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Do Animals Have Religion?

The Hammer

[REDACTED]
Premium Member
Well, do they? That's the question I am posing. Do Animals have Religion, of you think they do, tell me why that is.

And if you think it's a load of rubbish, why not let me elicit your opinion?

According to a blog that I will link to, although I'm posting the gist of it here, has this to say about animals and religious reverence.

"Yes, they absolutely do. Let's begin with the elephant, which is one of the most intelligent non-human beings on the planet. The average person probably has no idea that these animals worship the moon, as they have been observed waving branches at the waxing cycle. They also take ritual baths in the moonlight when it's full, and they will bury their dead with food and flowers (a common practice among ancient humans to accompany the deceased into the afterlife). Not only that, but elephants also show additional veneration for the sun and stars. Chimps have been seen dancing at the onset of storms and at water sources, that can only be interpreted as ritualistic or religious behavior, and when a member of their community dies, their funerary customs are nearly identical to that of humans, which include silence, corpse preparation, and visitation. It appears that the more intelligent a species is, the more likely they are to believe in or venerate Higher Powers"

Chris Aldridge's Blog and Website: Animals Do Have Religion
 

Secret Chief

nirvana is samsara
Second off...

Speculating about the internal life of other humans (based on behaviour) is fraught enough, so such speculation regarding other species sounds ....impossible?
 

The Hammer

[REDACTED]
Premium Member
Second off...

Speculating about the internal life of other humans (based on behaviour) is fraught enough, so such speculation regarding other species sounds ....impossible?

That's an argument he makes for it. Who is to say they don't? All we have are the outward signs of worship. Because we cannot read their minds anymore then most of us can read the minds of another human.

So his conclusion is that we can't definitively say no, but the outward signs of a yes are there, tentatively.
 

Secret Chief

nirvana is samsara
That's an argument he makes for it. Who is to say they don't? All we have are the outward signs of worship. Because we cannot read their minds anymore then most of us can read the minds of another human.

So his conclusion is that we can't definitively say no, but the outward signs of a yes are there tentatively.
That seems rational then. Certainly non humans are the ones living in harmony with nature (jeez I sound like a bloody pagan) and yet for all the trappings of human religious behaviours it is humans that are violating nature.
 

Heyo

Veteran Member
It appears that the more intelligent a species is, the more likely they are to believe in or venerate Higher Powers"
I was with him until this last sentence. It seems to be clear that some non human animals have rituals and ancestor worship. To jump to the conclusion that they "venerate Higher Powers" is not justified.
 

Koldo

Outstanding Member
Well, do they? That's the question I am posing. Do Animals have Religion, of you think they do, tell me why that is.

And if you think it's a load of rubbish, why not let me elicit your opinion?

According to a blog that I will link to, although I'm posting the gist of it here, has this to say about animals and religious reverence.

"Yes, they absolutely do. Let's begin with the elephant, which is one of the most intelligent non-human beings on the planet. The average person probably has no idea that these animals worship the moon, as they have been observed waving branches at the waxing cycle. They also take ritual baths in the moonlight when it's full, and they will bury their dead with food and flowers (a common practice among ancient humans to accompany the deceased into the afterlife). Not only that, but elephants also show additional veneration for the sun and stars. Chimps have been seen dancing at the onset of storms and at water sources, that can only be interpreted as ritualistic or religious behavior, and when a member of their community dies, their funerary customs are nearly identical to that of humans, which include silence, corpse preparation, and visitation. It appears that the more intelligent a species is, the more likely they are to believe in or venerate Higher Powers"

Chris Aldridge's Blog and Website: Animals Do Have Religion

I have absolutely no idea how burial rites entail necessarily a religion. Nor how one is able to deduce that elephants worship the sun or the moon. Or how dancing at the onset of a storm must entail a religious ritual.
 

JustGeorge

Not As Much Fun As I Look
Staff member
Premium Member
I don't know! Its possible. I think one could make an argument either way, but ultimately, agree with:

Speculating about the internal life of other humans (based on behaviour) is fraught enough, so such speculation regarding other species sounds ....impossible?

I won't say yes or no definitely, because I don't see it as knowable at this time.
 

The Hammer

[REDACTED]
Premium Member
I have absolutely no idea how burial rites entail necessarily a religion. Nor how one is able to deduce that elephants worship the sun or the moon. Or how dancing at the onset of a storm must entail a religious ritual.

Valid assessment.

I guess we all see things like "rituals and gods, and higher powers" a bit differently. :)
 

ChristineM

"Be strong", I whispered to my coffee.
Premium Member
Some animals have rituals, i really don't think they can be considered religion any more than washing the car on Saturday mornings.
 
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ChristineM

"Be strong", I whispered to my coffee.
Premium Member
Doctor Science authoritatively weighed
in on this question decades ago. Alas,
he only addressed insect religions.


Meet my new buddy, no religion involved

20220509_115827.jpg
 

ChristineM

"Be strong", I whispered to my coffee.
Premium Member
I dunno. Looks like a praying mantis to me.

Definitely a mantis but more interested in me then playing until a butterfly flew by. It's front arms shot out, it missed, it waggled them about a bit then turned back to look at me.

Maybe it was deciding whether I was worth praying to. Or maybe thinking, i missed lunch and it's your fault for distracting me.
 
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