Palaeolithic art and religion

The primary element of religion in this article seems to be the notion of expectancy. The significance of the Shaman rituals did not necessarily lye in the artwork itself, but the faith, truth, and power they put into their creative inventions. These people expected a sense of goodness and guidance to come out of their work. This was their motivation. The Upper Paleolithic people set up a system, and created rules and regulations to abide by, which is key in any religion. In our society , there are many rules one must abide by. As the Upper Paleolithic people had an understanding of which animals are considered “monsters”, today we practice these same concepts. We consider some people to be criminals and thieves. Many may view these rules/labels as secular, but in a sense our society has formed a religion. Whereas the UP people used their artwork as a representation of their beliefs and understanding of the eachother, our society uses labels and written laws to portray a common understanding of what is right and what is wrong, along with what is expected of us. We are expected to obey these rules to feel rewarded, and somehow it works.