Is religion only for humans? Or do animals have religion too?

Is religion only for humans, or do animals have religion as well?

 

When you talk about the history and culture of any civilization, there’s one thing that never fails to come up. It’s religion. Since the beginning of human history, religion has been closely tied to politics and has been the foundation of culture and art, and it continues to have an enormous influence on the world in various forms. In many Islamic countries, people’s lives are dictated by the Koran, and sectarian strife between religions can lead to war. Religion and humans are inextricably linked, and many people have come to think of religion as one of the unique qualities that only humans possess. In the movie Planet of the Apes, animals that we have always considered inferior are practicing a religion that is thought to be reserved for humans. The movie’s protagonist crash-lands on a planet where apes rule over humans. The apes speak English and enslave humans. Interestingly, they are religious like humans, worshiping a monkey named Semos, whom they consider their ancestor, and praying before meals. It’s quite shocking for the audience to see them acting just like humans, except for their appearance. And yet, most people think that the idea of animals having a religion is a far-fetched idea that belongs in science fiction movies. But are the scenes in these movies impossible? Could it be that animals have their own religion without us even realizing it?
To answer this question, we first need to define what we consider religion. The dictionary definition of religion is “a community of people who share a particular belief and their belief system.” In other words, the “belief system” found in a “community” based on “beliefs” is what religion is. For example, the Egyptians, who believed in the afterlife, mummified their dead and stored vast amounts of gold and silver treasures in their pyramids, or the Indians, who follow Hinduism, still worship cows as gods. Given that the three essential elements of religion are community, belief, and belief system, those who believe that animals cannot have religion make the following arguments.
First, they argue that in order for a species to have common beliefs, they need to communicate with each other, and unlike human communication, which is based on language, it is impossible for animals to communicate with each other through gestures, vocalizations, and other signals. However, belief does not require language. Of course, language can strengthen beliefs and make them more sophisticated in the way they are expressed. But the absence of language does not mean that beliefs cannot exist. Long before language, humans painted animals in caves to pray for good hunting, and believed in the power inherent in matter. This is an example of how language is not a necessary condition for religion to exist. Often, people who have been together for a long time will say, “We communicate with our eyes.” There are things that communicate without words and without conscious thought. Even animals, even though they don’t speak, probably have an unconscious world beyond consciousness that connects them. This is what Jung’s “collective unconscious” explains. Jung’s collective unconscious is often compared to the waves of the ocean. The mind is not simply limited to the mind of one individual. Like the waves in the ocean, all things are connected and unified, and like the waves, they have individuality. Our individual consciousnesses express themselves with individuality, but they are all connected waves in an ocean of unconsciousness. Jung’s argument is that we are born with a virtual image of the world we will belong to, and therefore, beyond the individual unconscious, there is a collective unconscious. The collective unconscious explains the surprising similarity of symbols, myths, and gods created by people in different cultures and times. This unconscious religiosity has been passed down to modern humans. It has just evolved in different and more sophisticated forms. We and many animals, especially primates, evolved from a common ancestor. This suggests that religion may be embedded in the unconscious minds of animals that evolved from the same ancestor as humans before they learned language. If religion is an unconscious belief that arises instinctively, rather than a conscious belief that is judged through thought, then the unconscious religiosity of humans, which has been around for a long time, must be running in other animals as well.
The next argument is that religion itself is a kind of higher thinking, so only humans, who are objectively more intelligent than other animals, would dare to be religious. But this argument is flawed from the start. Religiosity is not a product of higher thinking, it is more of an instinct, i.e., it is innate. There are many different opinions about the origins of religion. One of the most popular explanations is that religion arose out of reverence for nature at a time when humans were heavily influenced by the natural world, or out of the worship of tribal leaders. This argument is supported by the fact that the gods of ancient mythology often symbolize natural objects such as the sun and wind, and have a common characteristic of being very powerful compared to humans. As such, religion is not a product of higher thought, but more of an instinct that humans have developed over time as a result of coping with nature. Many animals, like humans, live in groups and feel fearful of their natural environment. Given their long existence in similar environments to humans, and their similarities to humans, it’s entirely possible that religion is hardwired into their instincts. And we shouldn’t overlook the fact that instincts are more powerful than we realize. It’s not just appetite and sex drive; sometimes it’s instinct that makes us do things that higher intellectual thought alone can’t explain. Instinct is stronger than we think, as evidenced by the salmon that swim enormous distances to lay their eggs in the water where they were born.
Finally, those who believe that animals cannot be religious say that for religion to exist, they need the ability to realize the meaning of life and death and to contemplate something beyond life. They argue that abstract concepts like an afterlife cannot exist for animals. However, many animals fear death and grieve over the deaths of their group members, especially their own offspring. This is indirect evidence that they are aware of death. Jane Goodall, the zoologist known as the mother of chimpanzees, famously lived with them in the jungle and studied their habits. During her research, she observed mothers carrying and caring for their newborns for a week after their deaths. Similar behaviors have since been reported elsewhere. The researchers interpreted this behavior as demonstrating the process of coming to terms with the death of the cub. They explained that mothers may even take the cub’s body to their peers, a process that collectively confirms the death. In this way, they come to terms with the death of their offspring and return to their daily routine. These examples show that animals are not only aware of death, but also feel emotions about it, and that death is a long-established concept for them.
Let’s go back to our initial discussion. When we talk about the essential elements of religion as “community,” “belief,” and “belief system,” there is nothing that doesn’t apply to animals. Religion can exist in the form of a collective unconscious in animals that have evolved to live in groups, have a leader, and have instincts for coping with nature.
A group of dolphins, known for their relatively high intelligence compared to other animals, were captured by Korean researchers in the East Sea swimming around a dying mate, keeping the sinking body afloat. Even after the dolphin finally died, the group remained around for hours, as if mourning a dead family member. This behavior has been observed overseas, and it has been suggested that it may be a funeral ritual for dolphins. It’s impossible to say for sure whether these behaviors are religious or not, as it’s currently impossible for humans to communicate with animals. However, it seems clear that these collective behaviors have a specific purpose. And among them are behaviors that express the group’s beliefs. Isn’t there a religious ritual going on somewhere right now?