Relevancy22: Contemporary Process Christianity: Post-Evangelic Topics and Theology: Evolution of Worship & Religion: Maps, Tables, & Data

Quotes & Sayings

We, and creation itself, actualize the possibilities of the God who sustains the world, towards becoming in the world in a fuller, more deeper way. - R.E. Slater

There is urgency in coming to see the world as a web of interrelated processes of which we are integral parts, so that all of our choices and actions have [consequential effects upon] the world around us. - Process Metaphysician Alfred North Whitehead

Kurt Gödel's Incompleteness Theorem says (i) all closed systems are unprovable within themselves and, that (ii) all open systems are rightly understood as incomplete. - R.E. Slater

The most true thing about you is what God has said to you in Christ, "You are My Beloved." - Tripp Fuller

The God among us is the God who refuses to be God without us, so great is God's Love. - Tripp Fuller

According to some Christian outlooks we were made for another world. Perhaps, rather, we were made for this world to recreate, reclaim, redeem, and renew unto God's future aspiration by the power of His Spirit. - R.E. Slater

Our eschatological ethos is to love. To stand with those who are oppressed. To stand against those who are oppressing. It is that simple. Love is our only calling and Christian Hope. - R.E. Slater

Secularization theory has been massively falsified. We don't live in an age of secularity. We live in an age of explosive, pervasive religiosity... an age of religious pluralism. - Peter L. Berger

Exploring the edge of life and faith in a post-everything world. - Todd Littleton

I don't need another reason to believe, your love is all around for me to see. – Anon

Thou art our need; and in giving us more of thyself thou givest us all. - Khalil Gibran, Prayer XXIII

Be careful what you pretend to be. You become what you pretend to be. - Kurt Vonnegut

Religious beliefs, far from being primary, are often shaped and adjusted by our social goals. - Jim Forest

We become who we are by what we believe and can justify. - R.E. Slater

People, even more than things, need to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone. – Anon

Certainly, God's love has made fools of us all. - R.E. Slater

An apocalyptic Christian faith doesn't wait for Jesus to come, but for Jesus to become in our midst. - R.E. Slater

Christian belief in God begins with the cross and resurrection of Jesus, not with rational apologetics. - Eberhard Jüngel, Jürgen Moltmann

Our knowledge of God is through the 'I-Thou' encounter, not in finding God at the end of a syllogism or argument. There is a grave danger in any Christian treatment of God as an object. The God of Jesus Christ and Scripture is irreducibly subject and never made as an object, a force, a power, or a principle that can be manipulated. - Emil Brunner

“Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh” means "I will be that who I have yet to become." - God (Ex 3.14) or, conversely, “I AM who I AM Becoming.”

Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy. - Thomas Merton

The church is God's world-changing social experiment of bringing unlikes and differents to the Eucharist/Communion table to share life with one another as a new kind of family. When this happens, we show to the world what love, justice, peace, reconciliation, and life together is designed by God to be. The church is God's show-and-tell for the world to see how God wants us to live as a blended, global, polypluralistic family united with one will, by one Lord, and baptized by one Spirit. – Anon

The cross that is planted at the heart of the history of the world cannot be uprooted. - Jacques Ellul

The Unity in whose loving presence the universe unfolds is inside each person as a call to welcome the stranger, protect animals and the earth, respect the dignity of each person, think new thoughts, and help bring about ecological civilizations. - John Cobb & Farhan A. Shah

If you board the wrong train it is of no use running along the corridors of the train in the other direction. - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

God's justice is restorative rather than punitive; His discipline is merciful rather than punishing; His power is made perfect in weakness; and His grace is sufficient for all. – Anon

Our little [biblical] systems have their day; they have their day and cease to be. They are but broken lights of Thee, and Thou, O God art more than they. - Alfred Lord Tennyson

We can’t control God; God is uncontrollable. God can’t control us; God’s love is uncontrolling! - Thomas Jay Oord

Life in perspective but always in process... as we are relational beings in process to one another, so life events are in process in relation to each event... as God is to Self, is to world, is to us... like Father, like sons and daughters, like events... life in process yet always in perspective. - R.E. Slater

To promote societal transition to sustainable ways of living and a global society founded on a shared ethical framework which includes respect and care for the community of life, ecological integrity, universal human rights, respect for diversity, economic justice, democracy, and a culture of peace. - The Earth Charter Mission Statement

Christian humanism is the belief that human freedom, individual conscience, and unencumbered rational inquiry are compatible with the practice of Christianity or even intrinsic in its doctrine. It represents a philosophical union of Christian faith and classical humanist principles. - Scott Postma

It is never wise to have a self-appointed religious institution determine a nation's moral code. The opportunities for moral compromise and failure are high; the moral codes and creeds assuredly racist, discriminatory, or subjectively and religiously defined; and the pronouncement of inhumanitarian political objectives quite predictable. - R.E. Slater

God's love must both center and define the Christian faith and all religious or human faiths seeking human and ecological balance in worlds of subtraction, harm, tragedy, and evil. - R.E. Slater

In Whitehead’s process ontology, we can think of the experiential ground of reality as an eternal pulse whereby what is objectively public in one moment becomes subjectively prehended in the next, and whereby the subject that emerges from its feelings then perishes into public expression as an object (or “superject”) aiming for novelty. There is a rhythm of Being between object and subject, not an ontological division. This rhythm powers the creative growth of the universe from one occasion of experience to the next. This is the Whiteheadian mantra: “The many become one and are increased by one.” - Matthew Segall

Without Love there is no Truth. And True Truth is always Loving. There is no dichotomy between these terms but only seamless integration. This is the premier centering focus of a Processual Theology of Love. - R.E. Slater

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Note: Generally I do not respond to commentary. I may read the comments but wish to reserve my time to write (or write from the comments I read). Instead, I'd like to see our community help one another and in the helping encourage and exhort each of us towards Christian love in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior. - re slater

Monday, November 17, 2025

Evolution of Worship & Religion: Maps, Tables, & Data

Illustration by R.E. Slater & ChatGPT

map link

The Evolution of Worship and Religion:

From Cosmic Awe to Processual Faith

A Metamodern Journey through the History of the Sacred

MAPS, TABLES, & DATA

by R.E. Slater & ChatGPT-5

In the beginning, there was wonder.

And wonder is where worship began.

SUMMARY

This thesis will show how religion evolved in accordance with human self-awareness... from its instinctual roots as participation in nature’s powers and enlightenments, to reflective participation in the divine process of creation-making, symbolically depicted in the biblical moment when Adam and Eve “named” the animals in the Garden of Eden.

Each succeeding essay will build upon the last, revealing how religious worship continually transforms as humanity’s understanding of the cosmos, ethics, and divinity deepens through encounter, experimentation, and rupture.

Across the millennia, faith reflects not only shifts in belief but shifts in consciousness - a process of learning, rupture, and re-forming that unfolds alongside the creative advance of the divine, creation, and humanity as all move together toward an integrated becoming.

Maps, Tables & Data

Maps visualizing the geographic regions of the Mesopotamia and the broader “Semitic” cultural-linguistic zones:

Mesopotamia refers chiefly to the land between the Tigris River and the Euphrates River (modern-day Iraq and parts of Syria/Turkey) - known as the “two rivers” region.
The Semitic region covers a much larger area: parts of the Levant (Syria, Lebanon, Israel/Palestine), Arabian Peninsula, Mesopotamia, and further into North Africa in later periods.
In terms of geographic extent the Semitic-language/culture sphere is broader than the core Mesopotamian region - though Mesopotamia was central to early Semitic civilization and language development.

List of Key Semitic Deities

(Both West- and East-Semitic Deities)

From the Neolithic/early Bronze to Biblical era, each with a very short description. The list is non-exhaustive and focuses especially on Canaanite/Levantine and Mesopotamian Semitic traditions.

Deity	Role / Short Description
El	The “father of the gods,” supreme deity in Ugaritic/Canaanite pantheon — wise, old, creator-figure. ResearchGate+2Wikipedia+2
Baal (also Baʿal Hadad)	Storm-god of rain, fertility, vegetation; fights sea/chaos in Ugaritic myth. Wikipedia+1
Anat	Warrior-goddess and sister/consort of Baal in Canaanite myth; associated with love, war, fertility. Encyclopedia.com+1
Asherah	Mother-goddess figure in Canaanite tradition; sometimes called “Lady of the Sea” or “Tree of Life” figure in Israelite context. Religion Wiki+1
Yarikh	Moon-god in Ugaritic tradition; name means “moon/month,” widespread in West Semitic. Wikipedia
Shapash	Sun-goddess in Ugaritic religion; carries sunlight and judges in underworld. (Mentioned in Ugaritic texts)
Mot	God of death, drought and underworld in Ugaritic myth; opposes Baal. Wikipedia+1
Kothar‑wa‑Khasis	Divine craftsman / artisan god in Ugaritic pantheon (smith, architect, magician). Wikipedia
Hadad (Akkadian = Adad)	Storm- and weather-god in Mesopotamia and the Levant; thunder, bull symbol, fertility & destruction. Wikipedia+1
Dagon	Fertility/vegetation and grain-god of Near East (esp. Amorite/West Semitic contexts). Encyclopedia.com+1
Shahar	Dawn-god in Canaanite/Ugaritic religion; twin of Shalim (dusk). Wikipedia
Baalshamin	“Lord of the Heavens” — Northwest Semitic sky-god title applied in Syria/Phoenicia, akin to Baal of the Heavens. Wikipedia
Yahweh	In later Israelite religion becomes the national God of Israel, but within earlier West Semitic context possibly one among many; monolatry/monotheism evolves. Wikipedia+1

A Cross-linked List of Semitic Gods

with Mesopotamic Gods

The Semitic pantheons of the Levant (Canaanite, Amorite, Hebrew, Phoenician, Aramaean) were culturally and linguistically related to the Mesopotamian Semitic ones (Akkadian, Assyrian, Babylonian). Below is a concise cross-mapping showing these links and continuities across the Semitic world.

Canaanite / West Semitic	Mesopotamian / East Semitic	Functional / Linguistic Relationship
El	Anu / Enlil	El, “the high god,” parallels Anu (“Sky Father”) and Enlil (“Lord of Air”), both supreme deities; all three represent primordial authority.
Baal (Hadad)	Adad / Ishkur	Direct linguistic and functional equivalence — West Semitic Baal Hadad = Akkadian Adad (storm, rain, thunder, fertility).
Asherah (Athirat)	Ashratum / Antu / Ninlil	Consort roles; Asherah corresponds to Akkadian Ashratum, wife of Amurru, and has traits overlapping with Antu (Anu’s consort).
Anat	Ishtar (Inanna)	Both warrior and love goddesses; Anat’s ferocity and erotic energy parallel Ishtar’s dual nature of war and fertility.
Dagon	Enki / Ea (partial)	Dagon, the grain/sea deity, possibly syncretized with Enki/Ea (lord of waters and fertility). Sometimes regarded as a local form of Enki.
Yarikh (Moon)	Sin (Nanna)	Direct lunar parallel — Yarikh = Yareah (moon), equivalent to Akkadian Sin/Nanna.
Shapash (Sun)	Shamash (Utu)	Direct solar correspondence — both are sun deities, bringers of justice and light; only gender differs (female vs. male).
Mot	Nergal / Ereshkigal	Personifications of death and underworld. Mot = “Death,” Nergal = god of war and pestilence ruling the underworld.
Kothar-wa-Khasis	Ea / Enki	Craftsman-magician archetype; both divine artisans who create tools or charms for gods.
Shahar & Shalim	Utu / Nanna / Lugalbanda (symbolic)	Dawn and dusk twins find solar-lunar analogues but not direct Mesopotamian equivalents; still tied to cosmic diurnal cycles shared across cultures.
Baalshamin	Anu / Marduk	Title “Lord of Heaven” overlaps with Marduk’s elevation to supreme god and Anu’s domain.
Yahweh	None direct (possible syncretic influences)	Early Yahweh may have absorbed attributes of El, Baal, and perhaps Marduk (as national creator and warrior god).
Astarte (Astoreth)	Ishtar (Inanna)	Essentially the same deity in linguistic and cultic terms — West Semitic Astarte = East Semitic Ishtar.

🜂 NOTES ON CROSSLINKS

Cultural osmosis: Amorites (a West Semitic people) settled in Mesopotamia and brought Hadad, Dagon, and Ashratum cults eastward (Old Babylonian era, c. 1900 BCE).
Syncretic layering: By the Iron Age, divine epithets like Baal-Shamem (“Lord of Heaven”) and El-Shaddai reflect Mesopotamian theological influence under Assyrian and Babylonian rule.
Gender reversals: Some roles swapped gender - e.g., Shapash (female) vs. Shamash (male) —-showing cultural adaptation rather than strict equivalence.
Biblical evolution: Many Yahwistic attributes (creator, warrior, lawgiver, compassionate judge) were assimilated from this cross-pantheon field as Israelite monolatry developed.

Here is a chronological chart (Neolithic → Iron Age) showing when and where these equivalences emerged — for example, from Ugarit to Babylon to Israel — with arrows or layers for cultural transmission?

Illustration by R.E. Slater & ChatGPT

The Grand Comparative Cosmology Question

The question as to how early divine archetypes evolved and differentiated themselves as humans migrated across Eurasia and North Africa can be approached systematically... by evolutionary phases and diffusion lines, showing how Mesopotamian gods served as cultural “bridge-deities” between Neolithic animism and the later structured pantheons of Egypt, Persia, India, and the Mediterranean.

🜂 I. PREHISTORY: NEOLITHIC ROOTS (c. 10,000–4000 BCE)

Cultural setting: Fertile Crescent — where agriculture, settlement, and social stratification began.

Religious form: Animism → zoomorphic spirits → divine hierarchies.

Archetype	Proto-Theme	Early Echoes
Mother Earth	Fertility, regeneration, soil	Neolithic “Venus” figures from Anatolia, Levant, and the Indus Valley (Çatalhöyük → Harappan → Inanna/Ishtar → Isis).
Sky Father	Storm, authority, rain, fertility	Proto-Indo-Semitic-Eurasian sky god → Dyaus Pitar (India), Zeus (Greece), Jupiter (Rome), Anu (Sumer/Akkad).
Storm/Warrior Deity	Power, fertility through rain, cosmic order vs. chaos	Hadad/Baal (Semitic) → Teshub (Hittite) → Zeus → Indra; same archetype spread via pastoral migrations.
Underworld Lord	Death, cycles of decay and renewal	Nergal / Mot / Osiris / Yama / Hades — all tracing to agrarian cycles.
Craft / Wisdom God	Techne, magic, civilization	Enki/Ea (Sumer) → Ptah (Egypt), Hephaestus/Hermes (Greece), Vishvakarman (Vedic India).
Sun / Moon Deities	Time, order, navigation	Solar/lunar worship ubiquitous: Shamash/Sin in Mesopotamia, Ra/Thoth in Egypt, Surya/Chandra in India, Helios/Selene in Greece.

🜃 II. MESOPOTAMIAN → EGYPTIAN CROSSLINKS (c. 3500–2000 BCE)

Mesopotamian	Egyptian	Shared Motifs
Anu / Enlil	Ra / Amun / Ptah	Creator and sky gods — cosmic authority, kingship, solarized over time.
Enki (Ea)	Thoth / Ptah	Wisdom, magic, language, arts, technology; bringers of civilization.
Inanna / Ishtar	Isis / Hathor / Sekhmet	Fertility, erotic love, motherhood, and cosmic femininity; dual gentle and wrathful aspects.
Ninhursag / Damkina	Nut / Geb (Earth–Sky pair)	Maternal fertility and the birth of gods; Earth–Sky separation myth shared.
Shamash	Ra / Horus	Sun as judge and moral order.
Nergal / Ereshkigal	Osiris / Anubis / Nephthys	Underworld and resurrection motifs, governing death cycles.

🔹 Cultural pathway: trade and migration via Levant & Sinai (Byblos route).

🔹 Egyptian cosmology diverged by solarizing Mesopotamian motifs — Ra, not Anu, became supreme.

🜄 III. MESOPOTAMIAN ↔ PERSIAN (IRANIAN) PARALLELS (c. 2000–500 BCE)

Mesopotamian	Proto-Iranian / Zoroastrian	Shared Archetypes
Marduk	Ahura Mazda	Supreme ordering deity; champion of cosmic truth (asha).
Tiamat	Angra Mainyu / Ahriman (chaos)	Dragon/serpent of chaos; opposition between good order and destructive disorder.
Enki / Ea	Mithra (mediator)	Cosmic covenant-keeper, wise intermediary.
Shamash	Hvar Khshaeta (Sun)	Justice, light, moral illumination.
Anu / Enlil	Zurvan (Time)	Abstract ordering principle; “father of gods.”

🔹 Diffusion: Indo-Iranian migrations eastward from Mesopotamian highlands (Elamite corridor).

🔹 Innovation: Persia moralized dualism (Good vs. Evil), converting Mesopotamian mythic polarity into ethical metaphysics.

🜅 IV. MESOPOTAMIAN ↔ INDIAN (VEDIC) CONTINUITIES (c. 2500–1000 BCE)

Mesopotamian	Vedic / Hindu	Shared Function
Anu / Dyaus Pitar	Indra / Varuna / Agni	Sky/storm gods, thunder and kingship motifs; sacrificial cosmic order (ṛta ~ me).
Enki / Ea	Varuna / Soma	Waters, wisdom, sacred drink, cosmic law.
Inanna / Ishtar	Ushas / Durga / Kali	Dawn and war-love goddess archetypes.
Tiamat	Vritra	Serpent/chaos monster slain by the storm-god (Marduk–Tiamat; Indra–Vritra).
Shamash	Surya / Mitra	Sun, contract, truth, moral witness.

🔹 Diffusion: Indo-Aryan movement from Iran through Bactria-Margiana (BMAC), which already had Mesopotamian motifs.

🔹 Result: shared mythic grammar — chaoskampf (dragon-slaying), cosmic waters, sacred order.

🜆 V. MESOPOTAMIAN ↔ SOUTHERN EUROPE (AEGEAN–MEDITERRANEAN, c. 2000–500 BCE)

Mesopotamian	Greek / Roman	Common Archetypes
Anu	Uranus / Cronus	Sky-father and first ruler.
Enlil / Marduk	Zeus / Jupiter	Storm god, cosmic king, upholder of law.
Inanna / Ishtar	Aphrodite / Artemis / Athena	Fertility, sexuality, war, and wisdom blended.
Ereshkigal / Nergal	Hades / Persephone / Ares	Underworld and death.
Tiamat	Typhon / Echidna / Chaos	Primeval serpent of chaos, slain by the sky-god.
Enki / Ea	Hermes / Hephaestus	Craft, invention, mediation.

🔹 Transmission: through Phoenician traders, Hittite and Minoan exchanges, and later Hellenistic syncretism.

🔹 Continuity: the chaoskampf and divine hierarchy motifs are universalized in Indo-Mediterranean myth.

🜇 VI. EVOLUTIONARY SUMMARY

Animistic → Anthropomorphic: From natural forces to human-like gods controlling them.
Local → Imperial: Clan spirits → city gods → empire-wide pantheons (e.g., Marduk in Babylon).
Mythic → Ethical: Persian dualism and Israelite monotheism moralized cosmic order.
Symbolic Fusion: Egyptian solarization, Indian cosmic law, Greek rationalism — all echo earlier Mesopotamian cosmograms.
Linguistic Web: Semitic, Indo-Iranian, and Proto-Indo-European languages share mythic vocabulary for sky, law/order, water, light, and life — likely rooted in common Neolithic mythopoesis.