A World Without A Religion?

[dre 0]

Human nature is to love and rely on each other, its natural instinct

I notice someone has yet to read Lord of the Flies.

[bittr 0]

It's kind of funny how the votes are still very tight, 60 to 61 in this moment.And no wonder there are already 30 pages with comments to this topic, after all, this is a per-se religious debate (you know, that kind of debate that never ends and no-one can convince others of anything, as the basis of the discussion - if the beligerents believe in God or not - is already set and cannot be changed).Now, to put my opinion so I can be hated, I voted for Yes, the world would be better without a religion.I'm not going to talk to much, because I know I'd be wasting my breath on people who already have strong opinions about their faith. I think mostly coward people, and people who are very conformist and afraid to question their ancestors' decisions get to be religious. And a world without religion would be better in the first place because you wouldn't have religious fanatism, like muslim fanatism, but also like groups who fight against abortion and science researches in the West.You can kill me now

[Pankyy 0]

It's kind of funny how the votes are still very tight, 60 to 61 in this moment.
And no wonder there are already 30 pages with comments to this topic, after all, this is a per-se religious debate (you know, that kind of debate that never ends and no-one can convince others of anything, as the basis of the discussion - if the beligerents believe in God or not - is already set and cannot be changed).

Now, to put my opinion so I can be hated, I voted for Yes, the world would be better without a religion.
I'm not going to talk to much, because I know I'd be wasting my breath on people who already have strong opinions about their faith. I think mostly coward people, and people who are very conformist and afraid to question their ancestors' decisions get to be religious. And a world without religion would be better in the first place because you wouldn't have religious fanatism, like muslim fanatism, but also like groups who fight against abortion and science researches in the West.
You can kill me now

Although I have to agree with you that a world without religion could be better, I don't think that the abortion topic fits into religion, at least not entirely. In the case of abortion you're protecting life. We're not just talking about a "life that has been given by God" nor any thing like that but what could be another human being. Maybe it has a religious point but I think not everyone who is fighting against it is religious. (I am not against nor OK about abortion, never really thought too much about it).

Even though I said that a world without religion could actually be better, I don't see too many influence for it (not in my country). It would give end to the endless battle between science and religion, and science could be even more developed, if it hasn't been because of many religious matters, in the past there would were a lot of discoveries that would have helped to the past as well to the future (if you don't believe me, ask copernicus when postuled his heliocentric cosmology and stuff).

[Ash-Bash 0]

Well I'm sure the world be no world, And if there was every one would be a hooker having crack every day. So I am so glad there is

[Misanthrope 0]

Without the benefit of reading the entire thread, allow me to quickly interject a random thought on the matter: Nature abhors a vacuum. When you remove a core system the mass of people have been raised to believe in, you must, out of necessity, replace it with another - or so Machiavelli's, "The Prince" would have it. Read this work if you want an inside track on how the elite form the sheep's culture and opinion to their own end. One need look no further than the recent example of Communist China to see the outcome. That is, the State makes God (as we know him) illegal and replaces him with, well, the State. In the meantime, mass genocide on a scale FAR surpassing the over-hyped German holocaust occurs. I believe the State is currently creating a new-world ethic based on the "green" movement (aka, environmentalism) to provide a gap between traditional religion and the new fascism they have in mind for the mass of slaves that make up the bulk of society. Those willing to espouse traditional religion in favor of The State would be well advised to study their history. Understand I am not arguing for or against religion per se. I merely point out the naive folly inherent in Utopian idealism. I submit once we get past personal ideological bias and recognize the fallen nature of man, the truth is painfully obvious.

[iGuest 3]

Response to A World w/o ReligionA World Without A Religion?

The world would not be better off without religion.  Rather it would be better off without mankind's maniupulation of that religion.  Being a Catholic my whole life, I've acquired the morality and intellect on how to lead a good life.  Now perhaps, good is a relative term, but I simply mean a life free from jealousy, from envy, from greed, from murder, from theft. I believe that without religion, morality would  not exist, and survival of the fittest would rule the earth.  I am tried and true to my belief system and I will be to my end, even after I have witnessed national tragedy and personal tragedy.  But I am not so arrogant to point out that my religion is the only way to salvation.  If everyone knew of Jesus, then there wouldn't be much need for faith.  I sometimes dance with the thought of God representing himself to in different ways just to see if we'd all get along.  If you take a deep look into most religions, you will find love, charity, peace.  If you look to see mankind's application, you will see terror, war, hatred, disgust.  Religion so there in fact is not flawed, rather only mankind's application of it.  For his desire for power, for greed, for lust.  It is unfortunate, but an important in my religion Catholiscism, that we are all given free will.  We all individually choose on how to live our lives, whether we acknowledge God existence or not, it is not our purpose to judge others, for that single garauntee in life is that we will all eventually die and face our judgement.  The confusing and often confounding thing for me is too look at mankind's manipulation and justification of using Religion as a tool of opression and persecution.  Too highlight one of the statements above regarding gay marriage, I am a heterosexual, I am marrying a beautiful woman, my best friend, it is not in my power to ascertain or even begin to understand whether or not homosexuality is a choice or if it's all together something else.  My organization and my Church protects the sacrement of Marriage between a man and a woman, but I am entitled to my views as a man, individually thanks to free will, the power to choose.  Be careful with this question, because all too often we're quick to blame the word, but not the manipulaiton of it.  God Bless.   

-reply by Zippity Duda

 

[iGuest 3]

My ForteA World Without A Religion?

 I answered this question in my history class:

1-no dead soldiers  2-no churches built by poor people who call themselves preachers to avoid taxes  3-all conflict is based on region and race, not religion  4-faster development of technology and science without superstition to fill in the blanks   5- better hospitals that know each patient has only 1 life   6-a world without religion is a world where the twin towers still stand    7-if God created everything, he is responsible for terrorism and 9/11 and if he existed first he created the devil then !  8- our time system wouldn't be based on jesus's death so we would be in the year ???? billion  9- less stupid people  10-if logic is increased then diplomacy is increased and good bye war   11- no more marriage... Most people don't realize it's a religious ceremony... If it stays it will only be for widow benefits   12- LOGIC-we bury people in the ground instead of in boxes thereby increasing the number of corpses in the soil thereby eventually making oil a renewable resource and saving money on coffin timber

there's more but this paper I wrote was HUGE..

the only con to a world without religion isss... Less interjections. EXAMPLE:"Jesus Christ! did you see that unicorn!?"

and as for christianity... It's a religion started by a jew(Jesus), thereby a sect of judaism and not really its own religion. Hitler should have targeted christians for they are a religion below that of the jewish people... A slave population united under 1 jew.

-reply by TOM ESPOKeywords: world without religion

[iGuest 3]

saddenA World Without A Religion?

hello all. I'm a agnostic pagan. I believe goodness is in the nature of us all though we sometimes don't think with minds. wolves don't kill fellow pack members unless rebelled or if others threaten their pack. When a fellow wolf is injured the others will lick the wound. And help. Even following nature we should learn of goodness yet strength when needed. Religion hasnt done me any good for the past few months. All religions want the same thing and changes show in the branches of religion. Cuz we are all different. Sometimes I wounder if we are in heaven as it is just that some don't see it as because the lost common sence of men(the generalality of men and women). Buddhist had good morals and was created 500 years before christianity. Buddhist are peaceful people (when they are). Ive cried so much lately for the confussion of the world. I wish we could all just get along and enjoy the world inwhich we ALL live in. We can be individuals with acceptance of others. I believe people cant help what they believe. Its as different as the finger print on our fingers. aprox 150,000 different religions. I love the world for the world I just hate how the world is ran. People follow someone elses heart instead of their own. Bad ideas come from parents and as I once seen. "the cure for crime is not the electric chair its the high chair". I also believe the the most golden rule ever besides the idea of karma which ive seen at work deeply and the "treat others as you would want to be treated".  I don't believe in evil nor hell. I believe that we are all good at heart only we are misconceptive of the mistakes people make everyday. Though deep down they don't want it.

my goal. The thing I want to see before I die is to see buddhist shake hands with muslims and atheist to shake hands with the religious. For every one to be open minded of others ideas(but of course with personal filters as every one is different.)

[iGuest 3]

 There's no argument here, the world would be better off. Just imagine how much religion has affected history and separated people... No annoying holocaust unit in school which lasts like... 5 years lol. I honestly started cracking holocaust jokes in school after the 6th year of blah blah nazis blah blah jews blah blah paperclips. 

Lets all live in separate states... 1 for atheists, 1 for jews, 1 for christians, etc...

Atheists will do fine alone, population under control, extremely good hospitals, etc.

EVERYONE ELSE: dead due to wars over conversion.

If you want clarification look up some george carlin stuff

-reply by TOM ESPO

 

[iGuest 3]

Order of HumanityA World Without A Religion?

I believe that lots of good opinions have gone forth above. Would man be better off without religion?  I had this same question which lead me to the google search which led me here.  One could argue that we wouldnt have all of the religious wars and conflicts that have taken place over the centuries.  One could say that religion is just a way for those in power to control the numerous masses.  At its core I think that religion in like many other things in that it can lead to good or bad but which is up to the individual.  If you think about it, money and how its gained for example, is similar.  It can be used to build great things and help multitudes, feed countless, etc.  It can also be horded, swindled, stolen, idolled, killed for. This is up to the individual.  I think that in the earlier days religion was very much a necessity.  If we look at the basic commandments that I'm sure we all have heard of, "don't kill", "don't steal", "don't have sex with your nieghboors spouse", "don't covet others' possessions", etc.

These I believe have helped to prevent more war and keep the peace more than anything.  To think of something bigger, and greater than anything you can imagine and "All seeing" and all knowing at that! Able to know if you are doing wrong or right and punishing you not only here but even after death...  This would help to keep people in line even when the soldiers or police of the day werent there to insure it. Also, if you look at some of the other laws of the old testimate like, wash before eating these things and don't eat these other things...  this was useful in keeping people healthy.

In the end I think that I agree with something another person said above...  That if its not religion that people are fighting about, it would be something else. Be it land, or natural resources, or skin color, or "I'm bigger and stronger than you are so try to keep me from taking your stuff!"

[nol 0]

Religion won't help anything. Personally I pray to one god, but that doesn't mean I believe he is a man. Or a woman. Or a African American. Or a white person. Or a Hispanic, Or anything of that nature. I believe there is one all mighty energy, that created what we call life.However me surpressing my religious views onto you won't make a difference whether or not the world will be better. If there was no religions, we would still have violence. If we did not have gangs, we would still have violence. Violence is human nature in my eyes. We can't contain it, and it is our way of solving things. Getting rid of religion will not get rid of violence. Getting rid of violence will not take away religion.I believe that in order to achieve world peace, we either need a lot of ganja, or we need to start sympathizing towards others. Otherwise I doubt we will ever have world peace. It is just impossible to fit everybodies needs and wants.

[webishqiptar 0]

I don't know if there will ever be peace in the world, but I am sure that we cannot live without religion. Here you are totally wrong because you link religion to mass, or to violence. Religion is about individual belief, and support from God. If you think you are as good as to need no help, you are wrong. Everyone, even he is the richest, or the cleverest in the world needs some support, and support comes from God, and from religion.Human nature, is conflictual since early days of human life, I guess you know what I mean. If we get back and think of the wars that happened the recent years, you will see all about wars is power, money and oil. So everyone is fighting to declare his power or to steal someone's resources.What can religion help? Religion tells to help poor people, to be a good person, to respect your parents and lots of other good stuff that can be classified to goodies toward peace. If no religion was conflicts could arise and morality and dignity would not exist.

[jayzeed 0]

Religion is important to society, Humans live to fulfill religion.Christians live to please god, and do good, but think about it, if everyone only does good, only so much can be done,Its like a recharchable battery, when you get it full, you should remove it, and not put it back in untill its low.Religion drives people, it makes them do things they normaly wouldnt, or vice versa. I personally am a religious pacifist, because all life is, is molecules upon molecules, but if i died, i would prefer to be classified as Catholic.i went to CCD for 6 years.i was baptized. i have had my first communion. i will have a preist on my death-bed, i go to church once a month, etcPeople who do good to not go to hell are not "Good" people.

[iGuest 3]

Religion is the greatest ill facing humanity, there is absolutely no question we would all be much better off without it. Religion, as some respondants have pointed out, do have a handful of small positive qualities, but these are completely dwarfed by the violence, intolerance, ignorance, and utter stupidity that religions, Christianity and Islam more so than others, breeds and promotes.

Religion does nothing for society but halt and combat progress. Either by promoting violence in the form of religious extremism, halting scientific and educational progress as christian fundamentalists and conservatives in the United States do by opposing stem cell research and the teaching of the evolutionary "theory" (it's not a theory in truth, evolution is well evidenced fact at this point).

Religion (the vast majority at least) is a way of explaining things that ancient man could not possibly know, such as what happens when one dies or how the world was created and where everything on it came from. Thanks to advances in scientific knowledge, we know the answers to the questions or at least know so much more about them. Religion is now obsolete and unneeded. It is now little more than a vestigial throwback to a less desirable time, and those that would still cling to it can be likened to children clinging to a security blanket they have long outgrown. Society will keep moving forward, but religion will be left behind.

[iGuest 3]

what next??A World Without A Religion?

I have been pondering versions of this question for years and truly still have no answer, though I do believe that the existence of a invisible oniscient omnipotent being is a little far fetched. I do recognise the need for "belief" or "faith" when people are living joyful happy lives in their chosen religions there is absolutely no reason to strip them of that belief.

But they the religious aswell as the atheist, scientist, etc need to respect other peoples beliefs as they ask others to respect theirs and fundamentally, they do not, so even the smallest among the religious amongst us is predetermend to be closed minded toward anything that may contradict their belief system unlike science which has no absolutes not even evolution is believed absolutley by real science. Don't forget it was believed once, absolutley, that the world was flat and the sun revolved around us and the people who believed otherwise were tortured and killed as witches and heretics. Now even modern religions believe the world is round and we revolve around the sun.

People also have a misconception on what science is. It is about the research and understanding of the natural world. Looking at and trying to understand what it is that we are surrounded by from the molecules to the enormity of space and time. Aswell as many other exploits into technology and medicines of which without we wouldn't (at least in our so called western world) have our comforts and infomation at the ready when we want them.

It's not to say that science isn't abusing it's power over the modern world, nuclear and other weapons are a direct result of allowing the theory then testing then (unfortunately) using on two cities in Japan.

If religion is or could be a truly personal belief I put foward that it would be a great and complete thing, but as soon as we allow others to tell us what is and what isn't, it becomes politics not a relious experience.

We have an oppotunity to teach morals and love and dignity to others without telling them they are wrong lets try it and we'll see where that takes us...

oh yeah and let's get rid of consumerism aswell...

if you read all that thanx I hope I made some sense

-reply by Shane