Earth: 0% religion

[Xavier Graham]

What if there was no religion? What if everyone was an atheist? How would the world look like? Would it be better or worse for planet Earth? For humanity?

Allow me to frame this question in two ways.

First, suppose that society and homo sapiens developed without religion. How would've that looked like? Is it possible for a being to evolve intelligently and remain non superstitious? Where would we be now?

Second, suppose that the next generation decides that religion isn't for them and atheism becomes the majority "religion". How would the near future look? Where would society go if humanity began discarding religion on mass from this point on?

 

[Father Heathen]

There would probably be a lot less scientific illiteracy.

 

[We Never Know]

There would probably be a lot less scientific illiteracy.

illiteracy or denial. There is a difference.

 

[lewisnotmiller]

What if there was no religion? What if everyone was an atheist? How would the world look like? Would it be better or worse for planet Earth? For humanity?

Allow me to frame this question in two ways.

First, suppose that society and homo sapiens developed without religion. How would've that looked like? Is it possible for a being to evolve intelligently and remain non superstitious? Where would we be now?

Second, suppose that the next generation decides that religion isn't for them and atheism becomes the majority "religion". How would the near future look? Where would society go if humanity began discarding religion on mass from this point on?

Atheism doesn't say enough about what these hypothetical humans are like. If we assume they're all wonderful humans...like me...ahem...then the world will be wonderful with more atheism.

But in my experience, atheists aren't all the same. So...who the hell knows?

Apart from God, of course, but since he doesn't often post here...

 

[Father Heathen]

illiteracy or denial. There is a difference.

Willful illiteracy is still illiteracy.

 

[Father Heathen]

Apart from God, of course, but since he doesn't often post here...

...or does he? Any one of us might be his puppet account.

 

[Augustus]

What if there was no religion? What if everyone was an atheist? How would the world look like? Would it be better or worse for planet Earth? For humanity?

Allow me to frame this question in two ways.

First, suppose that society and homo sapiens developed without religion. How would've that looked like? Is it possible for a being to evolve intelligently and remain non superstitious? Where would we be now?

Second, suppose that the next generation decides that religion isn't for them and atheism becomes the majority "religion". How would the near future look? Where would society go if humanity began discarding religion on mass from this point on?

The problem with this question is that there is no meaningful way to distinguish "religion" from other ideologies.

Humans require either religion or some functionally equivalent ideology.

While people often think of religion as being divisive, it is probably the biggest unifying force ion human history. The idea it is divisive assumes we are naturally united unless something divides us, but this gets the process backwards. We started off as atomised small groups and required things like religion to create artificial bonds of kinship that allowed us to form cohesive groups larger than can be maintained by direct personal relationships (which is why our close relatives like chimps live in small groups).

So to form societies we needed religion or a religion equivalent. If we didn't have this we would still live in smallish communities, and if we did invent this it would have the same effects as (man made) religions do.

If now everyone became irreligious, we would see many new ideologies emerging as people don't simply renounce religion, they replace it with something else. The parts of the world that are most religious now would likely be the major source of these new belief systems as many irreligious world views are heavily dependent on the Western cultural tradition.

Any idea that can be framed in religious terms can easily be framed in "secular" terms too. Many of the people attracted to rigid, dogmatic religions would find new rigid, dogmatic ideologies and we can absolutely guarantee, is they wouldn't all (or even mostly) become moderate Secular Humanists.

Basically there is no way of knowing what would happen, so there is no reason to assume that it would make anything better and it could very easily make things worse.

 

[lewisnotmiller]

...or does he? Any one of us might be his puppet account.

Wouldn't his puppet account be called 'Jesus'?

 

[Exaltist Ethan]

The way I see religion it is a way to express perfection. God is perfection, Heaven is perfection, if you believe in Jesus you believe he is perfect. Take that away and suddenly it would be a lot harder for people to imagine the perfection they seek for. My own discipline of Exaltism practices that evolution and its natural byproduct extropy are a means to become perfect ourselves. Remove that and nobody knows why they exist anymore. Ask someone who doesn't have religion why they exist. Chances are they have no clue or are simply nihilist. I avoid nihilism like a plague and prefer, like the Baha'is on this forum suggest, to be a believer of God and religion, even if no established religion has reached my point of faith yet.

 

[lewisnotmiller]

The way I see religion it is a way to express perfection. God is perfection, Heaven is perfection, if you believe in Jesus you believe he is perfect. Take that away and suddenly it would be a lot harder for people to imagine the perfection they seek for. My own discipline of Exaltism practices that evolution and its natural byproduct extropy are a means to become perfect ourselves. Remove that and nobody knows why they exist anymore. Ask someone who doesn't have religion why they exist. Chances are they have no clue or are simply nihilist. I avoid nihilism like a plague and prefer, like the Baha'is on this forum suggest, to be a believer of God and religion, even if no established religion has reached my point of faith yet.

Prefer?
I'm not sure your beliefs are linked to what you 'prefer'.
Of course, stated beliefs can be, but that's a different thing.

And perfect is the enemy of good.

 

[Ben Dhyan]

What if there was no religion? What if everyone was an atheist? How would the world look like? Would it be better or worse for planet Earth? For humanity?

Allow me to frame this question in two ways.

First, suppose that society and homo sapiens developed without religion. How would've that looked like? Is it possible for a being to evolve intelligently and remain non superstitious? Where would we be now?

Second, suppose that the next generation decides that religion isn't for them and atheism becomes the majority "religion". How would the near future look? Where would society go if humanity began discarding religion on mass from this point on?

There is no such place as Hell in existence, so there is not much point imagining one.

 

[Twilight Hue]

What if there was no religion? What if everyone was an atheist? How would the world look like? Would it be better or worse for planet Earth? For humanity?

Allow me to frame this question in two ways.

First, suppose that society and homo sapiens developed without religion. How would've that looked like? Is it possible for a being to evolve intelligently and remain non superstitious? Where would we be now?

Second, suppose that the next generation decides that religion isn't for them and atheism becomes the majority "religion". How would the near future look? Where would society go if humanity began discarding religion on mass from this point on?

It would certainly be a much easier go dealing with actual real existing problems than nonsensical made up imaginary ones.

 

[stvdv]

What if there was no religion? What if everyone was an atheist? How would the world look like? Would it be better or worse for planet Earth? For humanity?

Allow me to frame this question in two ways.

First, suppose that society and homo sapiens developed without religion. How would've that looked like? Is it possible for a being to evolve intelligently and remain non superstitious? Where would we be now?

Second, suppose that the next generation decides that religion isn't for them and atheism becomes the majority "religion". How would the near future look? Where would society go if humanity began discarding religion on mass from this point on?

Will be worse w/o Spirituality

 

[Heyo]

What if there was no religion? What if everyone was an atheist? How would the world look like? Would it be better or worse for planet Earth? For humanity?

Allow me to frame this question in two ways.

First, suppose that society and homo sapiens developed without religion. How would've that looked like? Is it possible for a being to evolve intelligently and remain non superstitious? Where would we be now?

Second, suppose that the next generation decides that religion isn't for them and atheism becomes the majority "religion". How would the near future look? Where would society go if humanity began discarding religion on mass from this point on?

First, there would be no atheists. A-theism is a result of theism. And it seems there is a way of humans to have no religion as there are (very few) tribes in the Amazon who don't have a concept of gods.

Second, it has already begun. As much as religion may have been useful in the past, it seems to be obsolete now. We don't need that crutch any more.

 

[Sedim Haba]

What if there was no religion? What if everyone was an atheist? How would the world look like? Would it be better or worse for planet Earth? For humanity?

Allow me to frame this question in two ways.

First, suppose that society and homo sapiens developed without religion. How would've that looked like? Is it possible for a being to evolve intelligently and remain non superstitious? Where would we be now?

Would this ban on religion cover ALL spirituality? How about mythology? Magic? Shamanism? OR is it just the absence of a creator who makes demands?

Second, suppose that the next generation decides that religion isn't for them and atheism becomes the majority "religion". How would the near future look? Where would society go if humanity began discarding religion on mass from this point on?

Isn't that how it is now??? Same same.

 

[Heyo]

Would this ban on religion

Ban on religion? Nobody is supposing a ban. The questions were about religion never have been evolved and wilfully abandoned.

 

[Sedim Haba]

Ban on religion? Nobody is supposing a ban. The questions were about religion never have been evolved and wilfully abandoned.

Ban, abandoned, the question still stands. All spirituality or just religion?

 

[Xavier Graham]

Ban, abandoned, the question still stands. All spirituality or just religion?

Hmm. Organized religion is easy to picture being banned.

All spirituality is harder to imagine. But let's go with that. Is it even possible?

 

[Sedim Haba]

Hmm. Organized religion is easy to picture being banned.

All spirituality is harder to imagine. But let's go with that. Is it even possible?

I don't think so. Even without a creator god, or a creator god who is absent (like now)
there would still be spirituality, in some way shape or form.
One would ask,
'is this all there is?'

 

[Heyo]

I don't think so. Even without a creator god, or a creator god who is absent (like now)
there would still be spirituality, in some way shape or form.
One would ask,
'is this all there is?'

I agree. Any intelligent being would form a hypothesis how something is happening and naturally most of them would be false. That's a basis for personal spirituality. Religion is when false hypothesis are crystallised into a shared, cultural, false belief.