Final answer:
Urbanization, driven by the development of agriculture, led to a division of labor and the emergence of specialized roles, including religious ones. As people congregated in cities, they developed complex religious structures, which were often centralized around fertility and the agricultural cycle. This centralization of religion contributed to the growth and development of major world religions.
Step-by-step explanation:
The rise of urbanization dramatically transformed cultural and religious practices. As large numbers of people began to live in cities, separated from the natural environment and the process of food acquisition, they no longer identified with nature in the same way. This shift gave rise to urban cultures that considered the natural world as alien or threatening. With urbanization, the nature-centric animistic beliefs of pre-agricultural societies began to evolve into religions with more complex deities and structured, agricultural-fertility focused beliefs.
Agriculture led to the division of labor and the rise of specialized roles, including a priestly class that derived power from their interpreted connection to the supernatural. Not only did they wield authority in spiritual matters, but they also influenced material and human resources, leading to the construction of religious monuments and intricate rituals. Religious sites became important, attracting people to cities and facilitating growth. Urban centers fostered the conditions for the development of structured religions.
In the Early Urban Phase, the mother goddess worship in Europe and South-western Asia and later priestly hierarchies encapsulated the demographics of early farming civilizations. Religious figures, such as priests and shamans, played a pivotal role in urban growth by attracting followers, who provided them with food, shelter, and compensation for spiritual guidance. Cities like Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa were based on agriculture, which fostered contemplation on moral living, eventually leading to the early forms of world governments and religions, as in the case of Hinduism and Buddhism in South Asia.