A World without religion

[Kpt._Rob]

Now don't get me wrong here, I'm as anti-theist as it gets, and would love to see an end put to religion. That said, there is good reason to believe that religion was actually quite helpful for the original establishment of society, so if there had never been religion, we might never have had a society to start with. However, religion has served its purpose, and one can not help but feel that if it now took the opportunity to leave the stage, the play would be completely better for it.

 

[Internet Kraken]

If you take away something as huge and influential as religion you will get a very different world from the one we have now. Would it be better? Would it be worse? I don't know.

The only thing I know for sure is that the Cheater's Lament would not be a Halo.

 

[Souplex]

There would be no gods to oppose Athe and it would consume the universe.

 

[Chunko]

Not that different, although more focus on the earlier arts during the Middle Ages.

Eh, that's all I can think of. Also, less excuses for wars.

Keyword Excuses, the crusades would have happened with or without religion

 

[Sightless Wisdom]

I'm not even going to speculate on that because I don't think there is any way to really know. I can tell you the middle ages would have a gone a lot different if they hadn't had religion.

 

[Shaoken]

Religion represents hope to a lot of people. You take away religion, people would lose hope.

What about people who have no hope with religion?

They would realise how much they miss having religion, if only so they could critisise it.

 

[riskroWe]

Without religion, everyone would worship either the environment or the government.

At least most religions are open and honest about blind servitude. It's the lesser evil here.

What would the world look like without religion...? Severely overpopulated, I'd say.

Ah, but do the Abrahamic religions not teach about "spreading your seed"?

I'm sure that's an agricultural reference.

 

[Rancid0ffspring]

My parents are catholic & enjoy their faith & the comfort it brings them. For example when someone they care about dies they know that person has gone to heaven or when one of them do pass on they will meet eachother again in the after life

I'm an agnostic, I do like to think that there is some sort of afterlife & that if I'm good to others & treat people with respect this all powerful deity that may or may not exist will still look favorably on me.

Sorry! Back on topic. I beleive that a world without religion would be a very lonely & depressing place for some people. All some people have is their faith. I do however respect others to believe or not believe what they wish too

 

[BehattedWanderer]

It'd be boring as a blank wall when you have no crayons or paint, not to mention how more people would have more...Yeah, I'll go with "questionable ethics". Religion is the basis for cultural understanding, new experiences, and let us not forget, many many Many jokes ("...And she says "Hunting for Rabbits again Vicar?", "So God and Adam are talking in the garden...", "...he said 'what'dya think I am, Catholic?'.", and other ad infinitum). Without religion, the world would be bereft of so many good times that we'd have to restort to more educated humor--something nobody wants (mostly because those few of us that like that drivel like to pretend we know why you don't get it.

 

[ryai458]

i was tempted to write something but it really wouldnt change anything in something like this oponions dont change, they only cause flame wars so these posts are useless.

 

[lacktheknack]

Religion represents hope to a lot of people. You take away religion, people would lose hope.

What about people who have no hope with religion?

...are vastly outnumbered by those who do need it.

 

[Shaoken]

Religion represents hope to a lot of people. You take away religion, people would lose hope.

What about people who have no hope with religion?

They would realise how much they miss having religion, if only so they could critisise it.

I would argue against that.

Well look at when Castro stepped down. Colbert actually started to miss him. /media reference

Seriously though, I doubt the lack of religion in the world would make much of a difference to those people.

 

[lwm3398]

None of the crap in I-

Now to save myself the embarrassment.

Stuff would happen. Other stuff wouldn't.

 

[Nimbus]

Without it its possible we could get less done becuase of the existential void we would have to face. It could lower prductivity. Relgion is what keeps many people moving forward and motivated to do good. Whether thats selfish or not is another topic alltogther.

Atheists and Agonstics seem to do just fine.

 

[TheLefty]

Oh and gay people might have a happier life. Is it me or are only religious people homophobic? Just my observation from the news.

No, only religious douchebags are homophobic. The key word there is douchebag, not religious.

Good point. I didn't really think that entire comment through before posting.

 

[SonicKoala]

What would the world look like without religion...? Severely overpopulated, I'd say.

Ah, but do the Abrahamic religions not teach about "spreading your seed"?

Genocides that happened 3/4 of which probably wouldn't have happened.
Hitler not nearly as powerful.
Great architectural, artisitc, and scientific achievements to glorify god probably wouldn't be built.
Great architechural, artisitc, and scientific achievments would probably have happened sooner or come about.( it works both ways if i'm looking at history the right way.
Wars of the ages would be decreased.
Less charity in the world and morals possibly.
and.... fps's uncensored in Germany and playboy for any age in America.

that seems.... fair with a neutral swing in all but i could be wrong.

Hitler's rise to power had next to nothing to do with religion, it was about ideology and getting back at those damned French for the treaty of Versailles and the Ruhr valley humiliation.

German's were pissed in General but Hitler more or less was powered by religous zealoutism. A state needs an enemy that is the devil, jewish people helps motivate them in to taking jewish property which helped finiance the war and partial reason to tell the people why they needed to invade other countries to wipe out an unclean race based on there religon more than anything. They also wanted to spread the thought of a supreme race which made every german want to be aryan, aryan being based off race but more than anything i think it was connected to religon. Every ruler uses god as a reason, just look at every modern decleration of war most say that a higher power we'll kick the other guy's ass. I think that the German people would have given up like in WWI, before a real invastion of Germany, if not for religon driving them on. (just an opinion)

Okay, that's your "opinion", but that's totally wrong. German aggression, not to mention Hitler's rhetoric, was fuelled predominantly by hatred of things like the Treaty of Versailles - for years people in Germany had felt cheated, and Hitler told them that - he then gained popular support by promising he would return Germany to the great position that she had once held in Europe. For the majority of the 30s, Hitler was NOT known to the people of Germany as Hitler, the Anti-Semite. He was Hitler, the German Nationalist. And apart from that, a large percentage of Germans were indifferent to the Jews. Sure, the SS were fierce anti-semites, and people saw the Jews as a scapegoat, but they were not the only one. Keep in mind that Hitler wanted the Slavic people of Eastern Europe enslaved and murdered as well, on top of anyone who was handicapped (mentally and physically), gypsies, etc - it was about RACE. Religion was by NO means fuelling Hitler's State. That is blatantly inaccurate, and another pathetic attempt by someone to relate everything that is evil in the world to the Nazis - your argument that the Nazis were driven by religious ideas is just as wrong as the argument that Obama's Health Care plan is something Hitler would have supported.

 

[faceless chick]

I'm writing a SF book on this very idea (severly exaggerated of course)

The main group of people would dwelve into exaggerated PC-ness,to the point that a city has thousands of different architectural styles in the same neighbourhood and everyone woudl speak a different language depending or origins, social retardedness to the point where we stop talking altogether to communicate through e-mails and SMSs, God would be on the same level as Santa (if lower) , we would celebrate stupid shit like International Kidney day instead of Easter and Pick your Nose day instead of Christmas, some people would be lethargic, sad individuals with no will to live or morals (since they don't fear burning in Hell) and well, it'd be better scientifically, but not morally.

All sexual deviances are allowed, AIDS and syphilis would spead like wildfire, and many bastard children would get aborted every day.

On the other hand, all religious people would isolate themselves in their own community sorta like the Amish, fearing science would corrupt their youth,and be very selfish and backwards people.

 

[Cakes]

not to mention how more people would have more...Yeah, I'll go with "questionable ethics".

The theist says: I'm good 'cause I want to go to heaven
The atheist says: I'm good 'cause I feel like it
Which one is better? (Not ALL theists think like that, of course, but it sure covers a lot of them).

Religion is the basis for cultural understanding,

Because we all know how understanding religion is of new cultures...

something something humour

There's plenty of good jokes without religion.
What's the opposite of Christopher Reeve?
Christopher Walken.

 

[sipe]

Shit will always happen, religion or no religion. That's my statement prove me wrong by removing religious thoughts.

 

[hamster mk 4]

Without religion acting as a unifying force for humanity durring civilization's early development, I suspect humans would not have rissen as the dominant species. So a world without religion would be a world where human society is not more coplex than the average wolf pack.