laura Posted February 15, 2006 Posted February 15, 2006 Does anyone know of a culture (past or present) or people that hasn't believed in some deity?
SBeeland Posted February 15, 2006 Posted February 15, 2006 I might be wrong, but I think every country or culture that's ever existed has had atleast some form of a deity. Except maybe China or Japan at some point, I'm not really sure.
Taphophilia Posted February 15, 2006 Posted February 15, 2006 Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Buddhists don't subscribe to a diety, or at least they have a pantheistic view of god where god is part of everything.
Hero of Hyrule Posted February 15, 2006 Posted February 15, 2006 To the old Chinese life was pretty much without a God. I think that the Japanese have always had some form of God though.
The Sage Nabooru Posted February 16, 2006 Posted February 16, 2006 The Chinese have their own gods that make up the divinities within the catch-all "Chinese folk religion". Buddhists can believe in anything they want - God, no God, several gods, part of God, within God, etc. etc. I can't really think of any society, no matter how primitive, that did not have the Divine in one form or another; however, there have been those with no afterlife.
Curtdude Posted February 17, 2006 Posted February 17, 2006 most leninist/stalinst communist dictatorships have been officially atheist; unfortunately they have a horrific track record of persecution. I would hardly call it "humanistic atheism" at all. In fact, I would hardly call them socialist or truly communist since those at the top got the cream of the goods. Just another crappy dictatorship model that has not worked at all and caused unknown human suffering.
The Sage Nabooru Posted February 17, 2006 Posted February 17, 2006 most leninist/stalinst communist dictatorships have been officially atheist; unfortunately they have a horrific track record of persecution. I would hardly call it "humanistic atheism" at all. In fact, I would hardly call them socialist or truly communist since those at the top got the cream of the goods. Just another crappy dictatorship model that has not worked at all and caused unknown human suffering. Indeed. It is my steadfast belief that it is neither religion nor atheism, nor money or oil or land, for that matter, that is the root of all conflict and persecution. It's a three-letter word - EGO.
Guest Lsettr Posted February 21, 2006 Posted February 21, 2006 There hasn't been much written about Megalithic Europe. As we can tell, they held some sort of belief and or quite an underestimated knowledge considering they created Stonehenge and other megalithic structures. No one can tell for sure what these things were used for: calendars, arenas, altars, etc... Before the Celts the people of the Northern European and Isles area seemed more intent on nature than on naming dieties. The Tuatha who came next had belief in spirits as well as a great Goddess and God and heroes that were made into powerful figures of their oral tradition. The Celts were known to venerate their ancestors and heroes as if they were gods and goddesses. They melded with the older people they conquered. Several Asian cultures (though my focus has been on Europe for the most part) venerate their ancestors and not really any particular gods. It has become a regional tradition and each place does not always worship the way others worship (or believe). Anyway, I agree for the most part with the others...it's difficult to find ancient cultures who did not need a supernatural explanation for natural occurences.
spamandham Posted February 21, 2006 Posted February 21, 2006 Does anyone know of a culture (past or present) or people that hasn't believed in some deity? Yes, most... The western world has anthropomorphised a concept which has historically been understood to be symbolic and mystical rather than some objective being out there somewhere. If you understand how most civilizations have viewed god, it's not clear they really believed in a deity at all like the way people in the west do today.
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