A world with no religion, how different woud the world be?

[Bonzi]

We'd have a better economy

 

[WheelieAddict]

I can't get past that it seems inevitable the human race would have found something to worship. It's human nature, everyone wants to know why we are here on the earth in the universe. And it also unfortunately human nature to believe humans that promise the answers, people want to believe.

 

[Flopper]

It really takes a lot of faith to believe that everything is just a random occurrence

No, it just takes ignorance of science.

Even if you do not believe in any religion, you still have faith in the reasons why you don't believe in religion and for some that faith can be just as great as religious faith.

I have a number of friends an acquaintances that claim to be atheistic. However, when I discuss the topic with them, it becomes clear that most are agnostic; that is they claim neither faith nor disbelief in God.

 

[alang1216]

It really takes a lot of faith to believe that everything is just a random occurrence

No, it just takes ignorance of science.

Even if you do not believe in any religion, you still have faith in the reasons why you don't believe in religion and for some that faith can be just as great as religious faith.

I have a number of friends an acquaintances that claim to be atheistic. However, when I discuss the topic with them, it becomes clear that most are agnostic; that is they claim neither faith nor disbelief in God.

I have 'faith' in reason. I have never encountered ANYTHING supernatural so why would I believe in something without evidence?

 

[Flopper]

It really takes a lot of faith to believe that everything is just a random occurrence

No, it just takes ignorance of science.

Even if you do not believe in any religion, you still have faith in the reasons why you don't believe in religion and for some that faith can be just as great as religious faith.

I have a number of friends an acquaintances that claim to be atheistic. However, when I discuss the topic with them, it becomes clear that most are agnostic; that is they claim neither faith nor disbelief in God.

I have 'faith' in reason. I have never encountered ANYTHING supernatural so why would I believe in something without evidence?

“Tell people there's an invisible man in the sky who created the universe, and the vast majority will believe you. Tell them the paint is wet, and they have to touch it to be sure.”
― George Carlin

Basically, people believe what they have been taught.

 

[alang1216]

“Tell people there's an invisible man in the sky who created the universe, and the vast majority will believe you. Tell them the paint is wet, and they have to touch it to be sure.”
― George Carlin

Basically, people believe what they have been taught.

In other words, the bigger the lie the more believable it is? Explains a lot about politics in this country.

 

[hobelim]

“Tell people there's an invisible man in the sky who created the universe, and the vast majority will believe you. Tell them the paint is wet, and they have to touch it to be sure.”
― George Carlin

Basically, people believe what they have been taught.

In other words, the bigger the lie the more believable it is? Explains a lot about politics in this country.

“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.”

Joseph Goebbels

 

[Flopper]

“Tell people there's an invisible man in the sky who created the universe, and the vast majority will believe you. Tell them the paint is wet, and they have to touch it to be sure.”
― George Carlin

Basically, people believe what they have been taught.

In other words, the bigger the lie the more believable it is? Explains a lot about politics in this country.

No, that's not what I meant although it certainly may apply. A person that has been taught, particularly as a child, to accept beliefs based not on reason and facts but based on who is doing the teaching, mother, father, minister, etc. is likely to keep those beliefs in spite of reason and facts discovered in later life.

Keep in mind, many people can hold contradictory beliefs, ideas, and values. A man may go to church Sunday morning and listen to the story of creation and how the wonders of nature must be part a grand plan by the creator and accept it. That same man may watch a presentation on PBS and and accept that creation must be a natural process not a supernatural process. This is not logical but humans are necessarily logical.

 

[alang1216]

“Tell people there's an invisible man in the sky who created the universe, and the vast majority will believe you. Tell them the paint is wet, and they have to touch it to be sure.”
― George Carlin

Basically, people believe what they have been taught.

In other words, the bigger the lie the more believable it is? Explains a lot about politics in this country.

No, that's not what I meant although it certainly may apply. A person that has been taught, particularly as a child, to accept beliefs based not on reason and facts but based on who is doing the teaching, mother, father, minister, etc. is likely to keep those beliefs in spite of reason and facts discovered in later life.

Keep in mind, many people can hold contradictory beliefs, ideas, and values. A man may go to church Sunday morning and listen to the story of creation and how the wonders of nature must be part a grand plan by the creator and accept it. That same man may watch a presentation on PBS and and accept that creation must be a natural process not a supernatural process. This is not logical but humans are necessarily logical.

We are a faith-based culture. People believe their holy books and refuse to believe their eyes. A politician makes promises no politician could keep yet he is believed because they believe in him. We are children.

 

[Thunderbird]

Without Christianity Europe would be a set of backward, squabbling tribes. They might boast of a certain rude energy, but not much else.

 

[RWS]

You're all missing the first known human civilization, that did not have a religion, yet invented virtually everything that we take for granted today. The Sumerians.

And their writings, over time, were the basis of the future religions of ancient pagan people like the Babylonians, Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, etc... and the judeo-christian monotheistic beliefs of today.

So what would civilization be like without religion? It would flourish, like it did for the Sumerians. At least until people got greedy, and made up their own stuff to lure people and garner power and wealth. And then start wars and genocides to promote and increase their power and wealth.

So, if we could eliminate corrupt religions and the devastation they have caused to humanity through war and destruction of knowledge for the past 4000+ years, it's safe to say that we would probably be far more advanced than we are today.

Ahem

Sumerian Religion

Sumerians didn't have a religion. Religions were created from their writings.

 

[task0778]

You're all missing the first known human civilization, that did not have a religion, yet invented virtually everything that we take for granted today. The Sumerians.

And their writings, over time, were the basis of the future religions of ancient pagan people like the Babylonians, Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, etc... and the judeo-christian monotheistic beliefs of today.

So what would civilization be like without religion? It would flourish, like it did for the Sumerians. At least until people got greedy, and made up their own stuff to lure people and garner power and wealth. And then start wars and genocides to promote and increase their power and wealth.

So, if we could eliminate corrupt religions and the devastation they have caused to humanity through war and destruction of knowledge for the past 4000+ years, it's safe to say that we would probably be far more advanced than we are today.

Ahem

Sumerian Religion

Sumerians didn't have a religion. Religions were created from their writings.

First of all, there might be some disagreement over what constitutes a religion and second, what makes you think the Sumerians had no religion?

From wikipedia:

Sumerian religion was the religion practiced and adhered to by the people of Sumer, the first literate civilization of ancient Mesopotamia. The Sumerians regarded their divinities as responsible for all matters pertaining to the natural and social orders.

Before the beginning of kingship in Sumer, the city-states were effectively ruled by theocratic priests and religious officials. Later, this role was supplanted by kings, but priests continued to exert great influence on Sumerian society. In early times, Sumerian temples were simple, one-room structures, sometimes built on elevated platforms. Towards the end of Sumerian civilization, these temples developed into ziggurats—tall, pyramidal structures with sanctuaries at the tops.

The Sumerians believed that the universe had come into being through a series of cosmic births. First, Nammu, the primeval waters, gave birth to An (the sky) and Ki (the earth), who mated together and produced a son named Enlil. Enlil separated heaven from earth and claimed the earth as his domain. Humans were believed to have been created by Enki, the son of An and Nammu.

The major deities in the Sumerian pantheon included An, the god of the heavens, Enlil, the god of wind and storm, Enki, the god of water and human culture, Ninhursag, the goddess of the earth and of fertility, Inanna, the goddess of sex, beauty, and warfare, Utu, the god of the sun, and Ereshkigal, the queen of the Underworld.

Sumerian religion heavily influenced the religious beliefs of later Mesopotamian peoples; elements of it are retained in the mythologies and religions of the Hurrians, Akkadians, Babylonians, Assyrians, and other Middle Eastern culture groups. Scholars of comparative mythology have noticed many parallels between the stories of the ancient Sumerians and those recorded in the early parts of the Hebrew Bible.

 

[RWS]

The Sumerians never regarded the Anunnaki as gods. They were their rulers, but not their gods in a religious way.

Later mysticism and plagiarism based on their writings, turned the Anunnaki rulers into "gods", and thus was borne pagan religions to profit from the original writings and create armies to sustain and spread their newfound power and wealth. From there, they were consolidated into a monotheistic god, and religions that many people worship today, and commit atrocities in the name of their religion, to the detriment of humanity...

 

[Unkotare]

Say religion never came about, and there was no such thing of religion. How different would the world be as of today?

A world without humans? It would be rather predictable, but still beautiful in a way.

 

[daisiesRwild]

Say religion never came about, and there was no such thing of religion. How different would the world be as of today?

The real question is what would a world without God in it be like... It would have no living things no sun no flowers no love nothing but evil things would remain... it would be Hell

 

[ding]

They already tried that in the 20th century.

200 million murdered.

What's 200 million people in the grand scheme of things. Maybe we should give it another chance.

 

[Taz]

They already tried that in the 20th century.

200 million murdered.

What's 200 million people in the grand scheme of things. Maybe we should give it another chance.

That's small potatoes compared to 1.2 billion mind controlled mooslims who all kiss carpets together and talk about killing non-believers. I believe Christians have killed plenty in the name of their god as well, AMIRITE OR AMIRITE???????

 

[irosie91]

They already tried that in the 20th century.

200 million murdered.

What's 200 million people in the grand scheme of things. Maybe we should give it another chance.

That's small potatoes compared to 1.2 billion mind controlled mooslims who all kiss carpets together and talk about killing non-believers. I believe Christians have killed plenty in the name of their god as well, AMIRITE OR AMIRITE???????

you are rite-----but Christians have LARGELY repudiated the habit. So far muslims seem to be
clinging to the habit TENACIOUSLY-------no sign of change

 

[Taz]

They already tried that in the 20th century.

200 million murdered.

What's 200 million people in the grand scheme of things. Maybe we should give it another chance.

That's small potatoes compared to 1.2 billion mind controlled mooslims who all kiss carpets together and talk about killing non-believers. I believe Christians have killed plenty in the name of their god as well, AMIRITE OR AMIRITE???????

you are rite-----but Christians have LARGELY repudiated the habit. So far muslims seem to be
clinging to the habit TENACIOUSLY-------no sign of change

You mean like GW's "crusade" in Iraq?

 

[BuckToothMoron]

Say religion never came about, and there was no such thing of religion. How different would the world be as of today?

In reality, that is a fairly simple question. Remove humans from the earth and you remove religion, so just imagine the world with no humans.