RE: Active/Passive Atheist?
August 12, 2016 at 6:09 pm
(This post was last modified: August 12, 2016 at 6:12 pm by Whateverist.)
Shit. How should I know in any scholarly way. Lets roll the wiki dice and see what they say.
First up, the ancient-claim. Okay, so far as the history of religion involves writing, this indicates the two are equally ancient.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_religions
But then what about the practices which fed into written forms of religion?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shamanism
Then I found this timeline:
(Timeline continues.)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_religion
I don't find much to support my everywhere-claim. Presumably humans in the new world would already have such belief systems before they ever migrated here.
Admittedly, none of this is rock solid but these weak citations do at least address my claims. I'd be awfully surprised if a rock solid case could be made for either my claims or their negation given the insubstantial nature of the practices involved. But mostly I claim these things because they jive with my own hunches about the development and recorded history of our species. Archeology isn't one of my skill sets. I lean more toward psychological introspection and seat-of-the-pants philosophizing myself.
First up, the ancient-claim. Okay, so far as the history of religion involves writing, this indicates the two are equally ancient.
wiki Wrote:The history of religion refers to the written record of human religious experiences and ideas. This period of religious history begins with the invention of writing about 5,200 years ago (3200 BCE). The prehistory of religion relates to a study of religious beliefs that existed prior to the advent of written records. The timeline of religion is a comparative chronology of religion.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_religions
But then what about the practices which fed into written forms of religion?
wiki Wrote:Mircea Eliade writes, "A first definition of this complex phenomenon, and perhaps the least hazardous, will be: shamanism = 'technique of religious ecstasy'."[5] Shamanism encompasses the premise that shamans are intermediaries or messengers between the human world and the spirit worlds.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shamanism
Then I found this timeline:
wiki Wrote:100th to 34th century BC[edit]
9831 BCE
The Neolithic Revolution begins and results in a worldwide population explosion. The first cities, states, kingdoms, and organized religions begin to emerge. The early states were usually theocracies, in which the political power is justified by religious prestige. Beginning of First Sangam, Hinduism 'Shivan' period in South India.[citation needed]
(Timeline continues.)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_religion
I don't find much to support my everywhere-claim. Presumably humans in the new world would already have such belief systems before they ever migrated here.
Admittedly, none of this is rock solid but these weak citations do at least address my claims. I'd be awfully surprised if a rock solid case could be made for either my claims or their negation given the insubstantial nature of the practices involved. But mostly I claim these things because they jive with my own hunches about the development and recorded history of our species. Archeology isn't one of my skill sets. I lean more toward psychological introspection and seat-of-the-pants philosophizing myself.