Has there ever been a culture (in recorded history, at least) that did not have any form of religion (ancestor worship, belief in a deity or deities, etc)?
I’m an atheist myself, and yet somehow I still think it’s wrong to rape and pillage. Many people seem to believe that a godless society would be complete anarchy. I’m just curious if there are any examples.
I think a distinction should be drawn between athiestic and non-religious. Just as you can believe in (a) god, but have no religion, you can have a religion without a god. Buddism springs to mind.
To answer your question, Sri Lanka is a good example of a culture which is athiestic (but not non-religious.)
As to a culture which is both athiestic and non-religious, maybe the Soviet Union or Maoist China. I’m not sure those would be the best examples however.
Ah, how silly of me, of course. However, I’m not sure the Soviet Union and Maoist China count, because those were government-imposed lack of (showing of) religion, while many of the people still believed in some form of religion.
But yes, I do mean non-religious, not just a-theist.
In world religions class, we watched a video of an old-time Buddhist village. It was quite surprising how the village’s life revolved around Buddhism, much more so than 95% of Americans’ lives revolve around religion. It was all about building karma through prayers, chants, mediation, gifts, good deeds.
I submit that very few of us have the capacity to deal with the fact that there is nothing more to life than our own pathetic existence. Unless you believe in highly advanced aliens, it’s pretty depressing to think that us pathetic lumps of fat and bone sitting in front of the computer all day are as “deep” and “meaningful” as life gets.
/depressed
Religions are useful, because otherwise our lives would be far too simple.
Seriously, when it comes to organizing, ruling, and controlling a society: Babylonian god-kings, the divine emperors of Far Eastern societies, temple taxes, divine right…
Religion is too good a gimmick and works too well. It appears in some for in every society bcause, in engineering terms, it’s the most elegant solution to a variety of issues.
How, exactly, is Sri Lanka an atheistic culture…?
Bit of a hijack, but as you’re making a connection between a culture’s religious beliefs and its social morality, it may be worth pointing out that there were (and, I think, are) cultures where the dominant religious belief system doesn’t offer any kind of moral code, and the dominant moral code is derived independently of religion.
Ancient Greece would be an obvious example; the various stories about the members of the Greek pantheon don’t offer any moral lessons, and Greek ideas about right behaviour were largely derived from philosophy, not religion. Hindu cultures might be another example, since I don’t think Hinduism offers a moral code (though I’m open to correction here).
These examples show, I think, that it is possible to have a developed and functional moral code which does not depend on religious beliefs. There might be <i>other</i> reasons why society cannot survive without religion, but the need to have a moral code is not one of them.
Taoism is a way of life that doesn’t revolve around a deity. Its guidebook, the Tao Te Ching, doesn’t mention any god. It points out the lack of difference between good and evil, but it does instruct the way of life of an enlightened person.
Is the Soviet Union a “culture” or merely a government? Can a real culture begin by political fiat and then end the same way? The same can be asked for Red China.
Confucianism is not deity based, but does give a moral underpinnings to life.
Sri Lanka is majority Buddhist, and Buddhism is an atheistic religion.
I think the first question you need to ask is whether it’s even possible to have a modern society that is completely homogenous, with 100% of the citizenry having the same religious beliefs (or lack of). I think not.
I am a society of one. 
There’s a simple way of getting a homogenized society, though it can be expensive and time-consuming.
The process is as follows:
10 Pick next person on list
20 Study person
30 If person meets approved criteria, goto 10
40 Else Kill person
50 Goto 10
Really rather straightforward methodology.