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Astronomy in Primitive Religion

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... As one of the early totem symbols, the Sun had supernatural divine properties because it was regarded as progenitors of all things. In totem worship period, the process of thinking was completely passive absorption of sponge type, which requested people to accept the so-called divine will in its entirety (Alexander, 2015;Makemson, 1954;Theodossiou & Manimanis, 2011). For example, the mythology from ancient Greeks, a feeling of awe and reverence to the Sun led to ideas of divinity, the Almighty was understood as a completely powerful and unsubdued force (Alexander, 2015;Dawson, 1991;Rose, 2005). ...
... There is evidence of a bear cult involving the constellation of Ursula Minor stretching back beyond 15,000 BCE (Makemson 1954). There is substantial evidence stretching as far back as 30,000 BCE of markings on bones suggestive of the counting of time in lunar months-that is, proto-calendars (Ruggles 2005: xvii). ...
... Irish Astronomical Journal. 1 (7), p197-212. Makemson, M. W. (1954). Astronomy in Primitive Religion. ...
Research Proposal
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Since the formal academic study of religion commenced in the 19th century with scholars like Friedrich Max Müller, religions have been neatly categorised into three traditions; Abrahamic, Dharmic and Taoic. However, ignited by my personal interest in both astronomy and religion, I have realised that a fourth tradition exists that has not yet been formally accepted into academic nomenclature. This unestablished tradition of religion is characterised by the observation and worship of, devotion to, and divination by, the stars. To acknowledge the existence of an entire religious tradition will clarify and affirm the central role of astronomy in the development of world religion, a role that has been undermined by established religions throughout the centuries. As such, these religious institutions have acted as knowledge gatekeepers. However, following on from the legacy of the Enlightenment, the freedoms it brought to scholarship and the development of the academic study of religion in the 19th and 20th centuries, now is perhaps the best time to propose the validity of a religious tradition based on astronomy. In turn, I propose that the historical background of astronomy and religion, particularly focusing on their prehistoric origins, need to be explored. Firstly, I feel that it is important to demonstrate creativity and my passion for this research area by introducing this collection of religions as the Astronic tradition. Proving the validity of this tradition will act as the nucleus of my dissertation, but explaining the reasons for studying this area will further illuminate the subject. My focus on this area was initially sparked by my interest in astronomy and religion, particularly due to my own personal beliefs. After investigating the current body of literature, there is a lack of specificity to the history of astronomy and religion, particularly from religious scholars. At present, the scholarship in this area of research is certainly dispersed across disciplines, hence the importance of my holistic approach to bring these dispersed works together when and where they become relevant. I also have ambitions that my work will ignite scholars of religion to research this area in the future to provide further testament to the Astronic tradition’s historicity. Furthermore, another macro-level reason for my choosing of this topic involves the ever-growing role of space exploration in society lead by entrepreneurs like Elon Musk, thus highlighting the need for greater comprehension of humanity’s religious connections to the stars. This involves establishing a coherent history for humanity’s religio-philosophical interactions with outer space and how the future of humanity in space will alter the religious landscape. Having now understood my rationale, it is essential that I explain how I intend to achieve my aims.
... Meanwhile, a two-armed form of the swastika is frequently found in the Maya and Mexican codices and was probably the hieroglyph for Ursa Major. (Makemson, 1954). ...
Thesis
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Astronomy and religion have long been intertwined with their interactions resembling a symbiotic relationship since prehistoric times. Building on existing archaeological research, this study asks: do the interactions between astronomy and religion, beginning from prehistory, form a distinct religious tradition? Prior research exploring the prehistoric origins of religion has unearthed evidence suggesting the influence of star worship and night sky observation in the development of religious sects, beliefs and practices. However, there does not yet exist a historiography dedicated to outlining why astronomy and religion mutually developed, nor has there been a proposal set forth asserting that these interactions constitute a religious tradition; proposed herein as the Astronic tradition, or Astronicism. This paper pursues the objective of arguing for the Astronic tradition to be treated, firstly, as a distinct religious tradition and secondly, as the oldest archaeologically-verifiable religious tradition. To achieve this, the study will adopt a multidisciplinary approach involving archaeology, anthropology, geography, psychology, mythology, archaeoastronomy and comparative religion. After proposing six characteristics inherent to a religious tradition, the paper will assemble a historiography for astronomical religion. As a consequence of the main objective, this study also asserts that astronomical religion, most likely astrolatry, has its origins in the Upper Palaeolithic period of the Stone Age based on specimens from the archaeological record. The assertion is made that astrolatry is the original religion and fulfils the Urreligion theory. To end, the proposed characteristics of a religious tradition will be applied to Astronicism to ultimately determine whether it is a valid tradition that can stand alongside the established Abrahamic, Dharmic and Taoic traditions.
Article
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Celestial bodies have long been a source of religious objectification and this article aims to convey the origin of the relationship between human religious belief and observations of the night sky. The academic search for the origin of religion commenced in the early nineteenth century and since then the debate of whether animism or pre-animism is the original religion has dominated this field. Until now, no unified theory has acknowledged the influence of primitive astronomy on the origin of religion. However, the theory of Astronicism supports the pre-animist hypothesis by proposing that early modern humans of the Upper Palaeolithic made simple associations between celestial bodies and their apparent capacity to determine human survival. This article asserts that these associations led to celestial deification long before humans animated astronomical phenomena with spirits. Archaeological specimens from Europe and beyond including astral rock art, cup marks and engravings are used in this article to assert that astrolatry and astromancy were crucial to the development of religion.
Article
A new religion was founded in 2013 that goes by the name of Astronism while its community of followers are known as Astronists. This article gives a rigorous account of the eschatology, soteriology and worldview of this new space religion while contextualizing its emergence as part of a broader Astronic religious tradition. This proposed tradition may itself possess prehistoric roots in the Upper Palaeolithic in the earliest human observations of the night sky. Human beings in turn came to establish a relationship with celestial phenomena, one of both spiritual and secular utility that has since produced systems of astrotheism and astrology. In the contemporary, the projection of the Astronist theory of history onto the Astronic tradition has meant that Astronism’s salvific doctrine of transcension is established as a grand narrative and universal ethic that unites the Astronic tradition. In essence, this article considers how Astronism, as a new religious movement, is working to revive astronomical religion, albeit in ways relevant in an age of space exploration and appropriate to modern scientific knowledge about humanity’s true place in the universe.
Article
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This essay will explore the methodological and epistemological features as well as the ontological issues facing the production of knowledge when the fields of astronomy and religion are brought together. The historical context in which these two fields have been studied will be intertwined with an investigation into how the politics of the epistemology have caused significant consequences for the production of knowledge. To accomplish this, I will firstly provide a brief overview of religion and astronomy’s interactions and how the nature of their relationship has changed, thus influencing how knowledge is produced. An analysis of the existing literature will swiftly follow, covering the epistemological frameworks used in the production of knowledge for these fields. This is with the intention of highlighting methodological issues facing several authors and ultimately to denote how these issues have impacted knowledge production. Finally, the essay will culminate into a wider discussion of the subjects’ ontological natures, namely their position at the intersection of a multitude of disciplines, the issue of overbearing gatekeepers and the shifts in hierarchies that have occurred to change how knowledge can be produced. Further to this, to close the discussion, there will involve a justification for the relevance of the study of these two topics together in the contemporary context. However, firstly, it is crucial to gain an understanding of knowledge production. Knowledge production is the creation and conceptual assembly of knowledge presented in the form of researched and evidenced content for the expansion of a given topic. This often involves a new perspective on the topic or the exploration of an entirely new or under-researched subtopic area. The issues facing contemporary productions of knowledge result from historical events and narratives that have lead to the present context; this is particularly evidential in the fields of astronomy and religion.
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