Which was first: Atheism or Religion?

[Knowledge of God]

If atheism was first, then religion was created by atheists.

[Esquilax]

Yep, that's about right: an atheist was wrong about something, decided that truth didn't matter so much, and thus we got religion.

What point did you think you were making, here?

[paulpablo]

If atheism was first, then religion was created by atheists.

I think religion came very very soon after human brains developed the capacity for imagination and superstition.

[Rampant.A.I.]

Pantheism is the oldest recorded belief. We don't know what beliefs predate those, and judging by most tribal societies, and even the most learned and technologically advanced societies in early history had an overwhelming tendency to just make shit up when they wanted a reason for something.

More likely, early minds were so anthropomorphic that they saw everything as being just like them in some spiritual way.

An ape or a dolphin can recognize man as a creature with intellect, and vice-versa. It takes a bit of straining to believe the same of a rock or tree. Yet people did.

We're not talking about a rational thought process, here.

[Whateverist]

I suspect animistic belief in totems, spirits, deities and so on would actually have preceded our development of symbolic language or the capacity for reason. Of course I don't claim to have any special expertise. Hard to know how anyone would research such a question. But if I'm right, then the first atheist was probably someone who managed to question the pervasive belief in such magical things.

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If atheism was first, then religion was created by atheists.

I think religion came very very soon after human brains developed the capacity for imagination and superstition.

And before they had the language to express their rejection of spiritualism.

[Foxaèr]

If there was no religion masquerading as truth, there would be no need for atheism.

Having a society know the difference between fantasy and reality is quite different from atheism, for a secular society is not necessarily atheistic. A secular society can have perfect knowledge that myth is just that, mythological.

Atheism, however, derives its knowledge from the religious, theistic idea that unreasonable religious concepts must prevail over reality. Atheism was conceived due to religion and its apparent discourse in societal progress. Without religion, neither religion nor atheism would be concepts in our minds. Rather, without religion, we would merely be a secular, better society where myths are understood as mere fiction concocted by the imagination.

[Rampant.A.I.]

The Amazonian Pirahnã tribe defined as "atheists" and referred to by many secular people as a primitive society without religion are an example of how incoherent supernatural beliefs become when aired to an audience who has never held them:

I couldn’t wait to hear what the Pirahã creation myth was, so I asked them: “What was the world like long ago, before there were Pirahã? Who made the trees and who made the water?” The guy just looked at me and said, “What?” I repeated, “Who made the trees and who made the water?” He answered, “Nobody made the trees and nobody made the water; they’re just trees and they’re water.”

I said, “But you know, a long time ago, when there weren’t any trees.” He said, “You saw a time when there were no trees?” I said, “No, no, but didn’t your fathers . . .” He said, “No. “We don’t talk about that. No, the trees were always here and the water was always here, unless you know that they weren’t.”

http://ffrf.org/publications/freethought...ithout-god

They don't have a creation myth, and they don't have gods. They dismiss the very idea of such things not because they're "ridiculous," but because they're incoherent with observable reality.

[ignoramus]

Sounds like the man asking couldn't see the forest for the trees!

[fr0d0]

Religion was the result of the developing brain to reason. Atheism is the cave man in us refusing to think.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

If atheism was first, then religion was created by atheists.

You're welcome. You should be receiving your bill for this shortly. Please remit promptly.

Boru

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Religion was the result of the developing brain to reason. Atheism is the cave man in us refusing to think.

That's rather an odd stance to take, as the 'cave man', seems to have been a somewhat religiously minded individual.

I agree with your first clause, however, in that once we attained the ability to reason, we invented religion. Mind you, the ability to reason isn't the same thing as reasoning correctly.

Boru