Do Native Americans believe in a type of intelligent design?

[Chocolatebison]

You always hear about a 'Great Spirit' or 'Spirits'.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. I know a bit about Lakota Spirituality

though I'm not Native. If someone has more knowledge, please correct me. In the Lakota tradition that I have explored, Wahka Tanka actually means "Great Mystery"-That which is unknowable. In the Lakota tradition I have been told that all things are sacred, all things interconnected. When you do Ceremony, such as Sun Dance, you do it for the People, not for yourself. In the Sweat Lodge, you pray for yourself but also for others.

In my experience, this isn't exactly "intelligent design" which to me implies seperation; there is no seperation, only Unity.

Aho Metaquiatsun (For all my relations)

[Chocolatebison]

4. Thank you for the information

[Waya]

5. You're correct....

all things are Sacred. When Native Americans hunted for food - they gave thanks to the animal's spirit for sacrificing itself so the People could eat. They gave thanks to the rain because it replenished the Earth, to the Father Sun for warming them and making the Crops ripen. Wakan Tanka is the Great Mystery, which in turn is the Creator of All. All things are connected and related. Nature and Man. SunDance is a tribute and an offer, if you will, to Creator for all He has given us - because during the SunDance the dancers give of themselves.

[Waya]

2. Yep,

we do. Creator made it all. He made Turtle Island, known today as America. He gave Turtle Island and everything on it to His children (Native Americans) to live on and off of, to take care off, to preserve for the future Generations.

[evermind]

3. Even Einstein believed in a *type* of intelligent design

if you put any weight on quotes from him such as "God is subtle but he is not malicious".

The point about Intelligent Design (with caps) is that it is a deceitful attempt to weasel a fundamentalist, anti-scientific critique of evolution in through the back door.

Religion of a non-fundamentalist kind is perfectly compatible with science - for example one could believe that a creator set up the universe in such a way that evolution was inevitable (indeed, anthropic principle arguments in physics approach this idea - (Edit: though obviously they have nothing to say about a creator)).

IMHO, the last thing you want to do in the ID argument is start allowing generous interpretations of the words being used by fundamentalists to push their agenda - rather, look at that agenda and let that determine what meaning you attach to the words they choose.

[tocqueville]

6. all religions believe in some kind of "intelligent design"

depends what meaning you put in those words...

it's called faith

it has nothing to do with science. The problem isn't that people believe in this or that, the problem is when the State takes sides for a special brand of religion by supporting it in its institutions.

The country in the end cannot be considered as a democracy but as a theocracy. The mere fact that the State is ideologically biased leads sooner or later to the repression of minorities, individuals etc... because they don't share the official faith.

I don't know of any examples of theocracies that are truly democratic.
Some countries like the UK, Sweden etc... have a state religion, but the secular laws in practice overrule the religious ones.

[pretzel4gore]

7. so much was lost

and so many lies have been told, for so long, about them, that just having survived it was the big thing....
if a warship had any sense, it would cower before a butterfly...

[DELUSIONAL]

8. Many cultures have creation myths

Native Hawaiians have one that has been passed down in chants. It's one of my favorite of the creation myths.

The Jewish-Christian creation myth is just one of many delightful stories that primitive peoples made up to explain their world.

[enki23]

9. i'd imagine they believe all sorts of different things

you know, since there are quite a few of them and all.