Mobile People, Mobile God: Mobile Societies, Monotheism, and the Effects of Ecological Landscapes on the Development of Ancient Religions

Final Thoughts

The theory for which I have argued, regarding the correlation between (proto-)monotheism and ecological landscapes which offer humans economic opportunities best exploited in mobile (often pastoralist) societies, requires further study. And while further investigation is required, it is not just to confirm or deny such a theory, but to understand its deeper implications. This research and argument makes a compelling case for comprehending the situation of human beings vis-à-vis the natural world beyond the development of specific types of societies or religions. In the modern world questions of relevance are regularly put to traditional religious beliefs, scriptures, and practices and as scholarship continues to examine the factors contributing to the origins of religious thought these questions must be regularly asked anew. If the minds of humans are affected or inspired in certain ways by natural phenomena such that they comprehend a particular religious idea or belief, then what does it mean to have that belief taken out of its environmental context? There is enough evidence to correlate mobile society with monotheistic worldviews that the impact of the ecological context must be considered and discussed.

Furthermore, it is important to realize that despite our built environments and technologically advanced civilizations, human beings are still biological animals living within a natural world. If our ancestors were affected by their ecological cradles in a way that resulted in the development of religious beliefs that continue to be relevant to humans today, in what other ways might our minds and thus religious beliefs be informed by natural influences that are so easily forgotten in air-conditioned apartments and traffic filled highways?  

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