Activity 1.5: Origins of Religion
Early Ritual Sites?
Instructions: After watching this video please respond to the following questions:
- According to Michael Ferguson’s study, which parts of the brain are activated during religious and spiritual activity such as prayer and contemplating rewards in the afterlife (at least for his LDS participants)?
- What does Robert Sapolsky think about early shamans and ritual specialists? What evidence does he use to support his argument?
- Do you agree with Robert Sapolsky’s argument? What is some additional evidence that you would like to see in order to make a conclusion about his argument?
- According the scholars cited in the video, what are some reasons why ritual behavior and spiritual thought might have helped early humans survive their environments?
- What interested you the most about this topic? What would you still like to know more about after watching this video?