Since humans have been on this earth, they have been exploring the infamous question, why are we here? The same awe of the unknown has been dealt with by religious beliefs and practices since the earliest record of human life. The explanations of life and the afterlife have changed from civilization to civilization but the thought process behind it will forever be constant, an unknown need to explain what we are on this earth for. The earliest record of religious activity dates back to prehistory, the time before which there are any written documents. The Neanderthals and the Homo Sapiens buried their dead in ritualistic ceremonies, providing the indication that they had some belief that the deceased were moving on to another place. Any religious practices were very simplistic during this time period, likely due to the fact life was equally simplistic. During the Paleolithic period a Shaman, which was the religious head of a village, would go deep into the caves and paint animals. By painting these animals deep inside these womb like caves, the feeling may have arose that with the assistance from above, birthing new animals. To paint these animals on the wall gave the Shaman control over them, and since the food supply for these people was largely based on hunting and gathering, the need to control animal birth was crucial. Humans were rarely if ever depicted on these cave walls during this time period, most likely in fear that if a human was on a wall you could manipulate them, much like the animals.
Around 30,000 B.C. there arose many fertility cults. The sculpture, “Woman of Willendorf” may have been associated with these Cults; it depicts a large woman who may have been used as a shrine to worship. The motif behind these religious beliefs continued, people were praying for things they needed to survive. Life was still simplistic at this point, people thought only of the most important things, and prayed for them to work, realizing they were essential for...