's check you out.

Hallow was wondering if elephants were capable of being spiritual as in falling into one of your categories. I think not because animals - to me - seem to behave rationally. As such, they - like me - don't fit into any of your categories.

"Being one with nature" needs clarification. I often think that animals are one with nature. I got this notion from watching an eagle sitting motionless atop a tall tree denuded of leaves. Since I am not an eagle, I cannot attest to its state of being one with nature as if there is such a thing.

"Being one with nature" is an imagined state of being: Category IV, the key to happiness through human psychology.

Prove me wrong.

[Miss Hepburn]

Spiritual thinking that I am interested in, anyway, made a huge step in the early 1800s...something continued to
'happen to these people' ---like Grace
from the Heavens downloaded into these peoples' minds. Wow.

And the New Thought movement began---'God is everywhere, this Infinite Intelligence dwells in all of us', basically....and much more.
All sorts of things developed - Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy, wow, her experiences in the 1800s!
Science of Mind - Ernest Holmes...Unity Church and Charles Fillmore late 1800s onward.

They tuned into the power of God within us.
Now THAT is the history of 'spiritual thinking' I am interested in.
And it continues.