ot - any cultural or ethnic groups that never had religion?

[verticaldoug]

Because we can think, and want to explain things, we probably came up with religion (animism etc) to explain the things we did not understand yet.

It probably starts about the time we could communicate. I think the cave drawings around the world usually point to some kind of animism whether it is in France, Australia, South Africa or where ever the old drawings have been found.

Atheism probably doesn't arise until enlightenment and a need to fight against organized religion because at that point, religion is less belief and a human society organizing principle..

In an odd way, Atheism is a religion. It denies supernatural beings, but doesn't deny existence. So you get back to the same problem- explaining things you don't understand.

So oddly we have eternal energy (cosmological constant) and little ripples in the energy happened to inflate into a universe of matter and the rest is history .....

Yeah, I'm guessing a God explanation works for most of us just as well.

[eddief]

I think it's way more grey than as black and white as you suggest:

https://www.jewfaq.org/what_is_judaism

Originally Posted by XXtwindad

1) No idea, really but I do know that Jews and Hindus are the only religions that are actually ethnic groups as well. Little kernel of wisdom gleaned from my philosophy of religion class when I wasn’t busy flirting with Crystal H.

2) Also, this type of thread is why I like the “GD” section although plenty of people disagree.

[Applesauce]

Originally Posted by windsurfer

Most of the indigenous people of North America.

Religion is something that came along with European settlers (invaders) along with alcohol, and oppression.

I'm afraid of getting sucked into this zombie thread... But this latter statement is astoundingly untrue. Unless by "religion" you specifically mean "Christianity," which is an absurdly gross and ugly conflation.

[benb]

I've taken a fair amount of religious classes outside of a "church" setting, along with anthropology, etc..

Religion is generally an organized group activity. Faith is not. You can have one or the other or both.

Someone who identifies as buddhist but says they do not believe in any supernatural entities would have religion without faith. I think many would argue Buddhism requires faith though.. there are supernatural aspects of Buddhism. Buddhism is so old the historical basis is just as murky as the historical existence of Christ.

Indigenous cultures without faith are pretty much unheard of. Most would also qualify as religious. Just because they did not have a "universalist" religious structure like Christianity/Islam/Hinduism/Buddhism doesn't mean they didn't qualify as a religion. To say Native Americans didn't have faith or religion shows probably shows a Christian bias simply because Native Americans tended to not be monotheistic.

I have read arguments that faith and/or religion are evolved responses because at a certain point in a culture/civilization's development they actually provide a competitive advantage at the societal level. Hence why it's incredibly hard to find a group that was historically atheistic.

[Gwerziou]

Originally Posted by ORMojo

Well, yes, I consider myself to fully fit that definition, and I know many, many other Buddhists who also think of themselves in that way. I consider myself an areligious atheist Buddhist - a Buddhist who disbelieves or lacks belief in the existence of God or gods, and who does not practice religion.

Hello. Along those lines, are you familiar with/interested in the work of Stephen Batchelor? I find some of his writing quite appealing.

[Gwerziou]

Originally Posted by Dead Man

not looking to debate anything here, just wondering if any of you overeducated mofos have ever come across any mention of groups of people that simply never had any notion of religion before being contacted by future conquerors?

thanks!

Yes - all humans beings are born atheists, and then many are indoctrinated into various superstitious belief systems as they grow older.

[pasadena]

They had their own religions.
Europeans introduced a disconnect with the natural world and the poison (yes, i'll use that word in this context) of Christianity and Catholicism.
You can make a strong case that it destroyed their cultures and started the extinction of their world, if that's your meaning.

Originally Posted by windsurfer

Most of the indigenous people of North America.

Religion is something that came along with European settlers (invaders) along with alcohol, and oppression.

[Louis]

Originally Posted by Gwerziou

Yes - all humans beings are born atheists

As an atheist I've always thought that this is a poor argument for it - humans are born with a lack of belief in many things, but that doesn't mean that those things don't exist.

[Mark McM]

It used to be believed that (organized) religions didn't start until after humans developed agriculture, which allowed humans to form large permanent settlements and create civilizations (previously, humans lived in small, semi-nomadic groups of hunter-gatherers). But more recently, archeologists have discovered ancient ruins which appear to have been built for religious purposes, and which drew many people from across wide areas, these ruins predating the introduction of agriculture. So perhaps civilization is a result of religion, rather than the other way around.

[tomato coupe]

https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/...ns-as-religion

[jimoots]

Originally Posted by windsurfer

Most of the indigenous people of North America.

Religion is something that came along with European settlers (invaders) along with alcohol, and oppression.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_American_religions

[sjbraun]

[QUOTE=XXtwindad;2967759]1) No idea, really but I do know that Jews and Hindus are the only religions that are actually ethnic groups as well.

I hope this statement only reflects ignorance on the part of its author. Its wrong on so many levels.

[yinzerniner]

To the OP, read up on the Pirah which is an established civilization living in the deep Amazon who don't practice an established religion but do have spiritual thoughts.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pirah%C3%A3_people

It's possible but not exactly assured that there were more before them.

[s4life]

Atheism is a religion in the same way abstinence is a sexual position.

Originally Posted by verticaldoug

In an odd way, Atheism is a religion. It denies supernatural beings, but doesn't deny existence. So you get back to the same problem- explaining things you don't understand.

So oddly we have eternal energy (cosmological constant) and little ripples in the energy happened to inflate into a universe of matter and the rest is history .....

Yeah, I'm guessing a God explanation works for most of us just as well.

[bicycletricycle]

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