What would the world be like without religion?

[Gone]

I don't think you can eradicate religion/(spiritual) beliefs. Everyone believes in something. Some believe in a god or more than one, some believe in some supernatural power, some believe in science, some believe they don't believe in anything.
And it's natural for people who believe in similar things to flock together, invent rituals and pass on their beliefs to their children.

 

[Lark]

I don't think you can eradicate religion/(spiritual) beliefs. Everyone believes in something. Some believe in a god or more than one, some believe in some supernatural power, some believe in science, some believe they don't believe in anything.
And it's natural for people who believe in similar things to flock together, invent rituals and pass on their beliefs to their children.

We're seeing that at the minute among populations of people who're probably the most likely to think of themselves as irreligious or even anti-religious. They're inventing their own traditions and norms and seeking to displace other earlier ones.

I'm really, really doubtful that its going to be any improvement on what's gone before. Time is already telling on much of it.

 

[draon9]

If there was no religion in the world, this world would be a lot more honest and not divided. the goal of religion is to divide people and keep them from seeing the big picture,whether in their personal lives or in the real world. People will be a lot more honest about themselves

 

[Jaguar]

Peaceful.

 

[Mole]

It is in our nature to become, but we don't know what we will become, so we throw ourselves into the unknown with religion.

It's a risky endeavour, as we take a deep breath stepping into the unknown.

 

[Virtual ghost]

As the second worlder I see only two real general options.


The state becomes a new god or there is a golden age of science and exploration.

 

[Lark]

As the second worlder I see only two real general options.


The state become a new god or there is a golden age of science and exploration.

I actually see a lot of the former in the actual first world today.

Also dont see many people still using the old Wallerstein worlds system theory categories anymore.

 

[Tater]

Basically we should tax the Catholic church and use the tax revenue to nuke the Vatican.

 

[Lark]

Basically we should tax the Catholic church and use the tax revenue to nuke the Vatican.

Because hating on Roman Catholics is the last acceptable prejudice?

Got it.

 

[Tater]

Got it.

 

[Coriolis]

Peaceful.

I doubt it, since economic factors are at the root of most conflicts anyway. Religion is just a convenient motivator/distraction in the hands of leaders.

 

[Lark]

I doubt it, since economic factors are at the root of most conflicts anyway. Religion is just a convenient motivator/distraction in the hands of leaders.

You mean...

The history of all heretofore societies is the history of class struggles?!

I actually think Weber is better in his analysis than Marx but Marx is a shorter and easier read a lot of the time, once you read all the intros which explain what the hell he was trying to do, the context etc.

 

[Jaguar]

Peaceful.

 

[Coriolis]

You mean...

The history of all heretofore societies is the history of class struggles?!

I actually think Weber is better in his analysis than Marx but Marx is a shorter and easier read a lot of the time, once you read all the intros which explain what the hell he was trying to do, the context etc.

I mean exactly what I said: economic issues are at the root of most conflict. If you are equating economics with class, well, that is a matter of semantics I am not going to bother with.

 

[Lark]

I mean exactly what I said: economic issues are at the root of most conflict. If you are equating economics with class, well, that is a matter of semantics I am not going to bother with.

I was making a joke and quoting a famous line from the communist manifesto.

Because the best jokes are ones that you have to explain.

 

[Maou]

Exactly the same, but woreshipping things other than gods.

 

[Mole]

We are faced with the unknown and religion shows us the way. So if religion didn't exist, we would need to invent something that threw us into the unknown.

Religion consoles us as we step into the unknown.

 

[meowington]

So if religion didn't exist, we would need to invent something that threw us into the unknown.

aka religion.

It's likely that religion partly is what we invent or invented to explain the unknown.
I recall a hypothetical story by Carl Sagan where he suggested that when cavemen first saw forest fires (caused by lightning for example) they said that the fire itself was an angry fire god. I've always considered that as a very plausible example of how religion comes to be.

 

[Lark]

Exactly the same, but woreshipping things other than gods.

While I think its likely to be things, it could also be things and people, one of the greatest breakthroughs in Jewish monotheism was to conclude once and for all that God was incorporeal and therefore not, for instance, some Persian King.

 

[Lark]

aka religion.

It's likely that religion partly is what we invent or invented to explain the unknown.
I recall a hypothetical story by Carl Sagan where he suggested that when cavemen first saw forest fires (caused by lightning for example) they said that the fire itself was an angry fire god. I've always considered that as a very plausible example of how religion comes to be.

That's true, and it was a work of fiction, but I once read this fantastic story about a modern day man who is on a tourist guide of China and is time warped back to ancient China, he almost starves before a Taoist travelling monk takes him under is wing and some how can speak to him and understand him. The thing is he discovers that ALL the stories are true, and then some, like witnesses dragons fighting and magical cures etc.

The whole time he's going through all this he's just like WTF is going on here? The narrative, if I remember it right, goes on about the physics, the human mind, some ideas that sound a little like Bishop Berkley's metaphysical idealism.

I am inclined not to believe too many wild claims but there are plenty of good accounts of completely weird crypto-zoology or just totally damnable phenomenon, maybe the cave men did see fire sprites or something and we should just all be thankful those things are a thing of the past