The description of some cosmologies are very intricate and involved? Why might a culture have multiple layers and sections?

1 Answer
Apr 17, 2016

Cosmological explanations in various religious traditions were developed in the pre-scientific era and had to "square" with existing beliefs and practices.

Explanation:

Most explanations for the origin of the universe were developed by various religious traditions in the pre-scienitifc era to ease people's existential angst about questions like; how it all got going, what's it all about, life after death, and my place in the universe.

For the most part, religious leaders and philosophers essentially, "made up cosmological stories" that people could believe based on their unique history, religious beliefs of the day, and cultural practices. This put people's minds at ease and they could then stop worrying about the big questions in life and get on with growing food or whatever!

These religious and culturally derived cosmological explanations should be viewed as interesting myths unique to certain cultures, but beyond their historical cultural value, should not be taken as equally likely theories or facts.

The current cosmological theory of how the universe got going, The Big Bang, is not based on stories or beliefs, but hard scientific evidence, observations, and verified experiments.