By see description ((Original text : Dresden Codex -)) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Farming required people to manipulate nature through technology, by using tools such as plows, sickles, and irrigation systems. But people and their tools could only do so much. The harvest ultimately depended on something completely out of their control--the weather. As the first farmers stared anxiously at their fields during a drought, wishing rain would fall, perhaps they begin to talk to the sky itself, asking it for rain. If they did ask, and then rain came, this could have led them to believe in a rain god who could be persuaded to send rain if he or she was asked, or offered a gift. This picture of Chaac, the ancient Mayan god of rain and farming, shows him holding a bowl of potatoes.

Did Chaac bring potatoes to the people with his rain, or did he receive them from the people in the form of an offering?

Either situation is possible. The first religions most likely involved giving back a portion of the harvest to the gods who made it possible in the first place.

Once gods were involved in farming, humans entered into a complex relationship with them. People had to track the seasons so they could prepare for important dates in the farming schedule by organizing worship ceremonies or festivals. This led to the development of complex calendars, like the Mayan calendar above. Calculating and producing calendars was just one task most farmers didn’t have the time or skills to carry out. Creating calendars, building temples, organizing ceremonies, and interpreting the gods’ actions required a specialized group of experts dedicated to religion—priests. This was the beginning of organized religion.

How did religion become an organized part of human societies?

As people began to rely on the gods’ help for farming, it was more important to approach the gods properly, understand when to have religious ceremonies, build suitably impressive temples to have ceremonies in, and be able to interpret the gods’ reactions to human worship. This required a priesthood to make rules about worship, and this was the start of organized religion.

Organized religion became a powerful part of society. Priests could demand labor to build temples, mandate days of worship, and require people to give parts of their harvest as offerings to the gods because people believed the gods controlled the harvest. It was important to treat them well. The Mayans built many great temples to their gods; the important religious center of Chichen Itza featured a great pyramid temple, called Kukulcán, shown here. Monumental architecture defined a civilization and made religion a central part of it.

How did organized religion shape a civilization?

It organized labor to build temples and other places of worship. It created calendars that shaped people’s lives, and gave people a sense that they were personally connected to the divine.