Al-Fawaz Ajimoti, Student, Jamia Ahmadiyya International Ghana
In our modern, secular age, scepticism and atheism have become increasingly common. Many people today see religious and spiritual beliefs as outdated or irrational. And it seems as though modernity has eradicated the concept of the Holy God from the hearts of most of our youth. (Ten Proofs for the Existence of God, p. 1)
There have long been predictions that religion would fade into irrelevance as the world modernises, but most recent surveys are finding that it is happening startlingly fast. Religion is rapidly becoming less important than it has ever been, even to people who live in countries where faith has affected everything from rulers to borders to architecture. (“The World’s Newest Major Religion: No Religion”, www.nationalgeographic.com, 22 April 2016)
Despite the rise in atheism, this has never been a universal trend. Humanity has in fact always been on a relentless quest to understand the nature of existence and the divine. The search for God or the divine has been a central theme in the history of human thought. The pursuit of God has been a driving force behind human endeavours, inspiring science, art, philosophy, and civilisation as a whole.
The pursuit of God – a human impulse
An international research project directed by Oxford academics concluded that humans are naturally predisposed to believe in gods and an afterlife. Evidence suggested that both theology and atheism are responses to a basic impulse “rooted” in human thought processes, regardless of cultural background. (“God a part of human thought”, www.oxfordstudent.com, 19 May 2011)
There is no doubt that humans are genetically predisposed to believe in the existence of a higher power and naturally submit themselves to Him. The Holy Quran attests to this fact in the following words:
وَاِذۡ اَخَذَ رَبُّکَ مِنۡۢ بَنِیۡۤ اٰدَمَ مِنۡ ظُہُوۡرِہِمۡ ذُرِّیَّتَہُمۡ وَاَشۡہَدَہُمۡ عَلٰۤی اَنۡفُسِہِمۡ ۚ اَلَسۡتُ بِرَبِّکُمۡ ؕ قَالُوۡا بَلٰی ۚۛ شَہِدۡنَا
“And when thy Lord brings forth from Adam’s children – out of their loins – their offspring and makes them witnesses against their own selves [by saying]: ‘Am I not your Lord?’ They say, ‘Yea, we do bear witness.’” (Surah al-A’raf, Ch.7: V.173)
At another place, Allah the Almighty commands man as thus:
فَاَقِمۡ وَجۡہَکَ لِلدِّیۡنِ حَنِیۡفًا ؕ فِطۡرَتَ اللّٰہِ الَّتِیۡ فَطَرَ النَّاسَ عَلَیۡہَا
“So set thy face to [the service of] religion as one devoted [to God]. [And follow] the nature made by Allah – the nature in which He has created mankind.” (Surah ar-Rum, Ch. 30: V.31)
This is exactly what the Promised Messiah, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas states:
“Therefore, by its very nature every soul prostrates before Him. Idol-worshippers and those who worship humans both possess the same passion for obeying Him as does a righteous monotheist; but because of their own error and a defect of aspiration, they did not recognise this true fountain of life; instead, on account of their [spiritual] blindness, they focused this passion towards fabricating something unworthy.” (Favours of the Gracious God, pp. 83-84)
The search for God – the ancient approach
In the ancient world, early humans looked to the natural world for signs of the divine. They marvelled at the celestial bodies and the cycles of nature, attributing divine significance to these natural phenomena. This primal connection to the natural world was the stepping stone for humanity’s spiritual journey.
At the outset, ancient peoples tended to be highly superstitious. All around them, natural phenomena released destructive energy that they could not understand. To a considerable degree, ancient religious world views focused on the causation of frightening natural phenomena. An impulse to make sense of it all and to attribute transcendent meaning to natural phenomena – as they knew that these forces were greater than humankind – ultimately led to a great diversity of belief systems and ritual practices. (“CWC Primer Chapter 4: Ancient Religious World Views”, web.ics.purdue.edu)
It is most probable that every culture developed its own belief in supernatural entities to explain natural phenomena or to help make sense of their lives and the uncertainty they face daily. (“Religion in the Ancient World”, www.worldhistory.org, 23 March 2018)
Aside from the study of natural phenomena, revelation and prophethood must have been their greatest form of guidance – as reasoning alone couldn’t have taken them so far. Allah the Almighty tells us in the Holy Quran that:
وَاِنۡ مِّنۡ اُمَّۃٍ اِلَّا خَلَا فِیۡہَا نَذِیۡرٌ
“And there is no people to whom a Warner has not been sent.” (Surah Fatir, Ch.35: V.25)
Although there may be no proper records of the prophets of the ancient world – as literacy and record keeping then was not as it is today – there is, however, evidence to suggest that many religious traditions began with a monotheistic foundation.
For example, Hinduism and Christianity both started with the teachings of a prophet who believed in One God and taught a monotheistic religion. It was after the death of these Prophets that their followers adapted their teachings to create polytheistic belief systems. Given this precedent, it is highly likely that the same process occurred with many of the ancient monotheistic religions turned polytheistic, even if there is little direct evidence to support this.
Regardless, throughout history, the search for God has taken many forms, depending on the cultural background of the people. The Mayan civilization, for example, developed complex calendars and made careful observations of the stars and planets. They also studied the cycles of nature, such as the seasons and the movements of animals and plants. Studying nature was for them a way of understanding and connecting with their gods and ancestors. (“Mayan calendar”, www.britannica.com)
In the ancient Mesopotamian civilisation, the religious beliefs held were that human beings were co-workers with the gods and laboured with them and for them to hold back the forces of chaos which had been checked by the supreme deities at the beginning of time. In exchange, the gods repaid humans for their service by taking care of their daily needs in life. (“Religion in the Ancient World”, www.worldhistory.org, 23 March 2018)
Similarly, the ancient Chinese, ancient Egyptian, Greek, Roman and other ancient organised religions brought about complex mythologies and rituals that sought to appease and honour their God or gods. These early religious systems provided a framework for understanding the divine and offered guidance on how to live in peace and harmony – among one another as well as with the gods.
Conclusion
No doubt, ancient belief systems were usually polytheistic, as it was thought that no single God could meet the complex needs of humanity. However, this should not detract from the fact that the search for a higher power is a timeless pursuit that transcends any specific belief system.
Similarly, the fact that the ancients adopted the “God of the Gaps” theory to attribute any unexplained phenomenon to a divine power also shows that humanity’s desire to understand the unknown remains a powerful motivator, regardless of the era or cultural context.
The search for God and the belief in Him, therefore, is an age old practice which has been and will continue to exist in humanity till eternity.