Religion as an evolved social characteristic
In his 1871 book The Descent of Man Darwin clearly saw religion and
"moral qualities" as being important evolved human social
characteristics. Darwin's frequent pairing of "Belief in God" and
religion with topics on superstitions and fetishism throughout the
book can also be interpretted as indicating how much truth he
assigned to the former.
In the introduction Darwin wrote:
"Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge:
it is those who know little, and not those who know much, who so
positively assert that this or that problem will never be solved by
science."
Later on in the book he dismisses an argument for religion being
innate:
"Belief in God- Religion.- There is no evidence that man was
aboriginally endowed with the ennobling belief in the existence of
an Omnipotent God. On the contrary there is ample evidence, derived
not from hasty travellers, but from men who have long resided with
savages, that numerous races have existed, and still exist, who
have no idea of one or more gods, and who have no words in their
languages to express such an idea. The question is of course wholly
distinct from that higher one, whether there exists a Creator and
Ruler of the universe; and this has been answered in the
affirmative by some of the highest intellects that have ever
existed."
"The belief in God has often been advanced as not only the
greatest, but the most complete of all the distinctions between man
and the lower animals. It is however impossible, as we have seen,
to maintain that this belief is innate or instinctive in man.
On the other hand a belief in all-pervading spiritual agencies
seems to be universal; and apparently follows from a considerable
advance in man's reason, and from a still greater advance in his
faculties of imagination, curiosity and wonder. I am aware that the
assumed instinctive belief in God has been used by many persons as
an argument for His existence. But this is a rash argument, as we
should thus be compelled to believe in the existence of many cruel
and malignant spirits, only a little more powerful than man; for
the belief in them is far more general than in a beneficent Deity.
The idea of a universal and beneficent Creator does not seem to
arise in the mind of man, until he has been elevated by
long-continued culture."
