Give me a chance here! I'm gonna connect it to food!! The "major" religions of the world.....Christianity, Islam, Judaism.....promote the attitude that nothing really matters here on this little planet except "perfecting" one's soul in preparation for the "afterlife." Pollute the planet! Go ahead! It doesn't matter because your "real" destiny is in the "afterlife." Accept your poverty and/or slavery! Go ahead! These things don't matter because they are of this world and your "real" destiny is in the "afterlife." Refuse to be responsible for your actions. Go ahead! After all, all was ordained by "god" at the moment of "Creation" and you have no real control over anything anyway! So, how do I think all this connects to food? The most poverty-ridden areas of the world depend almost exclusively on grains and beans (of one sort or another) for their subsistence. It wasn't until people settled into the lives of grain-growers that anyone had the need and/or opportunity to establish the heirarchies that became governments and/or religious institutions. As long as people were wandering across the landscape gathering and hunting....and maybe herding.....there was little opportunity for the "civilizing" aspects of government and/or religion to arise. Wanderers don't build great cities. Only farmers can do so. The crops are in the ground.....nothing much to do until harvest....put all those people to work building your castle.....or town.....or temple. I see a connection between the "civilization" of wandering hunter/gatherers and the change in diet that lead to so much consumption of grains.........and religion played its part by telling the people that it didn't matter how hard their lives were......their "reward" was waiting for them in the "afterlife." So.....in my own opinion.... the growth of these sorts of religions was directly connected to the growth of what Daniel Quinn calls "totalitarian agriculture." Someone asked what "crop" these religions cultivated.....of course, the religious answer is "souls." But by supporting the development of agriculture, the religions were supporting the development of the grain-foods. How else does a "priesthood" arise? You must have enough 'surplus' food on hand that someone doesn't have to get out and hunt antelope..... that gives someone time to develop his/her 'spiritual leadership.' Hey, does it show that I'm not a christian? [log in to unmask]