The Atra-Hasis

Now, we all know that Mormons believe that God used to be a man, and the ascended to godhood. Therefore, God had  parents, grandparents, grand-grandparents, and so on.

This belief was obviously not only held by Mormons, but a good example of someone else who did were the ancient Babylonians. In one Babylonian poem called Atra-Hasis, where there is the following line: "inuma ilu awilu" which means "when Gods were once men". The myth generally talked about how Gods and men were created, the tasks they did, and other things. The poem also reveals similar characteristics between men and Gods. It was also believed that men were made out of clay and the blood of a God of knowledge. Therefore, ancient Babylonians believed that they had the sacred gift of knowledge from the God, as long as an undying spirit.

Do You Think Faith Is Genetically Programmed Into Our Minds?

Religious beliefs as part of human nature are deeply embedded in the human brain and to a point are genetically programmed like everything from our appearance as a species, say researchers at the Yale University.

The clearest evidence is found in children's perception of life and their belief that the mind is separated from the body. Such a distinction is what allows us to believe in the supernatural, the gods or imaginary friends. "All people have these beliefs. They are located in the brain circuits and never change." said Professor Paul Bloom, a psychologist at the prestigious American university.

As we age, we begin to focus more on the moral dimension of faith and less on its supernatural aspects, says the authors. However, in periods of heavy stress, we tend to approach the supernatural aspects of our life, as evidenced by the large number of people who return to faith in times of crisis.

"Sharing of the same religious belief helped our ancestors enormously, especially when they must work together to hunt, to defend or care for those communities suffering. So that's how we managed to surpass other species in the evolutionary race." concludes Paul Bloom.

History Of Religions ! How the religions spread in the world !

5000 years compressed in just 90 seconds ! The interactive map below presents the history in a very short way and the dramatic evolution of the main religions of mankind : Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam - from the moment they were formed until the early XXI century.