What if......

[Daemon Sophic]

Just a thought for the day, brought to us by another; not me.


If we brought all of the religious writings, and everything religion-related together on one day, and destroyed them, while simultaneously erasing the memories of all religions from every person on the planet......
and at the exact same time, we gather all scientific journals and documents and books and recordings and memories from every person on the planet, and we also destroyed them......

.....Then 1000 years later, all of the scientific journals and texts and thoughts would be back exactly the way they are written now; whereas (short of the coming of some new “Messiah”) all of the religious texts and temples and thoughts would never be renewed.
This is simply because the science exists in the real world and can be tested and proven just the same way we’ve been doing it. But short of some Messiah-figure proclaiming divine knowledge, sans evidence, nothing from any religion or any religious text would ever be replicated. And even if it was, it would be completely different from the religions that we currently have on Earth.

 

[Darkforbid]

Human imagination isn't that limited buddy

 

[McBell]

Except with absolutely no way to test it, it is merely a bold empty claim

 

[Rival]

This is why they're known as 'revealed religions'.

Nobody has made the argument that humans would just magically come up with the exact religion G-d would want us to follow without some intervention from, you know, G-d.

 

[sun rise]

it would be completely different from the religions that we currently have on Earth.

Given that religions have a common core that is expressed as love, compassion, kindness, community feeling and so forth, the word "completely" is not correct.

The details would be different as book covers differ, but the essence would be the same.

 

[dybmh]

Then 1000 years later

1000 years is too short, isn't it?

Given 5000 years, I think religions would evolve in a similar manner as they have in the real world.

 

[Twilight Hue]

Just a thought for the day, brought to us by another; not me.


If we brought all of the religious writings, and everything religion-related together on one day, and destroyed them, while simultaneously erasing the memories of all religions from every person on the planet......
and at the exact same time, we gather all scientific journals and documents and books and recordings and memories from every person on the planet, and we also destroyed them......

.....Then 1000 years later, all of the scientific journals and texts and thoughts would be back exactly the way they are written now; whereas (short of the coming of some new “Messiah”) all of the religious texts and temples and thoughts would never be renewed.
This is simply because the science exists in the real world and can be tested and proven just the same way we’ve been doing it. But short of some Messiah-figure proclaiming divine knowledge, sans evidence, nothing from any religion or any religious text would ever be replicated. And even if it was, it would be completely different from the religions that we currently have on Earth.

Good point.

As far as I can tell the science is a constant. While discoveries themselves may be different, as well as the results such as the configuration of machinery, the underlying principles will still remain.

Religion will be a different story. If people had to rebuild, start again, I'm quite confident it would be vastly alien to how we see the various religions now.

 

[exchemist]

Just a thought for the day, brought to us by another; not me.


If we brought all of the religious writings, and everything religion-related together on one day, and destroyed them, while simultaneously erasing the memories of all religions from every person on the planet......
and at the exact same time, we gather all scientific journals and documents and books and recordings and memories from every person on the planet, and we also destroyed them......

.....Then 1000 years later, all of the scientific journals and texts and thoughts would be back exactly the way they are written now; whereas (short of the coming of some new “Messiah”) all of the religious texts and temples and thoughts would never be renewed.
This is simply because the science exists in the real world and can be tested and proven just the same way we’ve been doing it. But short of some Messiah-figure proclaiming divine knowledge, sans evidence, nothing from any religion or any religious text would ever be replicated. And even if it was, it would be completely different from the religions that we currently have on Earth.

Not a bit of it. What we would have, within months, would be all the New Age crystals-and-s**t back again, eventually followed by someone who who would lead a more serious and thoughtful spiritual movement of some kind. All you have to do is a look around you at the more secular of modern societies to see that the need for a spiritual and meditative dimension in people's lives is fundamental to the human race. At my son's school, parents are invited to get involved in a new fad called "mindfulness". Perhaps you have come across it. This is basically prayer for the irreligious.

 

[PureX]

Just a thought for the day, brought to us by another; not me.


If we brought all of the religious writings, and everything religion-related together on one day, and destroyed them, while simultaneously erasing the memories of all religions from every person on the planet......
and at the exact same time, we gather all scientific journals and documents and books and recordings and memories from every person on the planet, and we also destroyed them......

.....Then 1000 years later, all of the scientific journals and texts and thoughts would be back exactly the way they are written now; whereas (short of the coming of some new “Messiah”) all of the religious texts and temples and thoughts would never be renewed.
This is simply because the science exists in the real world and can be tested and proven just the same way we’ve been doing it. But short of some Messiah-figure proclaiming divine knowledge, sans evidence, nothing from any religion or any religious text would ever be replicated. And even if it was, it would be completely different from the religions that we currently have on Earth.

We would invent the gods we need to believe exist, just as we have always done.

 

[Daemon Sophic]

Given that religions have a common core that is expressed as love, compassion, kindness, community feeling and so forth, the word "completely" is not correct.

The details would be different as book covers differ, but the essence would be the same.

1000 years is too short, isn't it?

Given 5000 years, I think religions would evolve in a similar manner as they have in the real world.

We would invent the gods we need to believe exist, just as we have always done.

I think that all of you are quite correct. Some sort of meditative spiritual philosophy, possibly with counselors, priests, clerics, or whatever would spring up.
Some would be attempts to understand that which cannot be quantified, while others would simply play off of PT Barnum’s truth, that a sucker is born every minute.
But stories of Jesus’ crucifiction, or Mohammad’s ascension, or even God/Yahweh, etc....would be replaced with other fanciful tales of Bob at the firing squad, or Abdul’s “awakening”, all led by some some supreme being called “Steve”, or something.

The point is that those fanciful stories are just fluff, made up to hold a story together, that has no basis in verifiable and testable laws or facts.

 

[A Vestigial Mote]

Given 5000 years, I think religions would evolve in a similar manner as they have in the real world.

No doubt some religions would arise, surely. But I think the OP's point was that their CONTENT would be entirely different from what we have now. The OP also juxtaposed this with the content of scientific offerings - which would necessarily be much the same.

 

[dybmh]

No doubt some religions would arise, surely. But I think the OP's point was that their CONTENT would be entirely different from what we have now. The OP also juxtaposed this with the content of scientific offerings - which would necessarily be much the same.

When I look at religions from a cultural perspective, I see them looking at natural occurrences and trying to understand them before science was able to explain them: floods, rainbows, volcanoes, constellations, etc... I think that people would, in this hypothetical scenario, still attempt to explain these natural phenomena using religion. And if given 5000 years instead of 1000, I think that the world's religions in general would evolve in much the same way that they did now. It's just human nature to try to explain nature using the tools and knowledge that they have at the time?

Maybe I'm misunderstanding the OP.... I just re-read it... And I'm imagining the scenario as moving back in time. Maybe it's intended to be present day?

 

[Milton Platt]

Just a thought for the day, brought to us by another; not me.


If we brought all of the religious writings, and everything religion-related together on one day, and destroyed them, while simultaneously erasing the memories of all religions from every person on the planet......
and at the exact same time, we gather all scientific journals and documents and books and recordings and memories from every person on the planet, and we also destroyed them......

.....Then 1000 years later, all of the scientific journals and texts and thoughts would be back exactly the way they are written now; whereas (short of the coming of some new “Messiah”) all of the religious texts and temples and thoughts would never be renewed.
This is simply because the science exists in the real world and can be tested and proven just the same way we’ve been doing it. But short of some Messiah-figure proclaiming divine knowledge, sans evidence, nothing from any religion or any religious text would ever be replicated. And even if it was, it would be completely different from the religions that we currently have on Earth.

Have heard this on multiple occasions and I think it is true. You will never convince a theist with this argument, however.

 

[Daemon Sophic]

When I look at religions from a cultural perspective, I see them looking at natural occurrences and trying to understand them before science was able to explain them: floods, rainbows, volcanoes, constellations, etc... I think that people would, in this hypothetical scenario, still attempt to explain these natural phenomena using religion. And if given 5000 years instead of 1000, I think that the world's religions in general would evolve in much the same way that they did now. It's just human nature to try to explain nature using the tools and knowledge that they have at the time?

Maybe I'm misunderstanding the OP.... I just re-read it... And I'm imagining the scenario as moving back in time. Maybe it's intended to be present day?

Yes and no. Yes, people will try to understand what is happening around them, and many will resort to mythology, but the point is as @A Vestigial Mote indicated in post #11, the religions that arise will be different in their texts and background stories than what exist today. So, no. While covering much of the same material, they would not be remotely similar in allegorical tales; and especially not in main characters.
and BTW: The thought exercise was looking forward, not traveling backward in time.

 

[Galateasdream]

To play devil's advocate ...

The argument makes two big assumptions: a) God doesn't actually exist, and b) s/he wouldn't just intervene as before.

If God does exist and had previous revealed themselves, they might just do it again in the same way.

 

[PureX]

The point is that those fanciful stories are just fluff, made up to hold a story together, that has no basis in verifiable and testable laws or facts.

That's basically irrelevant, however, since it does not address in any way the human need for "God", or the actual possibility that God exists.

 

[McBell]

You will never convince a theist with this argument, however.

And rightfully so.
It is nothing more than wishful thinking

 

[Daemon Sophic]

To play devil's advocate ...

The argument makes two big assumptions: a) God doesn't actually exist, and b) s/he wouldn't just intervene as before.

If God does exist and had previous revealed themselves, they might just do it again in the same way.

That's basically irrelevant, however, since it does not address in any way the human need for "God", or the actual possibility that God exists.

Well, if God exists then it can certainly make its presence known. However to this date there has been absolutely no proof at all. Especially no proof to back up what is written in the Bible or Quran or Vedic scrolls or Torah, etc...
If a science text says that water can be split into hydrogen and oxygen gas, or that the gravitational pull of the earth is 9.8m/s^2, or that in the face of antibiotics bacteria or able to evolve into resistant strains......you might say “I don’t believe that text!”. But we can both go out and, by testing, confirm that the science book is correct.

 

[Galateasdream]

Well, if God exists then it can certainly make its presence known. However to this date there has been absolutely no proof at all. Especially no proof to back up what is written in the Bible or Quran or Vedic scrolls or Torah, etc...
If a science text says that water can be split into hydrogen and oxygen gas, or that the gravitational pull of the earth is 9.8m/s^2, or that in the face of antibiotics bacteria or able to evolve into resistant strains......you might say “I don’t believe that text!”. But we can both go out and, by testing, confirm that the science book is correct.

OK, but now you've changed your thought experiment into an argument about 'proof' - a pretty different beast.

 

[A Vestigial Mote]

When I look at religions from a cultural perspective, I see them looking at natural occurrences and trying to understand them before science was able to explain them: floods, rainbows, volcanoes, constellations, etc... I think that people would, in this hypothetical scenario, still attempt to explain these natural phenomena using religion. And if given 5000 years instead of 1000, I think that the world's religions in general would evolve in much the same way that they did now. It's just human nature to try to explain nature using the tools and knowledge that they have at the time?

Maybe I'm misunderstanding the OP.... I just re-read it... And I'm imagining the scenario as moving back in time. Maybe it's intended to be present day?

Think specific content. As in, the God's name is ineffable, or He births a son with a virgin named "Mary" (specifically) to create a human version of (Himself?) super-duper holiness named (again, specifically) "Jesus" or "Yeshua" (or whatever). Or how about that lightning is the result of the anger of a god named "Zeus" (here again, specifically this name), and his blood fell into the froth of the ocean and out rose a goddess named Aphrodite. you get the idea... would these details re-arise? Would they be the same? Would any religion that has ever been believed be reproduced to the exacting specifications they are composed of now?