3 ms·
Irrespective of the reality of an afterlife, the very fact that the vast majority of cultures seemingly independently developed theories about it suggests that
by wyattpeak 5y ago
Irrespective of the reality of an afterlife, the very fact that the vast majority of cultures seemingly independently developed theories about it suggests that people do, in fact, come to the conclusion that there is an afterlife without starting with the belief.
People like to talk about religion as though it's all indoctrination, but the argument really doesn't hold up. Religions that focus on proselytism seem to spread faster, which is unremarkable, but religion definitely seems to form spontaneously.
- ux-app 5y ago>but religion definitely seems to form spontaneously. A lot of things form spontaneously, art, technology, language have all developed spontaneously and independently many times in the past 100,000 years. Religion isn't special in this regard.
- wyattpeak 5y agoSure, I didn't suggest it was. I was only arguing against this: > If you didn't start with that belief, what observation could you make to come to the conclusion that there is an afterlife? Clearly, lots of observations lead people to the conclusion that there is an afterlife, independent of starting with that belief.
- burnished 5y agoConsider a religion as a set of beliefs about the world. That it shows up spontaneously has more to do with the creatures it occurs in than external forces.