Hello soulcalm17

[soulcalm17]

^You’re also not allowed to post links (or any other outside content) until you’ve made at least 30 posts and have been a member for 30 days.

You’ll find a link to our rules in the upper left of your screen.

Boru

Okay, thanks

[arewethereyet]

https://atheistforums.org/rules.php

[Silver]

https://atheistforums.org/rules.php

Never read them. I always count on learning about them when I break them. It's more fun that way.

[Paleophyte]

Curious: If you think 'god is a meaningless word', why would you assign a meaning to the word 'god'?

Boru

It is a meaningless word when different people believe that the god(s) is a different thing.

Some people define it as the jewish god.
Some people say that the jewish god is sitting in a chair (Isaiah 6:1)
He has breath and lips. (Isaiah 11:4)
Some people say no. He has no body. The jewish god(s) is a spirit.

Some people say that the god(s) is a light.
Some say the god(s) is a spirit.
Some say that the god(s) is the sum total of the universe.
Some say that the god(s) are just humans from the distance future who went back to the past and initiated the start of the Big Bang.
Some say that we, all humans together, is the god character.
Some say that the god(s) is love.

So, the word means different things to different people.

On the other hand, look at the definition of the word potato. All humans can agree on what that is. There is no confusion. It is well documented. It is observable. You might even find it in some biology textbook.

Potato god

[soulcalm17]

Evidence of something that was once performed a long time ago is not the equivalent of evidence that the deific concept behind the ritual ever existed  outside the mind. If future generations discover archaelogical evidence of a spider-man comic, does that man spider-man was real?

Not always actually. For phyton worshiping I also not believe of course. Actually previously when I talked to ferrocyanide on youtube, I postulate that first human must worshipping only one God that unseen/monotheist. As time continue, they deviated from monotheism to polytheism/ animism worshipping.
That's why it also difficult to find discoveries, as The God is unseen and not permitted to draw. 
The point is, humans always had religious sense for their very first time. I guess that in Botswana was also deviated from the monotheism to kind of animism worshipping.

[Belacqua]

Not always actually. For phyton worshiping I also not believe of course. 

Yeah, I don't think anyone here wants to argue that the existence of an ancient ritual proves the existence of the thing they're worshipping. It is strong evidence that religion or religion-like activities are really old, though. 

We can acknowledge that religion is ancient without using that as proof of deities. 

Actually previously when I talked to ferrocyanide on youtube, I postulate that first human must worshipping only one God that unseen/monotheist. As time continue, they deviated from monotheism to polytheism/ animism worshipping.
That's why it also difficult to find discoveries, as The God is unseen and not permitted to draw. 
The point is, humans always had religious sense for their very first time. I guess that in Botswana was also deviated from the monotheism to kind of animism worshipping.

From the examples I've read about, the movement seems more likely to go from polytheism to monotheism. Not that I've studied every possible case, so you might have counterexamples. 

In Greece and around the Aegean it seems pretty clear that there were lots of gods, and that gradually Zeus/Jupiter came to be thought of as dominant -- almost monotheistic in a Christian way. Of course they were comfortable with symbolic or allegorical representations, so there were always variations, but the later Roman religion is pretty monotheistic. 

According to Islam: A Short History by Karen Armstrong, the people of the Arabian peninsula were polytheistic, with Allah being chief among many, until Muhammad declared the other gods to be false. Maybe there is evidence otherwise...?

I know that in Japan Shinto has always been polytheistic, although there were modernization movements in the Meiji Period to posit a chief god over all of the others. This seems to have been a clear reaction to Western influence, and as far as I know has not caught on. Local people still pray to their local shrine god, or the specialty god concerning what they want -- a good rice harvest for example. 

I'd be interested to hear of cases where it goes the other way -- monotheism to polytheism.

[soulcalm17]

Not always actually. For phyton worshiping I also not believe of course. 

Yeah, I don't think anyone here wants to argue that the existence of an ancient ritual proves the existence of the thing they're worshipping. It is strong evidence that religion or religion-like activities are really old, though. 

We can acknowledge that religion is ancient without using that as proof of deities. 

Actually previously when I talked to ferrocyanide on youtube, I postulate that first human must worshipping only one God that unseen/monotheist. As time continue, they deviated from monotheism to polytheism/ animism worshipping.
That's why it also difficult to find discoveries, as The God is unseen and not permitted to draw. 
The point is, humans always had religious sense for their very first time. I guess that in Botswana was also deviated from the monotheism to kind of animism worshipping.

From the examples I've read about, the movement seems more likely to go from polytheism to monotheism. Not that I've studied every possible case, so you might have counterexamples. 

In Greece and around the Aegean it seems pretty clear that there were lots of gods, and that gradually Zeus/Jupiter came to be thought of as dominant -- almost monotheistic in a Christian way. Of course they were comfortable with symbolic or allegorical representations, so there were always variations, but the later Roman religion is pretty monotheistic. 

According to Islam: A Short History by Karen Armstrong, the people of the Arabian peninsula were polytheistic, with Allah being chief among many, until Muhammad declared the other gods to be false. Maybe there is evidence otherwise...?

I know that in Japan Shinto has always been polytheistic, although there were modernization movements in the Meiji Period to posit a chief god over all of the others. This seems to have been a clear reaction to Western influence, and as far as I know has not caught on. Local people still pray to their local shrine god, or the specialty god concerning what they want -- a good rice harvest for example. 

I'd be interested to hear of cases where it goes the other way -- monotheism to polytheism.

Sure, Belacqua. I present you some cases.

In Hindu scripture, actually God is depicting as uniquely one and unseen entity. Not many people know about it I guess. But it was mentioned in Upanishad. Hinduism start from about 3000 BCE (some says 8000 BCE and even timeless according to Hindus people) and as time continue, it goes to polytheistic style and had millions of God. Here is the verses:

Administrator Notice
At least some of the copy/paste/spam deleted.  Stop it! 

About Arabian Peninsula that are pagans, actually that was a proof that their paganism deviated from monotheism. According to history, Arabs were descendant of Ishmael, the son of Abraham who was also practice monotheism. And as time goes by, they deviate to paganism.

[Thumpalumpacus]

The word potato also has more than one meaning, which confuses non native speakers.

I like yams.

Actually, I fucking hate 'em. They're too sweet to be even "sweet potatoes". But good lord, as a kid I'd peel a Russet and eat it raw.

[arewethereyet]

Administrator Notice
Closing this thread till staff can make a decision on how much copy/paste and spam is allowed.

[arewethereyet]

Administrator Notice
Thread reopened but not for more copy/paste/spam.  Points given if someone will tell me what the hell a phyton is?