It is in monkeys nature to eat bananas. And thus it is only natural to eat them. Imagine a group of monkeys that are beaten up whenever they try to eat bananas. The monkeys will learn and adapt that bananas are "forbidden" then they will realize that eating bananas are punished. And when one day a new monkey could come with a different perspective and wants to eat bananas among the old monkeys, the monkeys will enforce the traditions of not eating the bananas and a struggle between the new tradition and the old tradition will conclude the prevailing tradition out of the conflict.
But who would beat the monkeys and enforce this illogical punishment? Is it God? Is it mankind? Is it the ever changing laws of nature? Regardless of whom, the punishment is bare of any values or beliefs at first. It exists only because of manipulation and the intervention of a higher power (e.g. a wise man, or a dictator, or a holy entity).
Before religion, before traditions and values, there were only norms and abnormalities. Tolerance was not an issue, there was no homophobia nor discrimination against females. Most of the animal society depended on heterosexual activities to survive but homosexuality was tolerated and ignored due to the absence of punishment (i.e. no banana beatings).
Then came the idea of a higher power that kills whoever it wants and spare whoever it wants. The violence of nature and the harsh standard of living in the prehistoric ages made humankind susceptible to following the rules set by nature and to believe in some higher power that would try to justify the "punishments" or natural disasters that are caused in certain times of the year.
Man became under the mercy of the mood of nature and the mood of the higher powers that must have been either a manifestation of nature elements or the controllers of these nature elements in more religion mature societies.
Thus mankind began enforcing laws to avoid the wrath of the gods/nature. Some culture decided to respect nature or to unite with nature, others decided to beg for nature's mercy, others decided that the best way is to present tributes to nature to change the nature's mood and to live peacefully under the nature's mercy.
And when a punishment and the primitive cult behavior began to take its initial form, traditions were born amidst a need to live by a code; a religious code where a man can live free of punishments and becomes safer under the protection of Nature. And from traditions and developed religious thoughts originate the human values; enforcing the concepts of cheating, loyalty, deceit, bravery, ownership, marriage instead of mating, etc. And when values were enforced they began interacting with traditions, with each other, and with Man's understanding of the universe and how he should live his life.
As the centuries went by, Monkeys began to diversify into different cults. Some cults believed that eating bananas and getting beaten is how a monkey should live, other monkeys has considered beating as a test, others considered the bananas as a very harmful cuisine for monkeys and they stopped eating bananas altogether enforcing a value of self-discipline and a harmony with nature, and the list goes on of the cults beliefs, traditions and the values originated from them.
Some religions were beaten by new and more satisfying explanation of life or a new and enhanced set of traditions and beliefs. Other religions changed to accommodate to the ongoing changes in mankind living standards and nature.
But who would beat the monkeys and enforce this illogical punishment? Is it God? Is it mankind? Is it the ever changing laws of nature? Regardless of whom, the punishment is bare of any values or beliefs at first. It exists only because of manipulation and the intervention of a higher power (e.g. a wise man, or a dictator, or a holy entity).
Before religion, before traditions and values, there were only norms and abnormalities. Tolerance was not an issue, there was no homophobia nor discrimination against females. Most of the animal society depended on heterosexual activities to survive but homosexuality was tolerated and ignored due to the absence of punishment (i.e. no banana beatings).
Then came the idea of a higher power that kills whoever it wants and spare whoever it wants. The violence of nature and the harsh standard of living in the prehistoric ages made humankind susceptible to following the rules set by nature and to believe in some higher power that would try to justify the "punishments" or natural disasters that are caused in certain times of the year.
Man became under the mercy of the mood of nature and the mood of the higher powers that must have been either a manifestation of nature elements or the controllers of these nature elements in more religion mature societies.
Thus mankind began enforcing laws to avoid the wrath of the gods/nature. Some culture decided to respect nature or to unite with nature, others decided to beg for nature's mercy, others decided that the best way is to present tributes to nature to change the nature's mood and to live peacefully under the nature's mercy.
And when a punishment and the primitive cult behavior began to take its initial form, traditions were born amidst a need to live by a code; a religious code where a man can live free of punishments and becomes safer under the protection of Nature. And from traditions and developed religious thoughts originate the human values; enforcing the concepts of cheating, loyalty, deceit, bravery, ownership, marriage instead of mating, etc. And when values were enforced they began interacting with traditions, with each other, and with Man's understanding of the universe and how he should live his life.
As the centuries went by, Monkeys began to diversify into different cults. Some cults believed that eating bananas and getting beaten is how a monkey should live, other monkeys has considered beating as a test, others considered the bananas as a very harmful cuisine for monkeys and they stopped eating bananas altogether enforcing a value of self-discipline and a harmony with nature, and the list goes on of the cults beliefs, traditions and the values originated from them.
Some religions were beaten by new and more satisfying explanation of life or a new and enhanced set of traditions and beliefs. Other religions changed to accommodate to the ongoing changes in mankind living standards and nature.
And the monkeys struggle to understand how to peacefully eat a banana continues.
