Does anyone know if there are any societies/cultures without any form of religion?

Question

Either present day or historically.

Thanks!

Answer 1

Communist countries frown on organized religion and suggest that party members all follow a code book that is not conducive to religious beliefs or practices.  

Out of the frying pan and into the fire as I like to see it...

Answer 2

the first civilization we heard about, was 6000 thousand years ago, before that there was no civilization, since then and all societies in the world had some form of religion with temples and rituals.

religion has something to do with the evolving of human race, religion came with civilization.

Answer 3

Very unlikey. Everyone believes in something or what is the point in going on!

Answer 4

Satan's working hard, give the United States about 30 more years, we've already reduced religion to a superstition, unless some muslims blow up a couple towers.

Answer 5

Yes, I'm familiar with many, if you accept "without any form" to be comparable to "formless". It's called syncretism. What us moderns conceive of as religion is just a nebulous amalgam. Societies that develop more distinct and exclusive ideas put themselves at risk. Thus, a brief study of Israel's history will provide good counterpoint.

My position on this topic is this. The more identifiable a society is, the more likely it is to be examined from the outside rather than from within. Form precludes cognition in this instance. Utility is a determining component of form. However, will is primal, and independent from cognition, utility, and form. Extreme intelligence and fortitude is requisite in those who attempt to extract form from what is ostensibly formless. Proceed slowly and with caution. Protect the innocent.

Answer 6

The so called Tasaday of the Phillipines, a group of supposed stone aged peoples,  were believed to be the only one except that they were found to be a hoax.

Answer 7

Universal, except for atheistic groups, cults and communes. Scientology only made itself into a religion to prevent persecution by governments, and even then, some persisted.

Answer 8

Such a thing does not exist! The religious sentiment is innate for all human beings! Even in so called "atheist" communist states, the belief in a supreme spiritual being was replaced by the cult of the personality (worshiping a person instead of God). That's enough proof that people instinctively feel the need to believe in something greater than themselves because... well... if there were nothing greater that us, it would suck, cause we're kinda pathetic!

Answer 9

My sociology book says that most cultures, either past or present, have some form of religion.  I am unsure as to whether or not a culture does or did exist that did not have some form of religion but I would assume that one has not or doesn't exist.  Religion, in some form, is usually predominate throughout the globe.

Answer 10

To the best of my knowledge, as you framed the question, no. Given the amount of fuss that would be raised over the discovery, it seems unlikely to me that we have any record of such.

This should not be interpreted as indicating religion is innate, I believe. More that religion fulfills some important emotional needs of the majority of the populace. As an atheist, I feel I have done fine without, but I can understand how people would reject the notion of a life w.out a special purpose and no afterlife.

Answer 11

i think you'll find that most northern european countries are slowly becoming apatheist.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apatheist

and people keep siting atheism as communist when in fact karl marx thought that both religion and atheism were a waste of time and resources.

Answer 12

Religion is a human universal.  People have sought answers to questions that they cannot find (How did we get here? why do bad things happen? what happens when we die?).  This can be belief in a god, many gods, spirits, or forces.  While religion is a human universal, this does not mean that all humans have religious beliefs.  There are individuals in every culture that do not believe in the religion, but every culture has its own religious beliefs.

Answer 13

No. Because communism and atheism, are just a set of beliefs, just as religions are. True Christianity however is more then a belief, its knowing God.

Answer 14

Yes, Christians are not religious; therefore, they are a society of non-religious people.  Christians have a personal relationship with God and do not require being religious.  Religion is man trying to work or earn their way to Heaven but Christianity is man's way of saying that God (through Jesus) is the only way of getting to Heaven.  If man could work their way to Heaven, what was the purpose of the Lord's death?  Thank God, I am not religious.

Answer 15

All societies and cultures develop spirituality.  Religion is the organized spirituality.  Neandertals had spirituality because they burried their dead.  Different cultures develop different beliefs and religions.  One defining factor of a civilization, hence culture, is the presense of religion/spirituality.

Answer 16

The definition of religion can be very broad and can embody ANY belief in a power higher than 'man'....therefore even those cultures who do not believe in organized 'western' religion, e.g, a God in 'heaven' may believe in nature....the wind, trees, sun, stars, planets...or may believe in certain animals, or may believe in 'pagan-type' gods.

Those are NUMEROUS

Now if you mean are there or have there been any organized societies or cultures who believe in NOTHING....'above' the power of man....???????????

Answer 17

umm atheists right

Answer 18

Does the ACLU count?

Answer 19

athiests init

Answer 20

yeah commies don't want it

Answer 21

First off just wanted to point out what a good job the people above me did at keeping an objective point of view, stating "No because Christ is the savior and people know about him" is such a great scientific thought...

Well anyways, you appear to be referring to the classic idea of culture ie tribes in which case, no. To paraphrase, Freud stated that belief in a higher power is encased within the mind of nearly all humans, this yearning is caused by not only a desire for answers, but the need of a father to stay by ones side and protect, therefore the human mind creates an illusion of a god to play the role of one's father.

Thus one of the major adaptations to the new brain that followed human's upright posture is the religion factor. Lack of religion (as opposite as this sounds) is actually the result of greater thinking and evolution, ie era of logic/scientific revolution. Lack of religion cannot be found in tribal civilizations.