Atheism in the middle and dark ages

[Shrykull]

First off, what exactly are the dark ages, aren't they the (as far as I know) the 800 years starting at 476 at the fall of Rome, to the middle ages), or perhaps they are considered the early middle ages. I know they burned usually people who weren't christian, I think pagans were the usual victims, like Wiccans, and druidism, which had been dominant before this, but what about atheists,
I don't hear too often about them getting burned, though I'm sure it happened, what was the attitude toward them in the middle ages(or also deists) , what would publically declaring yourself as one get you, a quick trip to the stake? I think I might try to look up info on this, maybe about a paritcular atheist, who was burned, etc.

[UltraViolence83]

I'm not too sure there were any outspoken atheists during the Dark Ages (between the Fall of Rome and the Middle Ages). they surely must have been too afraid to speak out. That's why it was called the Dark Ages.

[Joe]

Well, Deism as we know it didn't exactly exist until the Enlightenment. I doubt there was any significant number of atheists during the Dark Ages. It's a belief (and I use that term hesitantly) that developed much later on.

I don't know if there are any records of what exactly happened to open atheists during the worst times of the Dark Ages. I can assume that it probably wasn't good, however.

[Shrykull]

Well, Deism as we know it didn't exactly exist until the Enlightenment. I doubt there was any significant number of atheists during the Dark Ages. It's a belief (and I use that term hesitantly) that developed much later on.

Actually no there was a Greek sect I believe in ancient greece that didn't believe in an afterlife either.

[Joe]

Well, Deism as we know it didn't exactly exist until the Enlightenment. I doubt there was any significant number of atheists during the Dark Ages. It's a belief (and I use that term hesitantly) that developed much later on.

Actually no there was a Greek sect I believe in ancient greece that didn't believe in an afterlife either.

But were they atheists or deists? Simply disbelieving in the afterlife is not the same thing as being an atheist, or even a deist.

[SyntaxVorlon]

During the dark and middle ages there was little that could be called atheism or deism, most people were dumb as stumps and proud of it. Of course we're talking exclusively about the europeans, the chinese and arabs were making great strides in political and educational endevours. The first absolutist governments formed at in this time, I'd say with the Tan dynasty, which resembled Louis #14's in its strides in philosophy and centerist government, the integration of bhuddism, the reinstatement of the standerdized test, the power of the poet/politician. And also the third Tan Emperor was dethroned, as with Louis #16.

[Peregrin Toker]

Of course we're talking exclusively about the europeans, the chinese and arabs were making great strides in political and educational endevours.

But weren't the Chinese and the Arabs still rather religious at that time??

[InnerBrat]

AAARRRRRRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!!!!!

The dark ages are not named after any religion!
They are named because there is precious little written historicla records formt eh time, and it's only with a recent increase in archaeological findings that we are able to 'see' into that period in history.

[Keevan_Colton]

First off, what exactly are the dark ages, aren't they the (as far as I know) the 800 years starting at 476 at the fall of Rome, to the middle ages), or perhaps they are considered the early middle ages. I know they burned usually people who weren't christian, I think pagans were the usual victims, like Wiccans, and druidism, which had been dominant before this, but what about atheists,
I don't hear too often about them getting burned, though I'm sure it happened, what was the attitude toward them in the middle ages(or also deists) , what would publically declaring yourself as one get you, a quick trip to the stake? I think I might try to look up info on this, maybe about a paritcular atheist, who was burned, etc.

Just a nitpick....Wicca is a modern invention....there were no "Wiccans" in the dark ages to have nasty things done to them.

[NapoleonGH]

athiesm existed in ancient rome in the late republican period, when religion had fallen in importance, as far as I know.

but im pretty sure there werent many outright atheists in the dark ages of europe, remember that even people with different interpretations of christ, like the Alberginsians and others, right up until martin luther, were executed and eliminated by the church and established authoritites

[Johonebesus]

First off, what exactly are the dark ages, aren't they the (as far as I know) the 800 years starting at 476 at the fall of Rome, to the middle ages), or perhaps they are considered the early middle ages.

The phrase "Dark Ages" was once used as a derogatory term for the period between the fall of Rome and the supposed revival of Classical culture with the Renaissance of the late fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, literally the "Rebirth" of civilization. This very subjective use was replaced with Middle Ages or the Latin form Mediæval. Nowadays, historians tend to pay more attention to culture than to specific events, so the Middle ages would begin with the death of Classical civilization and the appearance of Medieval civilization. There is no exact date you can use. Some would claim that the Classical age lasted to the sixth century, or the seventh, and a few folks even argue that the Middle Ages did not really start until Islam swept across North Africa and Spain and hemmed in Europe. Generally, the Medieval period is thought to comprise the sixth through fifteenth centuries, with the Italian Renaissance and the German Reformation starting in the late fifteenth and spreading north and south respectively in the sixteenth.

As innerbrat stated, "Dark Ages" is sometimes still used to describe the early Middle Ages, say the sixth and seventh centuries, because of the lack of historical records, but even that use is not always appreciated by historians. In the late seventh century you have the Northumbrian renaissance, followed by the Carolingian renaissance in the ninth, and things steadily improved after that. At best, there are only a couple of centuries that can really be called dark, give or take a few years depending on the locale.

I know they burned usually people who weren't christian, I think pagans were the usual victims, like Wiccans, and druidism, which had been dominant before this, but what about atheists,

Persecution of non-Christians got worse as time went on. In the early Middle Ages, the Church was still establishing itself and was more concerned about evangelizing than prosecuting non-Christians. There were still a lot of pagans, and these had to be converted. When persecution did take place, it was usually a newly converted king acting under civil authority, with or without the advice of the Church. Legally, the Church could not punish a person for not being a Christian. It was not until the High Middle Ages that the Church really started to go after non-Christians. By that time, organized paganism was extinct. The common people held on to a great many little beliefs remembered from paganism, but they were officially Christians, and if they still made offerings to elves or recited an ancient charm invoking Freyer under some kenning, they none-the-less believed that Jesus was the one true god. The old cults were dead. Druidism was one of the first to go, mostly destroyed in Britain and on the Continent by the Romans, and in Ireland by the early Christians.

During the High Medieval period, heresies started to be persecuted, most notably the Gnostic heresies in Province. With the Reconquest of Spain, Moslems and Jews were often prosecuted, but officially the Church was not allowed to participate in such acts. Legally, the Church could prosecute heretics and lapsed Christians, but not non-Christians. That didn't stop bishops from helping the civil authorities, but they weren't supposed to and were occasionally reprimanded by Rome. It wasn't until 1451 that the Church officially defined all use of magic as heresy and therefore under the jurisdiction of the Inquisition, initiating the Witch-hunts. Despite popular misconception, the witch-hunt craze flourished during the Renaissance, not the Middle Ages.

[Hades]

I always thought the dark ages referd to the time after the fall of Rome when we dont really have an historical records to know what happend. therefore when King Aurther was meant to have exsisted. Which means we would stop the dar ages at about 700 AD...... ish

[RedImperator]

I've found that historians who specialized in the Classical period and especially the Roman Empire are much more likely to refer to the Early Middle Ages as the Dark Ages. From the perspective of someone looking forward from the Pax Romana or even the early fifth century, the sixth, seventh, and eighth centuries WERE a dark age with everything Rome had built in the west being systematically dismantled by barbarians who only knew how to imitate Roman culture, not participate in it. Conversely, a Medieval specialist takes great offense at the term dark ages, as she sees the end of a moribund and stifiling Classical culture that had lost all energy for creativity and innovation (just look at the quality of late Roman coinage to see what was happening to art in the Empire in the fourth and fifth centures) and the beginnings of a civilization where the individual was paramount. I tend to see things the Romanophile way, though I do admit that without Rome's downfall, humanist civilization never could have developed.

[His Divine Shadow]

They are named because there is precious little written historicla records formt eh time, and it's only with a recent increase in archaeological findings that we are able to 'see' into that period in history.

I thought they where named the dark ages because free thought and europe in general suffered under the oppressive regime of fundamentalism.

[acesand8s]

In reference to the atheism part, Arthur Dent wrote a book in the 1570s, The Plainman's Pathway to Heaven, and he said most commoners were apathetic towards religion. He also uses the word atheist in it, but I can't remember the exact context. It's been a long time since I read about it.

[Hades]

I've found that historians who specialized in the Classical period and especially the Roman Empire are much more likely to refer to the Early Middle Ages as the Dark Ages.

Well I study Classics AND Medieval History and i pretty much view "the dark ages" as any time between the fall of Rome and the begining of the Wessex line of Kings