early U.S.A. is 55% monotheistic, 30% polytheistic, and 15% 'philosophic'

For the approximately 55% of persons who are monotheistic, there's perhaps greater immigration from Turkey, Iran, and other majority Muslim countries, as well as greater Jewish immigration, and of course perhaps even a wider variety of Christian faiths.

And for the 30% who are polytheistic, there is perhaps early and significant immigration from India and other areas. But most of all, there are more surviving Native Americans. And you've got to get lucky regarding disease, there's just no other way to do it. You need more mild strains of smallpox introduced first simply as a stroke of good luck. And maybe a more mild strain of the second most lethal disease (measles?) as well.

And about 15% of the population are 'philosophic' and this includes atheists, agnostics, free thinkers, skeptics, doubters, rationalists, deists, and so on and so forth. And much of the rest of the population have at least heard of such things as Immanuel Kant's principle of universalizability, to wit that a person should always act from maxims and motivations that he or she could rationally will everyone else to follow as well. So it's not believed that an agnostic, for example, is a person without morals and ethics. Rather it's believed with some bemusement that, wow, these 'philosophic' people sure go the long way around the bend to come back to the conclusion that it's usually a good idea to treat other people fairly. And that's how they get the nickname 'philosophic.'
 
I'm confused, are you asking us to make this a reality?

I can't see any way without the intervention of the Alien Space Bats than you can have a POD where the Americas gets such a diverse population during the colonial era and yet the USA still comes into existence.
 
Yes, I'm asking people to help make this ATL a reality. With this much diversity and with the USA still a recognizable country, and we treat the Indians a damn sight better to boot. So, it's a tall order. It's a run-the-table type of theme.

Now, people have hit upon the idea of religious freedom before. I'm thinking there was a period in the late Middle Ages where this prevailed in Transylvania. And in many places in the Middle East, Muslims, Christians, and Jews lived together peacefully for generations, although of course not always.

And to make it really challenging, assume colonial American flirted with slavery and it became entrenched around 1700 much as it did in OTL. But then for several different reasons, perhaps one of them being that people of other faiths spoke out strongly and matter-of-factly against slavery, and it's going to have to be economic, too, slavery was phased out well before the founding of the nation in the last quarter of the 1700s. Extra points for this one.

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PS I should point out that Immanuel Kant wrote his Critique of Practical Reason in 1788. But there most likely were other writers who anticipated some of his ideas, providing plenty of grist for the mill so that 'philosophic' citizens are accepted as equal citizens just as likely to be moral and ethical as anyone else. Even as more conventionally religious citizens might chuckle at fancy terms like 'universalizability.'
 
I don't understand how you're proposing to make the early US *less* monotheistic than it was by suggesting increased immigration of non-Protestant Christians and Muslims. That will only make the US *more* monotheistic, not less so. Your challenge is already difficult enough trying to increase the other two demographics.
 
Any world where settlement patterns were THAT different almost certainly wouldn't have a 'United States of America'.

Of course if USA stands for something different 'United Sandalwood Autocracies', say, then it's possible.
 
I don't understand how you're proposing to make the early US *less* monotheistic than it was by suggesting increased immigration of non-Protestant Christians and Muslims.
please remember, I'm assuming significantly more American Indians survive from disease. They're going to be the biggest reason we have a lot of polytheistic citizens.

Plus, it will be fun and interesting if an large city-state from India (subcontinent) establishes a trading colony first in west Africa and then later in the Americas.
 
please remember, I'm assuming significantly more American Indians survive from disease. They're going to be the biggest reason we have a lot of polytheistic citizens.

Native American religions were not and are not all polytheistic.
 
please remember, I'm assuming significantly more American Indians survive from disease. They're going to be the biggest reason we have a lot of polytheistic citizens.

Plus, it will be fun and interesting if an large city-state from India (subcontinent) establishes a trading colony first in west Africa and then later in the Americas.

Butterflies, man, butterflies.

Do you not think that:

1. If the Native Americans survive, they will be converted to Christianity? Look at Bolivia, Peru, Mexico etc as examples
2. If Indians colonised the Americas, it would entirely butterfly away the existence of the United States altogether?

Also, the Indians would be very unlikely to discover the Americas even if they somehow ended up in West Africa (???), since they'd have no reason to sail west from there, and on top of that if they did, they'd likely land in South America, not North.

Also, for the record, Hinduism isn't polytheistic - it's not really easy to define the belief tenants of such a complex and varied religion, but essentially, all gods (and all life, for that matter) are aspects of Brahma, and as such there is one true being.
 
Point well taken that not all Native American peoples had a spirituality which was primarily polytheistic. Plus, I am open to the idea that Hinduism is a complex system not easily characterized.

All the same, I rather like the idea of this becoming a United States super wank. One, perhaps with a particular colony serving as a first successful example, religious freedom becomes common practice among the early smattering of colonies. And two, the U.S. becomes even more of a middle-class society earlier than OTL.

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If the natives get lucky regarding disease and if more colonial powers adopt the French Quebec approach of treating your trading partners somewhat decently, we can even envision several states which are predominantly American Indian, at least at the start.
 

Zlorfik

Banned
once brought into general american society, the native americans would be converted to christianity en masse
christianity spreads very, very efficiently... like a virus :p
 
I have read that persons with a polytheistic world view are often quite comfortable acknowledging other gods.

And Islam has also spread widely, at times assisted politically and militarily. Although in thinking about it, Christianity has also often had this same assistance.

And Sikhism is a fairly major monotheistic religion which we sometimes forget about.

I was taught in junior high way back in the 1970s that monotheism was more "advanced" and people usually or even "naturally" moved from polytheism to monotheism as their technology improved.* Mmm. I'm sure like any generalization it sometimes happens. But reality and especially the people aspect of reality is probably more complex in a hundred different ways.

* not super preachy, but this was definitely implied
 
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