QUANTITATIVE CONCEPT OF RELIGION
Under the quantitative concept, there are two major schools of thought regarding the nature and origin of religion. In view of one school of thought, called Monotheism, a single/mono god existed in the beginning of human existence.
According to monotheists, man believed that a single supernatural power controls the world, and he resorted to seek protection and answers to issues that border on what the eyes couldn’t see from this mono god/God. But with time and tide, man had a desire to worship many gods (objects-of-worship).
Many writers and monotheists like Schmidt believes that religion began from Monotheism (worshipping one god) and evolved into a more complex form called Polytheism (worshipping multiple gods). Man and society at large moved from monotheism to polytheism.
On the other hand, the second school of thought, called Polytheism, rather reverses the trend, postulating that religion began first as polytheism, but later it developed into monotheism. Monotheism, to the second school of thought, is a complex state of religion. Edward B. Tylor and Sir James G. Frazer are among the polytheists (Pantheists) who believe that religion originated and progressed from polytheism to monotheism. Although we cannot actually have comprehensive and empirical evidences to prove either of the aforementioned theories, however, we all agree that religion started somewhere.
According to a course book with the title SOCIOLOGY by the Department of Sociology, the University of Ghana, Legon, “theories of origin of religion are not empirically based. Thus what is known about the origin of religion is not sufficient to make firm conclusion. Therefore theorizing on religion has proceeded from the attempts to understand its functions rather than its origin.”
In a larger perspective, we can spot out a third school of thought on this subject. This school of thought called Atheism, argues that since it is difficult to empirically prove spiritual issues or superstition, then there is neither god nor gods, and in a larger extend there is no need for religion. The atheists hold the view that there is no God neither mono nor poly; and anything that has to do with magic, sorcery, divination and divinity is waste of time and energy.
They don’t believe in worshipping of neither gods nor God, and life in general has no aspect like supernatural being or supernatural world. After death man is gone. No dead has come to attest the existence of spiritual world. And if spirit cannot be seen then it doesn’t exist. In fact, we must accept that there is a cause for every effect, and this vast world is not only visible to what the eyes can see.
A critical reflection of Christianity shows that it started as polytheism in the early BCE (BC) and evolved into a more complex form of monotheism after Jesus Christ. The Israelites and Hebrews worshipped different gods and graven images before Jesus Christ. But after Jesus Christ or during the early centuries of CE, a single God, known as the Almighty the Creator became known to all the followers of Jesus Christ. With Islam, the order is the same. Muslims began from polytheism before Muhammad (SAW/PBUH). But after Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) had enlightened Muslims about Allah and His mighty, Islam metamorphosed into monotheism.
Every traditional society worships God indirectly through deities and moulding images and creatures. From time immemorial, this trend has not changed. Different traditional societies all over the world worship different gods. Traditional religion like Traditional African Religion (TAR) originated as polytheism and it is still polytheism; and it will continue to be polytheism.
Nothing can make TAR progress from polytheism to monotheism. Thus the images being worshipped in Ghana as gods by the traditionalists, one way or the other, may be different from those worship in Nigeria or India. So they can ne’er compromise on worshipping one graven image, gods or deities as in the case of monotheism (like Christianity or Islam).
In a nut shell, religion began right from the very minute man realized that life is not only visible to what the eyes can see. The idea that there are unseen beings which are supernatural with the power to influence man’s destiny formed the basis of religion. The need to seek protection for physical and spiritual wellbeing of man triggered man to institute religion.
When man realized that these supernatural beings have strange forces beyond his abilities and capabilities, he put his trust in them, and did everything possible to please them. Man established a strong covalent bond with these forces by offering sacrifices and libations. He then used animals and creatures to personify these supernatural powers or to serve as their sanctuary (divine dwelling place) and worshipped them.
The baffling phenomena of what death is, and what is next after death, the interpretation of dreams and visions, these and many more compelled man to initiate religion. According to Edward B. Tylor (1871) cited in the course book Sociology, man in attempt to understand the puzzling phenomena in life lie at the core of religion.
Many writers and philosophers agree that mysticism (the mystery of the soul and spirit), dreams, visions, magic and death formed the embodiment of religion. Sir James G. Frazer (cited in ibid) believes that religion began when human thought started first with magic, then moved on to religion and then to science.
In the assertion of John Maxwell Assimeng (1974, p.21) (cited in ibid), individuals were clutched in the fear of not only evil, but also the helplessness of their situation. The very objects of incomprehension, of fear and terror, of uncontrollability, get transmuted into worship and that means religion.