Would The World Be Better Off Without Religion?

[scy12]

Spiritual is one of those words that doesn't mean anything particular or is used as a metaphor but again it is confusing. I don't think Religion ever helped people comprehend their environment better but it did give them answers to the several questions they had. The answers were wrong but they were answers. Today Religion isn't necessary to give us the answers we seek and we know that the answers it give(ed)s are wrong.

 

[CIVPhilzilla]

No, it would just be a different one. Take a look at the south park episode where Cartman is frozen and doesn't come back until the future when all religion is gone, conflict and strife still exist maybe not over religion but over other stuff. Religion has both positive and negative elements on society, its impossible to isolate it and determine the net effect on society as most elements of society have been impacted one way or another due to religion. Even though religion is often used to justify violence, the same can be said about other ideas that people manipulate to justify their violence.

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

Spiritual is one of those words that doesn't mean anything particular or is used as a metaphor but again it is confusing. I don't think Religion ever helped people comprehend there environment better but it just gave answers to the several questions. The answers were wrong but they were answers. Today Religion isn't necessary to give us answers and we know that the answers it give(ed)s are wrong.

Actually, not all the answers that various religions have given have been shown to be wrong - we just assume they are because there is nothing that shows that they are right. Not a bad assumption to make, but an assumption nonetheless.

 

[Irish Caesar]

Nah, it wouldn't be better.

I'm not sure what kind of state our architecture would be in without centuries of building elaborate tombs for kings descended from gods, temples, churches, mosques, and the like.

Just to name an example I haven't seen anyone mention yet.

 

[civverguy]

The world would be better off without some religions.

 

[Tycoon101]

When you take away religion, you take away absolute rights of humans. If there is not religion, then anything at all can be justified on the basis of self advancement. Unless you feel that genocides to purge humanity are just, then "no" is the only reasonable answer.

Humans do not obey law if the law comes from an equal. However, humans begin to feel that the law is absolute when it comes from something that is above rebuking.

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

Although "humanity" has been seen by some as above individual humans.

Anyways, the "world" is mostly molten rock, with a thick coat of bacteria . . .

 

[warpus]

Humans do not obey law if the law comes from an equal. However, humans begin to feel that the law is absolute when it comes from something that is above rebuking.

You do not think that police officers and judges are your equals?

 

[Red Door]

The world would be better off without some religions.

Yeah, I can name a few Christian denominations that could fall off the Earth and I wouldn't care.

 

[El_Machinae]

Re: the OP, I dunno. Some aspects of religion make people better than they would be. Some aspects make people worse. I figure unprovable reasons to be nice to each other are better than unprovable reasons to hurt each other.

But I don't know enough about the generic human condition to know if we'd better off without an inclination to believe in a higher power.

 

[Tycoon101]

You do not think that police officers and judges are your equals?

Under the law they are. They are also just as killable as any other human.

I'm saying that certain laws are absolute (the Constitution, for example), but I'm not saying that the people who carry those laws out are any higher or lower than me.

 

[Tee Kay]

No. Religion is one factor in helping humans evolve from simple barbarous cavemen to "civilised" people. We would need religion for us to continue to evolve and for our society to last.

Even without religion people would just find a new reason to kill each other.

 

[useless]

religion causes wars. so yes it would be better without it

 

[Nobody]

without religion we would just find other things to fight about.

 

[Leonel]

If religion is opium, then politics must be crack.

Hey! You quoted me!

 

[Perfection]

If there was no religion, then what would inspire the writers of Stargate?

 

[REDY]

No. I think that religion inspired many great people to make great things. Wars are mainly because money, not because religion. Even in Crusades you should see it. I am proud atheist but I think that world without religion would be worse than with.

 

[TheBoatman]

It think it would be pretty much the same. Agressive people would find other reasons for killing. Loving and helpful people would behave the same. Many wars which have been called religious have in fact been ethnic.
Anyway, it is always useful to make difference among faith, religion, and church.

 

[Rossiya]

Should have been a "I don't know" option, as I don't know.

 

[Yoda Power]

I cant imagine the earliest humans developing legal systems before religious moral codes.

But moral codes were probably developed before religon.

The first humans did not need religion in order to survive, but they did need morals, so they would be able to work as a group. Religion only came later.