Why Atheists Love Jainism: A Religion Without a God?

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To be clear Jainism has Devas, but these deities are not at all like the concept of "god" that we typically think of. So how does Jainism, a nonviolent philosophy, stack up against the Abrahamic faiths? Today, I explore the profound differences in worldview, ethics, and spirituality between this ancient Indian religion and Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

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Chapters:
0:00 Jainism
1:10 Agenda
1:38 What is Jainism?
5:48 Rejection of a Creator God
7:51 Central Tenets of Jain Philosophy
11:00 Canonical Texts/Jain Scholars
12:32 Comparison with Abrahamic Religions
18:50 Final Thoughts
19:31 Patron Thanks

A sincere thank you to this video's supporters:
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#atheist #mindshift #atheism #exchristian #christiandeconstruction #deconstructionhelp #jainism #atheismjainism

[MindShift-Brandon]

Do no harm…What a concept! Can’t stick around today, but hope you all enjoy.

Edit. So many seem to see this as advocating for Jainism. I tried to be clear that just because something is better does not mean its true and does not mean theres no harm. The point of this comparison was to show how there are religions without creator gods that demand worship and threaten hell, and that other cultures have found a way to fill gaps in meaning and morality without resorting to divine command theory etc.

[DannyS]

I like that one of their beliefs is open-mindedness. That is something that I had to learn for myself because I was very close-minded when I was a Christian.

[greenleaf]

I think those religions/thought systems that emphasize personal growth are generally better than those that focus on avoiding divine wrath.

[CB]

Personally, in my view, Jainism would be incredibly unpopular with people. It would be scary for a theist to accept that the gods are indifferent to their plight, and that it is often up to the person themselves to accept their situation, being unable to turn to a god for help.

For me, when I applied some Jainist principles to myself, acceptance is the first step, and it places, as you said, agency back into the hands of the people.

Where one trades their comfort for integrity.

[DrakeTimbershaft]

My first exposure to Jainism made them seem like well-meaning weirdos with an unattainable goal. Stories of sweeping floors with brooms and wearing cheesecloth to avoid inhaling an insect. Hearing the philosophy, the history, and the texts of Jainism makes them more sane than our wacky ideas of men and women broken from birth in need of a human sacrifice. I don’t think I could achieve the liberation Jainism proposes as I am relatively undisciplined, but I salute their dedication to non-violence and contemplative ethos. Besides, they wouldn’t say I have a karma sized hole in my heart! 😄

[suyashjain]

Jains in India:

1) Have the highest literacy rate.
2) More than 95% practices vegetarianism.
3) Have negligible crime rate.
4) Are among the wealthiest people.
5) Have many great philanthropists.
6) Never attacked any other religion
7) Never imposed religion

This is not due to any special god or supernatural power in Jainism but rather because of the strong Jain fundamentals and the ideology of *Ahimsa* (non-violence).

Simple Principle : Do good, receive good—no rocket science involved

[NY_Kim_NY]

This was so interesting. I've studied so many belief systems, briefly touching on this as many others.
I appreciate the concise clarity you bring to these videos. Thanks for your time and efforts.
Enjoy your work trip!

[bexta_n]

Comparative religious studies!!! How brilliant would that be!!! you knock this one right out the park!! Thank you very much for the hard work and love

[stevewebber]

I definitely appreciate a lot of the Jainist philosophy.
But I also want to be cautious in how far I go in cheering for it. All religions try to present an attractive from to the outside. It's usually when you dig deeper that uncomfortable aspects show up.
I have heard a couple stories about Jainism in practice, that take a little luster off the polish.

I believe The Friendly Atheist grew up in a Jainist household. If we want more direct insight, he might be able to shed additional light.

[suicune]

I learned about the existence of Jainism from one of my sister-in-laws who grew up in India. She wants to take me to a temple sometime. I thought it was a very compassionate religion, especially compared to Christianity.

[kpkp]

Maybe do a "tier list" video ranking various religions if you had to "snap your fingers?"

[jxsanche]

Thank you for making this video. I had no knowledge of Jainism so very glad you covered it. It's comforting to know (and to be constantly reminded) that throughout all history of humanity there were always folks that had truly insightful points of view, even if they sadly ended up not being the dominant points of view across the planet.

And I think that's where a sad truth needs to be confronted about mankind. We are very tribal people. It's embedded in us. It's part of our evolutionary journey, whether we like it or not. In a tribe, you have one leader and everyone else is a follower. This means that the default position for people is to follow (to be clear, I'm not suggesting that some people are better than others. Everyone is fit to lead, and everyone has the same potential, and the act of following is nothing negative, as following also means uniting together for a common cause, which *is* a good thing and provides an evolutionary advantage) so from that perspective I can see how religions that call for the worshiping and following of a single higher power are viscerally more appealing than those religions that call for the improvement of the self. Too much work!

[fayemanning]

Thank you for breaking all this down for us 😎

🌛🌝🌜

[xoAmelia]

I appreciate you taking the time to talk about Eastern religions because they're missing from a lot of Western atheistic perspectives - but I want to point out that the idea that Jainism (or Buddhism or Daoism for that matter) is more of a 'philosophy' instead of a religion *is based in a Western, Abrahamic centric mindset in regards to what makes a religion a religion.* Buddhists lack a belief in a Creator god as well, but like Jains, the ethical, spiritual and cosmological framework is inherently religious. There has been a trend within the last fifty years with atheistic Westerners co-opting many Eastern religions and erasing their religiosity to suit their beliefs while claiming superiority and higher understanding to the mostly non-white religiously practitioners of these religions. It is a practice that has rendered the Western understanding of these religions to not be 'religious' and higher than other religions, whilst othering them and making the traditional adherents to be 'unenlightened' or misunderstanding the original texts.

I am no way dissing your video, you did an absolutely excellent job, but it is something I wanted to shed some light on.

[dasbus]

It is interesting from a philosophical point of view and certainly more sympathetic than religions which claim supremacy for its believers or for a certain people. It also demonstrates (yet again) how Jesus' statements about non-violence aren't nearly as unique as Christians like to claim.

On the other hand there's still a focus on some spiritual world that risks distracting from the real world. But I understand just like with Buddhism, there is not a lot of dogma and the core tenets at least seem inoffensive enough.

[rochelebierhalspereira]

Compared religion is part of the school curriculum in Brazil starting in 6th grade. The syllabus is amazing. However, not only can parents opt their children out of this class, most people teaching this class don't have the correct background. I used to teach it, and my subject matter is English as a foreign language. Studying to do my best at it played no small part in my deconstruction, though. Unfortunately, most teachers whose subject matter is math, or science (for example) don't have the time or the inclination to do research and this ends up being more of a free period, or they talk about holidays. Some will even teach their won personal religion. It's a mixed bag.

[kenhoover]

All that I knew about Janism prior to today was what Sam Harris said about it. I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about it. Thank you!

[Moralatheist]

My tattoo: "Do no harm; Take no B*llshit". I got this from Wicca when I was transitioning. I like the "we are one with nature" but also the idea that "the gods are like us with our flaws" and "we can always do better to make the world better". We all make mistakes, and when we realize that we also realize that we can forgive ourselves and try harder next time. I still hold to the idea that we should all try to connect at our most basic needs. That being said, it's hard when people try to proselytize. They refuse to give to you what you are giving to them. Ugh!

[thuurmichels]

I'll stick to my existentialism, thank you. In short: I and only I am responsable for my joy/suffering and how I respond to good/bad situations.
In the end you only have the outcome of your own choices to deal with. It is also grounded in the now. Not before and after life on earth.

[midwinter]

An etymological note - “asceticism” comes from the Greek “askesis”, meaning training, as in for an athletic event. Which suddenly gives me the weird thought of various sorts of monk as being the spiritual equivalent of gym bros pumping iron.