Ritual has always been an important part of man's worship and takes many forms ranging from ancient fertility rites to the communion of the Catholic Church. Whether in an attempt to reach up to god or connect to the Earth, the dramatisation in ritual of a desired outcome is believed by many to have a beneficial influence on the result. Many such ancient rites are still practised today.

For ancient man to live, prosper and procreate, he had to understand and use the world around him. He had to know what was edible, and when and where foodstuffs would be ready for him to eat. His knowledge of the seasons would tell him to prepare a store for the winter. But what happens when spring comes too late, the frost does not lift and the store has been raided? Or what about the summer when there is no rain and the crops fail? In moments of desperation, ancient man cried out to the gods. The basis of human belief in gods is need, and our ancestors had a structure of gods that reflected the science, as they knew it, of the world around them. This structure of gods was created and fostered according to these desires, by the greed oriented leaders of the religious structure. Man formulated the belief system, based around need, and man used it for control, for power and for wealth.

A few years ago I had a friend over from Africa, a Pastor in a Pentecostal movement. He told me how his fellow countrymen and women were so 'alive' to God. When we sat down to dinner, the Pastor ate like a starved man. I had never seen such enthusiasm. It made me think about how we can carelessly toss a half-eaten chicken to one side, without thinking of the people without food. We can always drive down to the supermarket and fill up the cupboards again. The people in his village have an eighteen-mile walk, in searing heat, just to fetch water. This is why they are 'alive' to God.

In his deepest need, man cries out to the God that he has been given and finds strength and comfort in his faith. It appears that no one is immune to this peculiar survival instinct. In times of dire need, even a confirmed atheist may find himself praying. We, in the capitalist world, with all our needs and wants satisfied, are walking away from the idea of God. We may replace Him with mathematical equations or New Age deities, but we are not looking solely to God to fulfil our every need any more. The people in the Pastor's village, on the other hand, need God to bring the water in the rainy season, they need the miraculous powers of His healing spirit when illness strikes and they need the unity that God can create amongst them.

Our ancestors had the same needs. Water could be scarce or, adversely, there could be flooding, although in the Egyptian delta this was considered to be the wondrous work of the gods and was prayed for each year. The gods were needed to bring the warmth and life-giving rays of the sun, the most important of all gods even today, as we shall see. The Earth was worshipped and was believed to mate with the rising sun of spring and summer and bring forth her fruits. These basic beliefs were humanised as all beliefs have been.