Interesting… This tribe as no religious beliefs to speak of… and is a very naturalistic tribe. This is the perfect Communist/Atheist civilization, it would seem.
An article in Psychology Today notes that studying the Baining has proved challenging because their daily life is so mundane. They are small-scale farmers with no institutions outside of the family — no political or spiritual leaders. They have little in the way of traditional stories, mythology, or even gossip. They do not engage in recreational play. Their daily talk is mostly about the gathering and preparation of food. The exception, as the picture above suggests, is that they do have costumed dances, which are elaborately choreographed and which only adult men may participate in and observe. British anthropologist Gregory Bateson spent 14 months attempting to study the Baining in the 1920s before giving up entirely.
So-called “Dullest Culture on Earth” frowns upon sex and bans play.
Simply put… the Baining tribe focuses on work because they see that as the uniqueness of the human existence. We know for a fact other animal species perform work and even one who gives gifts.
Anyway, this study is quite fascinating…leading a paradox.
I find this study interesting on different levels. First, they belief that imitating animals in play, sex, etc… is somehow anti-human, as if humans aren’t animals or connected to animals. All work, no gods.
Do our religious beliefs come from a full embrace of our humanity, including play, fun, and sex?
Joel L. Watts holds a Masters of Arts from United Theological Seminary with a focus in literary and rhetorical criticism of the New Testament. His interests include exploring the role of mimesis in human civilization, specifically in the study of religion and media, as well as science fiction and the way in which it has allowed mythology to be explored in light of scientific discoveries of the past century. He is the author of Mimetic Criticism of the Gospel of Mark: Introduction and Commentary (Wipf and Stock, 2013) and a co-editor and contributor to From Fear to Faith: Stories of Hitting Spiritual Walls (Energion, 2013).
Website: → Unsettled Christianity
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Carry the concept too far (no fun and sex), and you might become extinct… Shakers. Religion didn’t seem to matter in their boring society. Maybe the answer is beer. Jesus did turn water to wine.
Gary, when does the answer not include beer