What do you think a world without religion would look like? Would it be better

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   JMcFarlandposted 11 years ago

   What do you think a world without religion would look like?  Would it be better or worse?  How?

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   shawneemckee92posted 11 years ago

   A world without religion would be very boring. Personally, I have not chosen a religion that I feel is right for me, BUT I do think that religion has produced many great arts: paintings, music, stories, myths, etc.

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3. 79

   junksellerposted 11 years ago

   Believing in something entirely based on faith isn't necessarily a problem, but it does tend to create two significant problems. One problem is it creates absolutists and missionaries. Absolutists can't believe in anything else and missionaries have to have everyone else believe what they believe. The result is intolerance and hatred. If everyone in the world had some ridiculously crazy religion but was completely accepting of everyone else's crazy religion and lived in peace and harmony than I'd be fine with that. That of course doesn't happen.
   
   The other problem is when it leads to ignoring realities. Climate Change is a good example. Belief in mythologies which require disbelief in reality is a serious problem.
   
   Of course it doesn't take religion to have absolutists and missionaries. Nationalism, for instance, is an ideology which borders on religious conviction and is often entirely based on fictional realities. Same thing with Capitalism.
   
   Without religion (and other dogmas) I think we would be more rational, more grounded in the realities of our world, and more empathetic to our fellow beings. I guess I basically just summarized the enlightenment. We seem to be going backwards in that regard these days. Makes sense I suppose. Thinking requires some degree of serenity and we have built a world of chaos, where the resulting desperation tends towards the simple answers of mythology.

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4. 0

   scottcgruberposted 11 years ago

   It would be a world without humans, I think.
   
   My hypothesis - and bear in mind that my understanding of neuropsychology consists of listening to a bunch of interviews with Oliver Sacks on Radiolab - is that evolution hard-wired us for belief. The same hypersensitive agency detection device that kept our ancestors outside of lions in the Rift Valley also enabled us to accomplish other feats of abstract reasoning - that stones could be sharpened into spear tips, that the hard bits of fruits could be buried and grow into more fruits, and that some berries made you sick and others didn't. These were very useful by-products of our abstract reasoning ability. It was also important to the development of culture, allowing us to create narrative and art and music.
   
   However, our abstract reasoning also got us thinking that invisible super-people were responsible for the Sun and Moon and rains. Combine this with the fact that we are small-group primates, and our reasoning skill becomes a force for tribal cohesion against rival tribes. The rains didn't come this year because those other humans on the other side of the mountain didn't make an offering to the rain god, for example. Fast-forward ten millennia or so and you have entrenched organized religions uniting and dividing huge swaths of the planet.
   
   As I said, it's just a hypothesis. But I think religion is in our genes. We cannot escape it. Even if all world religions were to disappear tonight, we'd find other belief systems and other ways to faction ourselves. We're human. That's what we do.

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5. 46

   Ericdierkerposted 11 years ago

   I assume you mean the organization of people of a particular belief. This concept of religion is man made. That is cool. But the song "imagine" is wise. We too often just meld the concept of Belief in a higher power with religion. The reggae song "Love is my religion" seems to be an invitation into combining faith with love and abolishing organizations all together.
   
   Would anarchy among all believers of higher powers be better than being organized? I really like the idea of Utopia but I do not see it happening soon.
   
   And just to be clear. My religion has some real funk to it, but I like it and even love it. So do not take mine away.

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6. 87

   followthestrayposted 11 years ago

   I think a world without religion would be a better place--but a world without faith/spirituality would be a much worse place.
   
   Let me clarify.  Religion is not the belief in God; religion is the structured rules, regulations, punishments, and hierarchies that MAN has created in the name of God.  Religion is judgmental, discriminating, and a way to maintain power/control over the masses.
   
   Faith/Spirituality is the belief in a higher power.  The name of your God, is irrelevant, it is just the recognition that something greater is connecting all of us and is watching over us. 
   
   I think the world would be better off without religion because most of what we fight about is somehow tied to religion and what our religion tells us is right and which religion is best.  If there was no religion, we'd eliminate all of these truly petty differences.
   
   I think the world would be worse without faith/spirituality because to me, they are the essence of unconditional love.  When you have faith/spirituality in your life you are more likely to extend love, kindness, forgiveness, and grace to others. It is easier to get through difficult times and situations because you believe you are loved and never alone.  People with a strong spiritual background tend to be a lot happier and content with life than those who do not. 
   
   It's no surprise that faith/spirituality is heavily linked with the crown chakra; wisdom and divinity. 
   
   So for me; religion booo, faith/spirituality yay!

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