Animism (soul, hell, churches, spirits)

[saturdayskids]

I told my mom for the second time today that I stopped believing in the Catholic church years ago, and she flipped out on me. She asked me what I do believe in and I remembered some books I read over this past summer, they were:
Ishmael
The Story of B
The Holy
-all by Daniel Quinn
and a few other philosophical books, I forget what the main one was, it was just a long long interview with a famous philosophical writer taken during the 80s I believe?

So I told her that I think my beliefs lie closest with Animism beliefs. Because I dig what all these books were saying and I think it's pretty thought provoking - and Animism is one of the things I found thats closest to the beliefs held in these books. So I have a few questions:

Has anyone read any of these books? Do you think that Animism is what most closely resembles the teachings in them, or do you think that another religion does?
Is Animism even around anymore? Is it popular at all? Does it have bad connotations held with it's name?
Could you recommend me more books like these, not authored by Quinn?


My mom immediately struck back "So what?! You think everything has a soul now?! I don't think this T.V. has a soul!"

I don't think she gets it, but maybe I'm the one who doesn't.

[Dusty Rhodes]

Originally Posted by saturdayskids

I told my mom for the second time today that I stopped believing in the Catholic church years ago, and she flipped out on me. She asked me what I do believe in and I remembered some books I read over this past summer, they were:
Ishmael
The Story of B
The Holy
-all by Daniel Quinn
and a few other philosophical books, I forget what the main one was, it was just a long long interview with a famous philosophical writer taken during the 80s I believe?

So I told her that I think my beliefs lie closest with Animism beliefs. Because I dig what all these books were saying and I think it's pretty thought provoking - and Animism is one of the things I found thats closest to the beliefs held in these books. So I have a few questions:

Has anyone read any of these books? Do you think that Animism is what most closely resembles the teachings in them, or do you think that another religion does?
Is Animism even around anymore? Is it popular at all? Does it have bad connotations held with it's name?
Could you recommend me more books like these, not authored by Quinn?


My mom immediately struck back "So what?! You think everything has a soul now?! I don't think this T.V. has a soul!"

I don't think she gets it, but maybe I'm the one who doesn't.

Well, I spent a year in W. Central Africa. along the Atlantic coast, (never did get quite use to heading west to the Atlantic, just felt odd ....somehow.) In the rainforests of Nigeria the populace was 60 % christian and 100% animist. Am not sure what your books say about the subject, but....everything has a spirit, some of the spirits are evil, when two cars crash, it is never an accident, perhaps one of the drivers is controled by a demon, perhaps it is one of the vehicles, soooooooo, just to be sure, they burn both of the cars and both of the drivers to insure that the evil spirit is destroyed. They do not even attempt to save a drowning person. MamaWaters (one of the big four, earth, sun, water, moon) sometimes gets lonely, so----- she grabs the foot of someone in the water and pulls them down to her home, there, the two of them talk for about 3 days, after the conversation MamaWaters lets them go, they go back to the surface where family and friends wait for them so the funeral can begin. Actually, the version fits the known descriptive of drowning in most respects. When someone drowns, they breathe in water, displacing the air in the lungs, without the buoyancy, they sink, after three days (more or less) the body begins to decompose, the trapped Oxygen under the skin bloats the body and makes it rise to the surface. Now, let's see.... I took and passed Jr. Lifesaving, Sr. Lifesaving, Water Safety Instructor, Marine Corps Drownproofing, and BUD school - MamaWaters did not show up as an influence in any of these courses, but,...to the animists, I was woefully undereducated concering things aquatic. I suspect a lot of this has to do with perspective. Most of the populace could, at some level, read and write, nothing expansive, just the basics, and could perform only the most rudimentary arithmetic. Animism is a convenient method for the explanation of the unknown to a largely illiterate populace. It is not that everything has a soul, it is more that there are spirits that control everything. There are no accidents.

[saturdayskids]

Then I'm putting the wrong name to my beliefs. After a quick wikipedia read it sounded like Animism was just the belief that everything had a soul, not so much like "mamawaters" and everything, that sounds like something entirely different.

Are you sure it's just a convenient method of explaining the unexplained? Is that just in Africa or do you think that's everywhere?

[Dusty Rhodes]

Originally Posted by saturdayskids

Then I'm putting the wrong name to my beliefs. After a quick wikipedia read it sounded like Animism was just the belief that everything had a soul, not so much like "mamawaters" and everything, that sounds like something entirely different.

Are you sure it's just a convenient method of explaining the unexplained? Is that just in Africa or do you think that's everywhere?

Well, animism gets its' name from the belief that everything has an animate (the danged thing can move around) spirit that can, and often does, interfere with the actions and designs of humans. Rocks and Trees have volition and will actively work against humans, some will actively work with humans also, but, when one falls and takes out your truck, it was an act of will. Can't really speak of animism in other areas, W. Africa was where I had to live with it 24/7, snakes plot against humans, as do various other animals, there are no accidents, and the insects that transmit disease, do so with malace aforethought.

[Huckleberry3911948]

most of what you seeing going on in the protest of separation of church and state is about this issue. what they really wana do is not separation, they want to replace my religion with yours (animism) aka earth religion.

[Randomstudent]

Originally Posted by Huckleberry3911948

most of what you seeing going on in the protest of separation of church and state is about this issue. what they really wana do is not separation, they want to replace my religion with yours (animism) aka earth religion.

I disagree. Unlike Christianity, most earth based and Pagan religions do not actively seek to convert members, and most forms of Paganism do not have disincentives for non-members i.e. hell, thus the reason there are so few of us. Though every religion has its zealots, most of us just want to practice our religion and celebrate our holidays in peace. For the most part we do not care about what the government does in a religious sense like many Christians do.

[Dusty Rhodes]

Originally Posted by Randomstudent

I disagree. Unlike Christianity, most earth based and Pagan religions do not actively seek to convert members, and most forms of Paganism do not have disincentives for non-members i.e. hell, thus the reason there are so few of us. Though every religion has its zealots, most of us just want to practice our religion and celebrate our holidays in peace. For the most part we do not care about what the government does in a religious sense like many Christians do.

Well, I'll give ya an "A" for effort (never mind that it starts with an E). The christers suspect, because they do so much of the same thing, to them it would be horrible if someone did the same thing to them, namely, go out and preach to their lambs and convince them to be lambs of another church and give them the 10%. Churches are afraid that someone will use the same tactics they used to get converts against them. Not a bad idea, just point out where the christers have it wrong, (actually that would be the easy part) I would suggest by teaching that the world took more than six days to create, and, in fact, it is still in the formulative stages (volcanos, earthquakes, et al) And......"sometime after the earth is fully evolved, man will reach his full potential, yes Brothers and Sisters, believe ye in the future God!!! He/She needs your help, for he/she is a kinder gentler God who only asks for 7% of your money, a thirty percent reduction from your tithe. A better Heaven because it has golf courses, tennis courts, Basketball, Swimming and the best star gazing in the Universe!.......Or something along those lines. It is all pie in the sky stuff, just offer them a bigger piece of the pie, and tell them they can have any type of pie they want!! A customized heaven for each customer, free from government intervention.

[saturdayskids]

So uh.. any information about Animism?