I Was An Atheist By Third Grade

[L. Coyote]

76. Anthropologists are a thing,

and I've pursued that field for over 50 years now. And I did my graduate level studies in archaeology.

The broad consensus does not exist, there are majority viewpoints when speaking in broad generalities, and those are driven by the belief systems of the academics. Archaeologists working for Mormon institutions trying to prove the Book of Mormon is true are a good example of how beliefs inform academics. Everyone is familiar with the diversity of human religious practice as it is practiced today, not everyone is familiar with how beliefs drive interpretation in archaeology. It is a huge problem because it reinforces delusions such as religions, and it forces those viewpoints upon the past. This is akin to cultural evolution, thinking we are the apex of a long struggle from ignorance and superstition instead of admitting we are superstitious and in the past people may have been rational, scientific, and fully knowledgeable about their environment and living in harmony with physical reality instead of destroying the biosphere and praising god.