The Pirahã of the Brazilian Amazon. No religion, no use for outside cultures or tools, minimal art, a language that seems to defy otherwise universal linguistic conventions.
The Pirahã are the “Show me!” tribe of the Brazilian Amazon. They don’t bother with fiction or tall tales or even oral history. They have little art. They don’t have a creation myth and don’t want one. If they can’t see it, hear it, touch it or taste it, they don’t believe in it.
Missionaries have been preaching to the Pirahãs for 200 years and have converted not one. Everett did not know this when he first visited them in 1977 at age 26. A missionary and a linguist, he was sent to learn their language, translate the Bible for them, and ultimately bring them to Christ.
Instead, they brought him to atheism. “The Pirahãs have shown me that there is dignity and deep satisfaction in facing life and death without the comfort of heaven or the fear of hell and in sailing toward the great abyss with a smile.”
2 Responses to “Here’s an odd group of people…”
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Awesome! 200 years and we still haven’t screwed them up. On the contrary, they have unscrewed at least one of us “civilized” folk.
I’m an atheist, but I don’t get it. We’re on a conveyor belt heading towards giant spinning blades, and we’re supposed to smile? Understanding that fact should be enough to make anyone insane. The cruel joke of us having consciousness and then knowing that it will be snuffed out one day should break all hearts and minds.
Either you’re religious, or you’re stupid or you’ve been driven insane by the reality of our meaningless existence.