People don't need religion to lie, steal, murder or do any number of bad things. They use it as an excuse sometimes but they can act just as horrible without it and do.
Would the world be a better place if there was no religion?
by LouBelle 23 Replies latest jw friends
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AK - Jeff
Interesting question, Lou.
I believe that people would war and fight no matter. Though admittedly, some of the bloodiest events in history were connected, or driven by religion. Religion is wider than belief in God IMO. Nationalism can be a religion to many, and of course creates the same divisive spirit at times.
On a micro scale - I believe that most communities benefit from religions within them. Not to say that non-religious people can't provide many of the same charitible and peaceful forces that religion can - but religion gives another element of that, an element that would be missing for a portion of the population that needs someone to charter his/her course in life for them. Some people simply would not act in as much kindness if they didn't believe that God was watching. Their mental construct of God, reinforced by their religion, is all that keeps some in check.
On a micro scale - we likely benefit from religion in our communities. On a macro scale - religion is likely no more divisive than the forces that would replace it should it be gone.
I vote therefore that we would be better off to keep it. I wish I didn't see it that way to be honest, for I would prefer to see it thru Lennon's glasses.
Jeff
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WuzLovesDubs
Being religious never kept anybody from committing sins against their fellow humans. People who follow the guidance of their religions tenets probably are basically good people and would do that stuff anyway even if it wasnt written in some "holy book" some where.
A whole lot less people would have been massacred over the millieniums without religion being the basis for their skirmishes. The middle east is a prime example.
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undercover
Purps listed the lyrics to Lennon's Imagine but notice that Lennon didn't just single out one issue. He mentioned imagining no religion, but he asked us to imagine no countries, no greed, no hunger, and to imagine a brotherhood.
As much as religion has caused many of man's problems over the centuries, even if religion itself didn't exist nationalism, greed and racial differences would just pick up the void that religion left behind.
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jws
Being religious never kept anybody from committing sins against their fellow humans. People who follow the guidance of their religions tenets probably are basically good people and would do that stuff anyway even if it wasnt written in some "holy book" some where.
It's also quite possible that being religious contributes to sins against others. When you believe, as some Christians do, that all you have to do is believe in Jesus and you're saved, who cares what you do now? Or if you can simply pray or confess to wash away your sins and still get some heavenly reward at the end of it all, well, then why not get what you can now by whatever means you can?
I do think the world would be better off without religion. Religion has seemed to breed ignorance and is inherently divisive. Knowledge is the key to understanding one another.
Take religion away. People will probably still fight over race, politics, nationality, economics, etc. They do that now. But without religion used as a tool to motivate people into buying in (like the conservatives use the Religious Right), maybe some of these people would do what's right instead of what'll help impose their religious views on others.
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BurnTheShips
When you believe, as some Christians do, that all you have to do is believe in Jesus and you're saved, who cares what you do now?
I know Christians that believe like this, but they all seem to deeply care about the consequences of their actions (individually and collectively).
BTS
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beksbks
I think it would be slightly better. For reasons along the lines of Tuesdays. Logic and science could gain more foothold. Birth control wouldn't be rejected by so many. etc.
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Nathan Natas
Yes, I think it would be, but I expect that never will come to pass.
The human brain is too prone to delusion, hallucination and the inability to tell the difference between them and reality.
A STAR TREK future is unlikely.
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purplesofa
Actually, I think the bible tells us there will be no religion some day.
After the thousand year reign, the final test.
All things will be handed back to God, (I can't find the scripture)
We all will live our lives in accordance with God's original plan.
There was no mediator, no religion.
purps
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SacrificialLoon
The human brain is too prone to delusion, hallucination and the inability to tell the difference between them and reality.
This begs the question why? I think that religious belief has conveyed an advantage over the (tens) thousands of years that humans have had some form of religious belief. Long enough perhaps for natural selection to take place. Almost every civilization had a religion of some form. Did society come first or did religion? Well since primates are societal creatures I think it's safe to assume that religion came later. So then what happened? Did the religious early humans elimate nonreligious early humans? Did nonreligious early humans see an advantage and adopt religion?
I think that certian beliefs like a belief in an afterlife do give certian advantages to a group. If one believes that one will live on past this life then they would be less afraid to give one's life for their group, and others would be less traumatized by the loss if they believed that this person was alive somewhere else. With all else being equal this would give a society a big advantage over one that doesn't believe in this way, obviously religious cavemen couldn't defeat athiestic spacemen with deathrays. Then there is a curious correlation between religiousness and birth rates. Some that are born to religious parents do not stay religious, but the religious tend to have higher birthrates than nonreligious.
Anyway I think that yes the world could, but I also think that religion has conveyed an evolutionary (societal, and perhaps human too) advantage that needs to be investigated.