Religion and Science
One Jim Palmer wrote an essay on the meme here that begins:Theology isn’t the free search for truth, but rather a defense of an already held position.
No Jewish rabbi will come to the conclusion that the Hopi are God’s Chosen People. No pastor comes to the realization that Krishna is the Christ. No Catholic theologian discovers and affirms the Hindu Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.
I’m also taken by the words of American magician and author Penn Jillette, who said (roughly):
If some galactic catastrophe took place that wiped humankind off the face of the planet leaving only lower life forms, homo sapiens would eventually regenerate itself. This time, however, would be different. There would be no Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, or Judaism. But every single bit of scientific knowledge would make its way back to us.
The best description on how religion started is this:
A prehistoric caveman was sitting in his cave after burning something he found dead over his fire and throwing pieces to the wild dog he has successfully domesticated.
He though to himself as he watched to Sun go down:
“…I could become someone really important to the other cavemen if I told them that I knew something that they didn’t; and they would have to come to me to find out about it — which I would never tell them…”
Sound familiar
It’s a possibility. Personally, I doubt humans at the dawn of our species were that sophisticated in their trickery.