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I think they are the best described and best known.
I equate 'tribalism' with chauvinism or nationalism.That's as i see it but call it tribalism rather than religion. Religion grew from it with several additions to make a full blown religion
They seem to have belief in "spirits" despite no belief in a supreme creator God.
I suspect that even if we had no formal "religion" people would still maintain supernatural and even superstitious beliefs. E.g. astrology, crystals, spirits, afterlife, ghosts, etc.
The world would be pretty much the same. There’d be good people and there’d be bad people.What if there was no religion? What if everyone was an atheist? How would the world look like? Would it be better or worse for planet Earth? For humanity?
Allow me to frame this question in two ways.
First, suppose that society and homo sapiens developed without religion. How would've that looked like? Is it possible for a being to evolve intelligently and remain non superstitious? Where would we be now?
Second, suppose that the next generation decides that religion isn't for them and atheism becomes the majority "religion". How would the near future look? Where would society go if humanity began discarding religion on mass from this point on?
But a major source of divisiveness and oppression would have been eliminated.The world would be pretty much the same. There’d be good people and there’d be bad people.
... with henotheism as in intermediate step. It even is still visible in the OT that the Israelites were henotheistic or even polytheistic in the beginning.Incidentally, this is consistent with observations by anthropologists and historians that monotheism appears to have evolved from polytheism and animism.
Its obvious, if there were no religious concept of a creator or religion to heckle then the Atheists would be unemployed! They would have to find another hobby, another way to seek attention.Where do you come up with this stuff? Atheists exist in opposition of something they don't believe in? There's an atheist 'identity'?
With so many BS merchants around (flat earthers, homeopathists, crystal healers, etc.), the chance of us becoming unemployed is minuscule.Its obvious, if there were no religious concept of a creator or religion to heckle then the Atheists would be unemployed! They would have to find another hobby, another way to seek attention.
Yes, though I would call it "superstition" or "spirituality". Religion only seems to forms in cultures above the Dunbar's Number threshold.
"Religion" can be a pretty broad subject, not necessarily connected with theology or even worship. A belief or set of beliefs that manifests an ethic in a society might be considered religious. Such beliefs/rules/attitudes would be needed for group solidarity and cohesion even in small, band-based societies.
The borders are diffuse. When does a cult turn into a religion?That's a fair enough point, although I personally don't really know how to differentiate religion from "not religion".
We tend to judge what counts as a religion by its similarity to Christianity.
1) People would have community centers for emotional healing or group therapy would be a lot more popularWhat if there was no religion? What if everyone was an atheist? How would the world look like? Would it be better or worse for planet Earth? For humanity?
Allow me to frame this question in two ways.
First, suppose that society and homo sapiens developed without religion. How would've that looked like? Is it possible for a being to evolve intelligently and remain non superstitious? Where would we be now?
Second, suppose that the next generation decides that religion isn't for them and atheism becomes the majority "religion". How would the near future look? Where would society go if humanity began discarding religion on mass from this point on?
The borders are diffuse. When does a cult turn into a religion?
I'd require more than one of the following:
I think that includes all known religions including the zero god ones. It may not be exact enough to exclude all "cults".
- A theology or philosophy above and beyond some rituals and taboos.
- A known founder.
- Artificial places of worship.
- A priesthood. (More than one shaman.)
- A tradition spanning more than one generation.
- A distributed followership of more than 150 people.
True, but it just would have been replaced with some other source of divisiveness.But a major source of divisiveness and oppression would have been eliminated.
I define it by context.Out of interest, how would you define religion? Do you think religious belief systems can be meaningfully differentiated from "not religious" belief systems?
This seems more like 'organized religion' than religion per se. Read the link in post #60. Religion's hard to define.The borders are diffuse. When does a cult turn into a religion?
I'd require more than one of the following:
I think that includes all known religions including the zero god ones. It may not be exact enough to exclude all "cults".
- A theology or philosophy above and beyond some rituals and taboos.
- A known founder.
- Artificial places of worship.
- A priesthood. (More than one shaman.)
- A tradition spanning more than one generation.
- A distributed followership of more than 150 people.
No. And thanks to your question I now know what criterion must be met by any religion: an attempt at explaining the "spiritual" questions. Where do we come from, where does the universe come from, where are we going (after death)? This attempt to answer these questions separates the philosophical religions (Buddhism, Daoism) from just philosophy. (Though, again, the borders are diffuse. Many western philosophies are only excluded because they existed parallel to more "religious" religions.)Fair enough points again, and there are ultimately no definitive answers regarding the boundaries.
Would you include "secular" ideologies that meet the above definitions as being religions (Marxism for example)?
I read the link (well, skipped over it). For me "organized religion" is a tautology. Some form of organization and crystallisation like scriptures separate a religion from a cult.This seems more like 'organized religion' than religion per se. Read the link in post #60. Religion's hard to define.
First, suppose that society and homo sapiens developed without religion. How would've that looked like? Is it possible for a being to evolve intelligently and remain non superstitious?
Second, suppose that the next generation decides that religion isn't for them and atheism becomes the majority "religion". How would the near future look? Where would society go if humanity began discarding religion on mass from this point on?