Non-theistic religions: what are these types of beliefs, and examples

There are many religious movements that have emerged throughout history, some of which still have millions and millions of followers.

However, not all religions share the same characteristics. In this article we are going to focus on the so-called non-theistic religions. We will discover what this type of creed consists of and what are some of the most representative examples that we can find.

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What are non-theistic religions?

When we speak of non-theistic religions, a short and quick definition would be that they are those creeds in which the belief in a god does not appear or is not essential. Therefore, they would be a set of beliefs and norms of conduct, with the difference with respect to theistic religions, that they would not worship a god.

It may be strange and even paradoxical or contradictory to use the expression of non-theistic religions, but in reality this perception arises from the relationship that our society has traditionally had with certain religions, such as the Catholic Christian, and at a greater distance, Judaism and Islam. All of them are theistic, specifically, monotheistic, which means that they believe in only one God.

In contrast to them, non-theistic religions would be presented. We can see some examples we will see later in detail in the next point of this article.

Some definitions of religion introduce the element of belief in a divinity as one of the requirements, so that for those descriptions non-theists could not be considered as religions. But other definitions, on the contrary, consider the possibility of having a certain creed and carrying out religious practices without it being essential to believe in a god.

On the other hand, some authors prefer to distinguish between the concept of religion and that of spirituality, as do the American professors Peter Mandaville and Paul James. According to its definition, non-theistic religions would have a place within the idea of ​​religion, since they do not establish the requirement of belief in a god or gods to be included in this category.

Examples of non-theistic religions

Now that we have a general idea of ​​what non-theistic religions entail, we can draw on a series of examples that will strengthen this understanding. Some of them refer to religions known to much of our society, while others may be more surprising.

1. Buddhism

Buddhism is probably the greatest exponent when it comes to non-theistic religions. With more than 500 million followers, practically 7% of the world population, this religion is the fourth most majority, behind the three great monotheists that we have already mentioned before (Christianity, Islam and Judaism).

Like all religion, Buddhism supposes a set of beliefs, such as the Four Noble Truths that, in a very In short, they teach how to free oneself from suffering by letting go of desire and attaining nirvana. To achieve this goal, an eight-step path is proposed.

Likewise, concepts such as Samsara, which speaks of cyclical existence, or karma, which refers to the intentionality of actions and how it accumulates, are taught. In addition to those and other beliefs, Yes, there is talk of the existence of divine entities known as devas, but they are alien to us, so they would not be essential for the creed. That is why this is one of the non-theistic religions.

On the other hand, Buddha did not establish the idea that there was an omnipotent god who created all existence, as it determines that this question is not relevant to its teachings. Therefore, although the existence of these devas is mentioned, it would not be a conception of a god as presented by monotheistic religions, for example.

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2. Non-theistic or Quaker friends

Another of the non-theistic religions is that of the so-called Quakers or non-theistic friends, who arose as a result of the Religious Society of Friends, a split of Protestant Christians, differing from the main group in not having the need for belief in a higher being, that is, of God, to believe and practice in the values ​​that had been instilled in them.

Although the grouping of Quakers emerged in the mid-17th century, in England, the group of non-theists began to have relevance during the the 30s of the 20th century, when the so-called Humanist Society of Friends was formed, which later became part of the Humanist Association American.

They were not formally conceived as one of the non-theistic religions until, in 1952, they published a publication in which the non-theism of their creed was explicitly mentioned.

3. Atheist Hinduism

It may be surprising that Hinduism is included in non-theistic religions, for traditionally it has been identified as a polytheistic creed, that is, it has many gods in those to believe. However, the reality is that Hinduism is a very broad concept, which encompasses very different ways of understanding this religion.

Therefore, among the more than 1100 million people who share this ancient creed, which is almost 5000 years old, there is a group that practices polytheism, another who would define himself as a monotheist, another who believes in monism, and finally there would be atheists, who would be the ones who would turn that part of Hinduism into one of the non-religious religions. theists.

Even within that grouping, there are a whole series of slopes. One of the most important would be the Charvaka, hedonistic and materialistic.. To a certain extent, his creed reflects the values ​​of the Epicurean philosophical movement.

4. Liberal christianity

If it was surprising to include Hinduism within non-theistic religions, much more is to do the same with Christianity. And there is a branch of this religion, liberal Christianity, which embraces Christian teachings and values, but under a contemporary prism and without the need to believe in God as this religion has done in a traditional way.

This aspect of Christianity appeared as a contrast to the strong atheistic rationalist movement, but also to the strictest dogmas of the Holy Scriptures and the dictates of the Church.

Another characteristic of liberal Christianity is the no need to believe in the miracles of Jesus. On the contrary, he focuses only on the teachings that he transmitted through his words, which for the followers of this non-theistic religion, is what is really important.

Similarly, it must be borne in mind that liberal Christians are not the only example of religions without belief in a god that have arisen within the Christianity, since the non-theistic Quakers, which we have already seen previously, also represent a split within the bulk of this religion majority.

5. Jainism

Continuing with the list of non-theistic religions, we find Jainism. The Jains consider that there are natural laws of a universal nature, which would in a certain way imply an approximation to the laws of physics. But consider that all the elements that exist in the universe have always existed.

Therefore, they do not believe that there is a higher being, a god, who has created everything. It simply has always existed. On the contrary, they believe that the jiva exists, which would be the vital energy and the souls, and the ajiva, referred to inert matter. Souls, like everything else, have not been generated by a god, but have existed and will always exist, for all eternity.

Like Buddhism, in Jainism there are devas, celestial beings that would be in a plane different from human beings, but not for that reason they are an omnipotent and creative deity in which believe. That is why Jainism is another of the non-theistic religions.

6. Philosophical currents

Although they are not a religion in the strict sense of the definition, there are philosophical currents that are they are so close to what we could include within non-theistic religions, that they deserve a mention Besides. We have, for example, Chinese Taoism, whose principles serve to bring its followers into harmony with what they call Tao, which would be the way.

Ruism or Confucianism is another example of Chinese philosophy that approaches the religious way of life. There is also Epicureanism, established by the Greek philosopher, Epicurus, 300 years before Christ. Pandeism or deism would represent other examples added to what could be practically considered non-theistic religions.

Bibliographic references:

• Draper, P., Schellenberg, J.L. (2017). Renewing philosophy of religion: exploratory essays. Oxford University Press.
• Granqvist, P., Mikulincer, M., Shaver, P.R. (2010). Religion as attachment: Normative processes and individual differences. Personality and Social Psychology Review.
• Herbrechtsmeier, W. (1993). Buddhism and the definition of religion: One more time. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. JSTOR.
• Taliaferro, C., Griffiths, P.J. (1964). Philosophy of religion: an anthology. Wiley-Blackwell.