ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the historical origin and significance of religious symbols. Religion originally stemmed from humans’ desire to establish beneficial relations with natural surroundings which were then unexplainable and therefore mysterious. This chapter traces the historical origin of symbols, rituals and religious architecture by exploring how those forms of expression have shaped social norms throughout the years. This is done via an examination of the role of symbols in primitive religion and ancient civilisations as well as looking at the internal laws of more modern religions. This historical overview will enhance our understanding of how religious manifestation via symbols and rituals has acquired a special status worthy of legal protection. Symbols throughout history have contributed to the construction of collective identity by rallying believers, forming group allegiance and keeping the community in good connection. They have shaped human consciousness in the sense of being aware of one’s individual and collective identity. Symbols and rituals emerged as a means of making sense of the then seemingly inexplicable forces of nature and conferred power, status and reassurance to people by acting as a bridge to the sacred. In contemporary pluralist societies, despite Western culture being mostly dominated by rationalism and consumerism, human beings continue to use religious symbols to articulate their interconnection with divine forces.
