Unless you are suggesting they regarded their guns as animistic deities, I don't see how this is relevant.
no it's not, they regard their deities as god and enforce them on the conquered tribe. after careful assimilation, they can make the conquered tribe to feel as a part of a larger circle rather than a part of a defeated tribe
Animism isn't a precursor. It's a type of established religion. It just happens to be popular among isolated groups of rustic folk.
you don't get it do you? Animism is the first belief system created by us humans that pre-date other types of religion. in the distant past one all people on the planet believe in Animism. it's not a religion because the belief in the presence of spirits inside nonliving objects is very varied among different body of people. For example, if i was to believe in Animism, i would believe that my Great-great grandmother lives inside this rock. but you wouldn't believe that. because it is the first type of beliefs, it is therefore a precursor to monotheism and polytheism in religion we know today.
No. Atheism is the absence of belief. It is not like religion in any way. Furthermore, a unifying belief does not have to be religious. I would argue that the most important unifying beliefs are secular, such as a belief in equality and justice, communal living, and the value of knowledge.
actually Atheism is belief of the absence of deities and god. so yes, it IS a type of religion, because you BELIEVE in the nonexistence if god, even if you can't prove the actual absence of god. so it's like in Christianity, where you believe in the presence of god, even though you can't prove the actual existence of god. pretty similar right? your second argument is true to some extent, but that secular belief exist only later in history. the first unifying belief is religious, not secular
Historically, a different background generally means a different faith. With the exception of certain polytheisms, this generally results in an irrational conflict.
exactly. but historically we also see "evolution" and transitions in the belief system that people in an area. take India for example, before the massive migration of the Aryan people, they all believe in Animism and Dynamism. but after the subsequent migration and assimilation with the Dravida people ( indigenous people), they invented Hinduism and later Buddhism, even Islam is created in an area where once all people in the region ( arab peninsula) believe in Polytheism, but each area has it's own god
Hermits (as in recluses, not eremites) predate the onset of civilization, which is a gradual transition. Therefore, it is clear that the former is correct.
any about proof this?
False dichotomy: Not doing so out of faith is not equivalent to having no reason to do so. Wanting to be alone is a reason and, in my opinion, a very good one.
i pretty sure i said
usually. yes of course there are those that want to be alone purely, but it is in far lower number than those that have religious purposes. take Buddhist monks for example. a good number of them preferred living solitary as in hermits to acquire greater links to their belief(like by meditating or praying and so forth).
Iceland.
ah iceland, well on the first days of it's history they are inhabited by indigenous people practicing Animism, only later that the Norse vikings came and create the state with of course the pagan religion of the Vikings. so i don't really get what you're implying
I have no idea what you're trying to say here. People are still killing each other due to differences in belief.
well what I'm trying to say, is that most people today are encouraged to be tolerant to other people with different religions, which is pretty recent in history
