Although only humans are thought to be religious, the movie Planet of the Apes and various studies have raised the possibility that animals may also have group beliefs and instinctive feelings of reverence. Jung’s theory of the collective unconscious explains that religion may have its origins in the shared unconsciousness of humans and animals, and it is also possible that animal mourning behaviors are religious rituals.
When talking about the history and culture of any civilization, there is one element that cannot be left out. This is religion. Since the dawn of human history, religion has been closely intertwined with politics and underpinned culture and art, and it continues to have an enormous impact on the world in many forms. For example, in many Islamic countries, people’s lifestyles are dictated by the Qur’an, and sectarian conflicts between religions often lead to war. Humans and religion are inextricably linked, and many people have come to believe that religion is one of the unique qualities that only humans can possess.
In the movie Rise of the Planet of the Apes, however, animals that we consider inferior are practicing a religion that was once thought to be reserved for humans. The movie’s protagonist crash lands on a world where apes rule over humans. The apes speak English and enslave humans. Interestingly, they are just as religious as humans, worshiping a monkey named Semos as their ancestor and praying before meals. It’s quite shocking to see them acting like humans, even though they look different. However, most people think that the idea of animals having a religion is the stuff of science fiction. So, are these movie scenes impossible? Could it be that animals have their own religion without us even realizing it?
To answer this question, we first need to define what constitutes a religion. The dictionary definition of religion is “a community of believers who share a particular set of beliefs and their belief system.” In other words, a “belief system” that can be found in a “community” based on “beliefs” is a religion. For example, the ancient Egyptians, who believed in an afterlife, mummified their dead and stored their gold and silver treasures in pyramids, or the Hindu Indians, who worshiped cows as gods. Based on the three essential elements of religion: community, belief, and belief system, those who argue that animals cannot have religion give the following reasons.
First, they argue that in order to form a common belief, species must communicate with each other, and unlike human language-based communication, animals communicate through gestures and vocalizations, making it difficult for this to happen. However, beliefs don’t necessarily require language to be formed. Of course, language can make beliefs stronger and more sophisticated. However, the absence of language does not mean that beliefs cannot exist. Long before we had language, humans drew pictures of animals in cave paintings to pray for success in hunting, and believed in the power inherent in matter. This is an example of how language is not a prerequisite for religion. People often say that they “just look in the eyes” with someone they’ve known for a long time. This implies that there can be unspoken communication without words. Even animals, although they don’t speak, may be connected to each other in an unconscious world beyond consciousness. Jung’s concept of the Collective Unconscious explains this.
Jung’s collective unconscious is likened to the waves of the ocean. The mind is not limited to the mind of one individual, but like the waves of the ocean, it is connected to all things, and at the same time, it is individualized. Each individual’s consciousness is individualized and expresses the self, but it is also connected to the ocean of the unconscious and is like a wave in the ocean. Jung argued that each person is born with a virtual image of the shape of the world they will belong to, and that beyond the individual unconscious, there is a collective unconscious. The collective unconscious shows that symbols, myths, and gods created by people of different cultures and times are strikingly similar. This unconscious religiosity has been passed on to modern humans, only in different and more sophisticated forms. We humans and other animals, especially primates, evolved from a common ancestor. This suggests that religion may have been embedded in the unconscious minds of animals that share the same ancestry as humans before they learned language. Given that religion is an unconscious belief that occurs instinctively rather than a conscious belief that we think about, it’s possible that our unconscious religiosity is connected to animals.
The next argument is that since faith is a higher order thought process, only relatively intelligent humans can be religious. However, this assumption is flawed. Religiosity is not a product of higher thinking, it’s more of an instinct, or innate. There are many theories about the origins of religion, but one explanation is particularly compelling: that reverence for nature developed into worship at a time when humans were heavily influenced by the natural environment, or that religion arose from the worship of tribal leaders. These arguments make sense, given that in ancient mythology, gods were identified with natural elements such as the sun and wind, and were seen as powerful beings. As such, religion is not a product of higher human thought, but more of an instinct that has been honed over time by living with nature. Like humans, many animals live in groups and feel fear of nature. Since they live in similar environments to humans, it’s entirely possible that religion is hardwired into their instincts. Furthermore, instinct isn’t just about appetite or sex, it sometimes has powers that cannot be explained by higher intellectual thought. For example, salmon use their instincts to make the enormous journey back to the river where they were born to lay their eggs.
Finally, those who say that animals cannot have religion say that for religion to exist, we must realize the meaning of life and death and be able to contemplate what lies beyond life. They argue that the abstract concept of an afterlife cannot exist for animals. However, many animals are afraid of death and have been observed to grieve, especially at the death of their offspring. This is indirect evidence that animals are aware of death. Dr. Jane Goodall, the “Mother of Chimpanzees,” lived with chimpanzees in the jungle and studied their habits. She observed mothers carrying and caring for their young for a week after the death of their infants. The researchers interpreted this as a way for the mother to come to terms with the death of her offspring, and also as a way for the group to acknowledge the death by carrying the dead offspring to their peers. This suggests that animals are aware of death and that it is an established concept among them.
Let’s go back to our initial discussion. When we say that the essential elements of religion are “community,” “belief,” and “belief system,” there’s nothing that doesn’t apply to animals. Animals that live in groups, have a leader, and have an instinctive reverence for nature are likely to have religion in the form of a collective unconscious.
In Korea, researchers observed a group of dolphins circling a dying mate in the East Sea to keep it from sinking. This behavior, which can last for hours, has been suggested to be a funeral ritual. While it’s hard to say whether these behaviors are religious in origin because humans can’t communicate with animals, it’s clear that collective behavior has a purpose. One of those purposes may include expressing the group’s beliefs. Perhaps there is a religious ritual going on somewhere at this very moment.
