Forum:Is it right to condemn ancient cultures for believing in religion even though they did not have the same scientific advances/advantages that we do now?

The title speaks for itself. Many people today poke fun at ancient cultures for their religious beliefs and superstitions which are irrelevant today. However,they did not have our advantages of thousands of years of scientific advancement and learning to build the conclusions of the past 150 years of science. They had no theory of evolution, no big bang theory etc. Virtually all indigenous cultures develop some form of spiritual beliefs i.e. shamanism, suggesting an intrinsic human capacity for religious belief. Religion as a genuine belief system is getting less and less relevant every year, but my question is whether it is right to judge the morality/intelligence of ancient peoples for religious beliefs when they simply didn't know any better. Specifically, whether it is right to judge by our modern standards. What do you guys think? I'd like to know.
 * We don't encounter the originators of these ideas. We encounter their current proponents. While I don't know for certain, experience tells me that unsophisticated people pass on unsophisticated ideas. Religion is due no special treatment simply because the misapprehension is old. Should we ignore that it's based on falsehoods? But that's not what you're asking. We don't need to judge the morality or intelligence of ancient people and I find that it's simply not the case that people urge we ought to. I think you're attempting to lure people into conflating criticism of contemporary adherents with criticism of the originators of what we now know to be falsehoods. 03:50, 9 May 2014 (UTC)


 * Well that's the historian's fallacy. Analyze the history of scientific advancement and it's obvious that whatever their conclusions, ancient cultures were actively trying to understand the world around them using the tools they had.  That has to stand for something.  At the same time, that shouldn't be used as a rationalization for ignoring where they went wrong — audiences watching Monty Python's Spanish Inquisition sketch didn't find it an attack on their faith, for example. Osaka Sun (talk) 05:02, 9 May 2014 (UTC)

I'm sorry if I came across as trying to conflate criticism of modern adherents with ancient peoples. It was not my intention. I wasn't referring to members of the site, I was referring to much more amateur commentators online (and a few simple minded people I know). And I'm very sorry if I implied we should ignore where we went wrong; I'm a firm believer of learning from historical mistakes, I think this question just came from my frustration at people I know in my personal life who simplify history. As lover of all forms of history (political, religious, artistic, anthropological etc.) there are two things I hate more than anything; demonizing history and glorifying history. I feel Hollywood films are especially guilty of this; while films can be a great artistic way of portraying historical beliefs that comment on today's society, bad writers (which are all to common in Hollywood) often appear to judge history in a very obvious, two dimensional way. Too often characters in historical films come across as two dimensional caricatures rather than genuine, complex human beings. I've strayed a little off topic; I just wanted to hear what the intelligent people on this site had to say.


 * Past religions shouldn't be criticized for not being correct, just as past science shouldn't be. A religion is a legitimate attempt to explain the workings of the universe, and should be treated as such, even if it is totally incorrect. Past people and societies simply didn't have the knowledge to be correct. In fact, they should be lauded for producing so much worthwhile stuff out of such a terrible body of nonsense and ignorance.(Agrajag (talk) 17:09, 2 August 2014 (UTC))

From the simple-minded:

1) Past religions and past science should be criticized. Understanding the faults, the faulty reasoning, the mistakes, makes us better!

2) In past times, if you didn't believe like those around you, you risked grievous harm by challenging the dominant view. Today's challenge is to encourage inquiry and protect free thinkers from persecution.

3) Satire and comedy, regardless of the quality, often move people to realize some of their beliefs and those of others are silly (and in need of questioning).