In this blog post, we will explore the possibility of faith in animals from various perspectives, including the definition of religion and the emotions and behaviors of animals.
There is an element that cannot be left out when discussing the history and culture of any civilization: religion. Since the beginning of human history, religion has been closely intertwined with politics and has developed as the foundation of culture and the arts. And even today, religion continues to have a tremendous impact on the world in various forms. For example, in many Islamic countries, people’s lifestyles are determined by the Koran, and conflicts between religious sects sometimes lead to war. As such, humans and religion are inextricably linked, and many people have thought that religion is one of the unique characteristics that only humans possess.
However, in the movie Planet of the Apes, animals that we have considered inferior are practicing religion, which is thought to be the exclusive property of humans. The main character of this movie crash lands on a planet where apes rule over humans. The apes there speak English and enslave humans. Interestingly, they also have a religion like humans, worshiping a monkey named Semos as their ancestor and praying before eating. The appearance of these beings, who behave like humans, is quite shocking to the audience, even though they look different. However, most people would think that animals having a religion is something that only appears in science fiction movies. So, are the scenes in this movie impossible? Perhaps animals have their own religion that we don’t know about?
To answer this question, we first need to define what constitutes a religion. The dictionary definition of religion is “a community of believers who share a particular set of beliefs and their belief system.” In other words, religion is the “belief system” that can be seen in “communities” based on “faith.” For example, in ancient Egypt, which believed in the afterlife, the dead were mummified and buried with their treasures in pyramids. Hindus also worship cows as gods. Those who argue that animals cannot have religion give the following reasons based on the three essential elements that make up religion: community, faith, and belief system.
First, in order to form a common belief among species, they must communicate with each other, but unlike human language-based communication, animals send and receive signals through gestures and cries, making it difficult for them to develop such a belief. However, faith is not necessarily formed through language. Of course, faith can become stronger and more sophisticated when expressed through language. But faith does not have to exist without language. Long before humans began using language, they painted animal pictures on cave walls to pray for successful hunting and believed in the power inherent in matter. This is an example of how language is not a prerequisite for religion. People often say that they can “communicate with just a glance” with someone they have been with for a long time. This means that unspoken communication can take place without words. Animals, although unable to speak, may be connected to each other in the unconscious world beyond consciousness. The concept that explains this is Jung’s “Collective Unconsciousness.”
Jung’s collective unconscious is likened to the waves of the sea. The mind is not limited to the spirit of an individual, but is connected to all things like the waves of the sea, and at the same time, it reveals individuality. Each individual’s consciousness has individuality and expresses the self, but it is like a wave that surges and connects to the ocean of the unconscious. Jung argued that each individual is born with a virtual image of the form of the world they will belong to, and that there is a collective unconscious beyond the individual unconscious. The collective unconscious shows an amazing similarity in symbols, myths, and gods created by people who have lived in different cultures and eras. This religious nature of the unconscious has been passed down to modern humans, only its forms have become more diverse and sophisticated. Humans, various animals, and especially primates have evolved from a common ancestor. We can guess that religion may be inherent in the unconscious of animals that share the same ancestors as humans before learning language. If religion is an unconscious belief that arises instinctively rather than a conscious belief through thought, the religiosity in the unconscious of humans may be connected to animals.
The next argument is that religion is a higher form of thinking, and therefore only relatively intelligent humans can have religion. However, this assumption is incorrect. Faith is not the product of higher thought, but rather an instinct, something that is innate. There are various opinions about the origin of religion, but the explanation that reverence for nature developed into worship in a time when humans were greatly influenced by the natural environment, or that religion originated from the worship of tribal leaders, is particularly convincing. This claim is quite reasonable, considering that gods in ancient mythology were considered to be powerful beings who were equated with natural phenomena such as the sun and wind. Religion is not something that originated from human higher thought, but rather something that is closer to an instinct that has been acquired through living in conflict with nature for a long time. Many animals also live in groups like humans and feel fear of nature. Since they have lived in an environment similar to that of humans, it is quite possible that religion is inherent in their instincts. In addition, instincts are not just about appetite or sexual desire, but sometimes they exert a force that cannot be explained by higher intellectual thought. For example, salmon return to the river where they were born and perform the incredible journey of laying eggs by instinct.
Finally, those who say that animals cannot have religion argue that religion requires an understanding of the meaning of life and death and the ability to contemplate something beyond life. They argue that the afterlife, an abstract concept, cannot exist for animals. However, many animals are afraid of death, and they are observed to grieve, especially in the face of the death of their children. This is indirect evidence that animals are aware of death. Dr. Jane Goodall, known as the “mother of the chimpanzees,” studied the habits of chimpanzees in the jungle. She observed how a mother carried her newborn baby on her back for a week after the baby died. The researchers interpreted this as the mother’s process of accepting the death of her baby. In addition, they saw the act of taking dead cubs to their peers as a process by which the group confirms death. This suggests that animals are aware of death and that death is an established concept among them.
Let’s go back to the beginning. If the essential elements of religion are “community,” “belief,” and “belief system,” there is nothing that cannot be applied to animals. Animals, which live in groups, have a leader who leads the group, and have an instinctive awe of nature, are likely to have religion in the form of a collective unconscious.
A group of researchers in Korea observed a group of dolphins in the East Sea that surrounded a dying member of their group and kept it afloat. This behavior, which involves circling the dying member for several hours as if in mourning, has been suggested as a funeral ritual. It is difficult to determine whether these behaviors originate from religion because humans cannot communicate with animals, but it is clear that there is a specific purpose to the group behavior. This purpose may include behaviors that express the group’s beliefs. Perhaps, even at this very moment, a religious ceremony of animals is taking place somewhere.
