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Better world?
- Thread starter Moon
- Start date
I can't imagine a world without religion. I mean, I can, but so much of our society and culture is shaped around it. People have been imagining perfection since ancient times, religion just does a very long elaboration of that. Perfection is a goal aimed for the future, not something hidden as part of the past. Unfortunately with the rise of secularism people have forgotten what God really means. One day they will understand that what all of us are doing, our extropy, is creating that perfection, and God, that we've all been looking for. The world would have been undoubtedly worse without religion and people would have found other reasons to fight for each other anyways. Maybe people would have been honest. "I am at war with you so I can conquer more land and grow my nation and its people further." But regardless, war still would have happened without religion. Remember, the Soviet Union was a Godless nation at one point, and Lenin and Stalin slaughtered millions of their own people in the name of progress. Religion fills a need and without it the West, and the rest of the world, wouldn't be shaped the same way.
It would mean humans never existed on this planet
By extension, it would mean we couldn't be asking the question.
Does that make it a yes or a no by default?
By extension, it would mean we couldn't be asking the question.
Does that make it a yes or a no by default?
Soandso
Active Member
Depends
Cutting out ALL religions would be impossible. People will always try to fill in the blanks of their ignorance with anything they can. Uncertainty is an uncomfortable prospect for most people to contend with
Cutting out evangelical religions that seek to spread, though? I see that as a net positive
Cutting out ALL religions would be impossible. People will always try to fill in the blanks of their ignorance with anything they can. Uncertainty is an uncomfortable prospect for most people to contend with
Cutting out evangelical religions that seek to spread, though? I see that as a net positive
It'd be a different world. Better or worse?
I'd suppose people could still be spiritual, just no one holding the reigns as to what was correct and proper when it comes to God.
Twilight Hue
Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
No. People are people. Ergo the planet of the apes.
Religion would be just one thing less to war about if such a case were to exist.
The essence of religion is to love one’s neighbour and do good to others and cause no harm so we want to keep that.
Sand Dancer
Crazy Cat Lady
But people keep screwing some of them up with wanting power and control.
Bird123
Well-Known Member
Religion is a catalyst that brings so many people's problems to the surface so they can be dealt with. After all, when one thinks one has God's blessing, one can justify anything.
Religion also creates interaction on many different levels with the diversity of views of all the people of the world. Interaction creates learning, knowledge and growth.
Religion while attempting to spread good also spreads so many of the petty things mankind holds so dear. Of course, one could expect no more since religion is a creation of mankind and that is what religion truly reflects.
As mankind's knowledge increases and wisdom is acquired through each Discovery, religion will become obsolete in favor of what actually is. Since religion is about beliefs instead of what actually is, the difference will become obvious.
When God is finally Discovered, understanding will let go of all the beliefs as a child. As one moves forward, moving backward is no longer a viable choice. Religion will be obsolete.
Religion is mankind's attempt to Understand God. It is part of the journey on the way to a Higher Level. How many lessons would never have been learned if Religion had never existed? On the other hand, we are all meant to Think,Learn,Grow, and Struggle to acquire Knowledge and Wisdom. It has never ever been about following or believing blindly.
It has always been about Discovering what actually is!! This is something each must work on for themselves. One should never depend on others for all their source of knowledge, learning and wisdom.
That's what I see. It's very clear!!
I think before you draw a conclusion that the world might have been a better place had religions never existed, you need to ask yourself why religions came to existence to begin with.
Individual power needs to be completely removed from religion altogether replacing it with regularly democratically elected bodies.
Individual believers must come to their own understanding of the scriptures through independent investigation using their own intellect and reasoning. No more sermons and preaching. No more being spoon fed and following blindly any individual. No more superstition.
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Augustus
the Unreasonable
I don't think it is really possible for humans not to have created religions or something that is functionally identical to religion.
Would the world be better if ideologies had never existed? They are cognitively essential for making sense of the world and creating shared systems of meaning.
Given there is no real way to differentiate secular ideologies from religious ones, I'm not sure a religion free world is possible.
We all rely on collections of myths/narrative fictions to justify our 'sacred values' and explain how the world was, is and should be.
IndigoChild5559
Loving God and my neighbor as myself.
Humanity without religion? Why not humanity without art? Humanity without music? Humanity without intellect?
You cannot take away an element of humanity, and think you are still talking about humans.
osgart
Nothing my eye, Something for sure
I think religion can be done better. Strip away the dogmatic, rigid, and fantastical belief systems and requirements. Subject it all to logic, reason and other extroverted experiences, and introspective practices. Bravely admit that there are a lot of things unknown and a lot of things that may not be knowable. Stop demanding faith in absurdities. Recognize that there is a whole reality of character and emotions. Accept human nature is never perfect nor ideal. Accept that the nature of reality is far from ideal. Stop convincing others and self that we know full well what God thinks, knows, and is up to. Realize that not every religion is or needs to be based on God.
Allow people to understand themselves and others from their own experiences and with their own free thinking hearts and minds. Develope practices, and convictions based on responsible experiences, tests, and with proven evident understandings. Give voice to the common people. Dismiss the notion of infallible authority and power bestowed upon humans. Recognize that religion is often a struggle to understand life and come up with answers to everyday life problems, and relationships. Only place faith in what's knowable, and known to be true. Put all beliefs to test and scrutiny. Recognize that life is a journey and not a guided tour. Stop condemning people for their differences, individual choices, and born nature when these things do no harm. Respect virtues, and eliminate vices.
Religion to me is a quest to understand mysteries about life and existence. Religion is not for everybody. If practicing religion people should do it for themselves, and not demand others conform to it. Society should be free enough that religions can share their ideas and truths with others.
Religion seems to be personal practice. It's not meant to govern all people nor rule over all people.
Language is far more influential, powerful, insightful, and useful than any religion. I guess if I had my way I'd change all those things about religion. Religion gets too much credit for things being better.
Allow people to understand themselves and others from their own experiences and with their own free thinking hearts and minds. Develope practices, and convictions based on responsible experiences, tests, and with proven evident understandings. Give voice to the common people. Dismiss the notion of infallible authority and power bestowed upon humans. Recognize that religion is often a struggle to understand life and come up with answers to everyday life problems, and relationships. Only place faith in what's knowable, and known to be true. Put all beliefs to test and scrutiny. Recognize that life is a journey and not a guided tour. Stop condemning people for their differences, individual choices, and born nature when these things do no harm. Respect virtues, and eliminate vices.
Religion to me is a quest to understand mysteries about life and existence. Religion is not for everybody. If practicing religion people should do it for themselves, and not demand others conform to it. Society should be free enough that religions can share their ideas and truths with others.
Religion seems to be personal practice. It's not meant to govern all people nor rule over all people.
Language is far more influential, powerful, insightful, and useful than any religion. I guess if I had my way I'd change all those things about religion. Religion gets too much credit for things being better.
We can't know as to this question, and the likelihood is that religions were inevitable anyway. But we perhaps can know as to religions just being a passing phase when enough people perhaps see them more as baggage and conflict-inducing so as for them to have less influence in our future.
Roll on the future.
One doesn't need too much deep thinking to know that many can live happily without religions, and even if they didn't cause all the conflict in our past, they still cause much today and probably will into the future - and some no doubt will remain as baggage to progress.
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I think one way to think this is to compare former Christian nations to non-christian, what are the differences.