Religion as Dividing Force

Religion binds one to others with the same beliefs, while alienating them from others with conflicting beliefs. Religion divides as well as coalesces, drawing invisible "do not cross" lines between humans and humans, and especially between humans and nature. "Grizzly Man" offers insight into the difficulties of "crossing back" into nature; Timothy Treadwell attempted to dwell with bears, and encountered much criticism from fellow humans in the process (and ultimately from the bears themselves, if you can call it that).

In the Paleolithic Age, humans and bears inhabited similar terrain and hunted the same large mammals, and they generally kept to themselves directly because they were competitors for the same resources. Though no religion had strictly divided humans from the rest of the world at that point, animals did not live in a happy Paleolithic commune cohabitating with different species. The myth that humans once convened with the bears is not supported by logic or proof. Now, religion has molded society and strictly divided humans from nature through beliefs of the sort found in Genesis: "Then God said, 'Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth'"(1.26). The divide is clear; humans have control over all other animals so we cannot possibly live in the same sphere of existence.

As religion initially forms a line, technology and "progress" thickens that line, creating an even larger divide between humans and nature. Technology enables us to do so much more than our animal friends, so we see ourselves as increasingly superior to them. Interestingly enough, advanced technology was absolutely necessary for Treadwell in his return to nature.

It was miraculous how long Treadwell managed to survive in that environment, despite his insistence of the inherent similarities between humans and animals and his complete lack of fear of the bears. Unlike Paleolithic hunters, Treadwell had no respect for differences between humans and animals and treated bears like humans, though they are obviously much stronger and more aggressive. Most of the interviewees wasted no time in attacking Treadwell and his beliefs, some insisting that he "did more harm than good" in trying to protect the bears by living with them. Despite that his project was a result of more than just a desire to protect the bears (his early years were riddled with drug and alcohol abuse and other personal issues, so living with bears was an escape for him), I believe it is too severe and unnecessary to be critical of him after his gruesome death. Even though I don't agree with Treadwell's beliefs, I still respect him for living with those beliefs through the enormous amount of criticism he encountered along the way.