Page "Religion" Paragraph 16

There are a number of theories regarding the origins of religion.

According to anthropologists John Monaghan and Peter Just, Many of the great world religions appear to have begun as revitalization movements of some sort, as the vision of a charismatic prophet fires the imaginations of people seeking a more comprehensive answer to their problems than they feel is provided by everyday beliefs.

Charismatic individuals have emerged at many times and places in the world.

It seems that the key to long-term success – and many movements come and go with little long-term effect – has relatively little to do with the prophets, who appear with surprising regularity, but more to do with the development of a group of supporters who are able to institutionalize the movement.