Evolving into humans?

Tweet

I don't want to debate the generalities of evolution or creationism here, I just want a response from thinkers about this problem. I can accept most of the theory of evolution, but I'm really stuck on this point. Why do humans bury their dead? We see all the ancestor species of humans acting like modern apes or any other modern animal and abandoning the dead, but suddenly Neanderthals emerge with elaborate burial rituals. They were buried or entombed with flowers, tools, weapons, and other artifacts hinting at the belief in an afterlife. The question is, why did these people, and the modern humans that came afterward believe in an afterlife? It seems that, if evolution were in fact true, that there should never have arisen a system of belief. Animals don't believe in an afterlife, and if modern humans can logically or rationally refute the arguments for a soul, then what is the evolutionary advantage of such belief? To me, it seems that the first person who became aware of the soul must have been a charismatic "Moses" type figure for the belief to survive, but that doesn't seem likely that someone would be born with this vivid imagination and single-handedly be able to transform his or her entire culture in a single lifetime. Think about modern humans. Atheists argue from simplicity while creationists bend and twist and struggle to put together a cohesive theory. Among people who did not formerly believe in an afterlife, or Gods or demons as far as we know, to suddenly develop such beliefs would seem to divide and weaken the community. Most ancient peoples would not tolerate theories or beliefs that threatened the survival of the community. Why then did the Neanderthals or primitive humans allow a belief in the supernatural that would instill fear of the unknown when that fear was previously under control?