can you imagine a world without religions? how would it be?

Answer 1

Better. Religion is a tool used to instill good behavior. We should just use truth to instill good behavior. We shouldn't say "Don't murder, 'cause you'll go to Hell". We shouldn't say "Love thy neighbor, 'cause you'll go to Hell if you hate your neighbor". We should say "Don't murder, 'cause you are harming someone else, and that's selfish", and for the good of mankind, we should all live for each other. Not for God, and not for self. 'Cause in a sense, living for God, is really just living for self. Most follow God because they're afraid of going to hell, so they only love because they're afraid not to love. And most only spread God's word out of love for thy neighbor, because they are afraid not to. And what has risen out of this? So many different religions claiming to be right, constantly fighting and killing each other in religious wars. I cannot deny that the bible is full of wisdom, but the means of getting that wisdom across needs to change. **** religion.

PS
Religion claims to be life enhancing, but I believe it to be life demeaning. They keep telling you that sins of the flesh is wrong, and yes, in excess it is wrong. But a little sin every now and then is great fun. Enjoy this life you were blessed with!

(You'll most likely never get another chance)

Answer 2

My concept is that man has three aspects to his being: Mentality (Rationality), emotion (spirituality), and body (physicality). Otherwise known as the Mind, Heart or Spirit, and Body. These aspects each perform a different function: Mind --determination, Heart --valuation, and Body --application. The institutions of man related to these aspects, that study and apply these functions are: Mind --philosophy, Heart/Spirit --theology, and Body --science.

Animals do not, I think, have these aspects in whole or in balance. Therefore, to answer your question, a world without religion would be a world without valuation, and thus would be the state of nature for animals. I don't think we can say it would be a more peaceful existence --It's a dog eat dog world out there.

Actually, you will find similarities here with the biblical idea of the Trinity. Maybe that is intentional, maybe it us coincidental. Maybe that question is more important than the answer.

Answer 3

It depends on how that world got to be without religions. Religion is a highly complex meme that fills many psychological & cultural niches. I think it would be unrealistic to imagine a situation where humanity never develops religion.

We can, however, imagine a post-religion world. Either religion is removed by force (a la Soviet-style forced atheism), or mankind simply evolves beyond the need for it.

As much as freethinkers like myself despise religion and the harm it does, it nevertheless seems like some people can not get by without it:
* Many churches serve as a source of community cohesion and social bonding.
* The concept of an afterlife gives many people comfort and helps them deal with (or at least mask) their fear of death.
* Religions typically act as enforcers of morality.
* Religions also help give people a sense of purpose in life (even if it's made up) and gives (relatively) simple answers about our origins.

In order to get rid of religion entirely, we need to find substitutes for all the purposes it serves. Alternative institutions & philosophies exist for most of these purposes, but part of the religion meme is that religions tend to be very good at keeping out competing memes through their threats (e.g. hell) & authoritarianism.

If religion is uprooted by force, with nothing to readily replace the functions it serves, then like a weed it will simply grow back over time. Also, the forces acting to suppress religion often do as much or more harm to society than the religion itself.

I believe it is possible to evolve beyond religion though. Being a freethinker and/or atheist is not the black mark nowadays that it was just a few decades ago. Scientists, freethinkers & atheists are speaking up and, in some cases, even directly challenging the forces of ignorance and superstition. (See the Dover, PA evolution trials as an example.) A growing number of people are discovering that you _don't_ need religion to lead a good life, and that religion probably causes much more harm than good, both to the individual and to society as a whole.

We freethinkers are the "proof of concept" that a world beyond religion is both possible and good. It may take centuries more, but I believe it is possible (though not inevitable) that one day theists may be a curiosity and a small minority, like animists & polytheists are today. At that time we will have a much more educated, freer, rational, and happy world.

Answer 4

I dunno. I think it would be pretty boring. I'm not religious myself; I'm an agnostic if anything, so I'm not biased. It's sort of like asking "What if there were only one race of people and only one country?", it would just be really boring.
I do think religion causes a lot of harm but I also think it gives people hope. It makes them feel better if a loved one has died or something awful has happened or just if they are nearing their time of death. It serves a purpose.
I think maybe a better alternative would be just to make people a little bit less aggressive and to solve issues of hunger and poverty and plain selfishness. I think people start wars and hate under the guise of religion but it's usually for another reason, like greed. Better to change human nature than to eliminate something that helps people cope with life.
After all, life is confusing and tragic and we really have no idea why we are here or what is going to happen to us or if it all even has meaning.

Answer 5

THE GOOD NEWS is that there are many people who have quietly done so already, they have dropped their religions and instead chosen a spiritual path, which many modern religions fail to provide to their followers, they are simply following its rituals and quoting scared text without having imbued its essence in their personal, internal life. They rather talk of the wisdom than live it in their own lives.

They get trapped in their own philosophies and limiting ideologies, where they begin every other philosophy as a threat, whereas a spiritual person knows that the people who first suggested them were enlightened people themselves so embraces their light rather than getting threatened by its power to change or overtake their life.

Ironically none of the religions were actually founded by their ‘founding fathers’, they just came said a few things got enlighten and left. They were not bothered about setting religion; mind you no enlightened man would ever do so.

The religions as we know them were formed much later when their followers tried to organize followers around themselves, so the root of religion is power and politics and not the spirit of enlightenment itself.

Religion alienates its followers from a vast spectrum of spiritual thought to that available to a non religious but spiritual person. Being religious is not a guarantee for being a spiritual person as might just be a façade.

Outside religious demarcations every man has his own individual path set according to his personal inclinations. And not what his family, tribe or environment dictates to him. A true spiritual person is one who has broken all those limitations and boundaries and then chosen a path for himself and NOT a religion. He might still follow a particular religion more closely, but he has his heart open to the world.

Religions lately have become traps for great philosophies embedded in them excluding great mass of people from accessing them as it would mean making that their own religion appear less potent or powerful.

When we drop our tag of religion we can easily access any philosophy be it of Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism or Christianity etc. They no longer have the bad blood that many world religions share.

Imagine if Jesus, sat across Mohammed, or Buddha across Rama or Krishna with Rumi, they would have only kind and loving words to say to each other.

For ages now these great men and women have remain trapped inside their churches, mosques, pagodas and temple, while spiritual people readily meet them, without getting stuck in the rituals needed to gain access to them on an individual level.

We have to understand, that Jesus is not Christianity nor is Mohammed Islam.

Answer 6

a world without religions would indicate to me that the species as a whole was more intelligent AND rational, and that there were fewer leader/follower relationships. the latter may indicate we were closer in our evolution to a species that didn't NEED governments.

we'd have one less thing to squabble over; but other lingering irrationalities like thinking you have a magical right to other people's stuff might still provide some tension.

short answer: i think it'd be a nicer world.

Answer 7

Amen. Have heard Imagine song by John Lennon. Peace out.

Answer 8

I think religion provide solace to millions on this plant. There is nothing wrong with it. The abuse of religion makes it harmful. If we cannot live with 'guiding principles' religious/legal/political, what makes anyone think that without them we would be any better!!!

We have to learn to live and respect our present condition and circumstances. A paradigm shift (like no religion) is NOT real.

Answer 9

I truely believe it'd be a better place. No more conflicts between religions. Moral values encouraged by religions would appear in culture. Good stuff.

Answer 10

Have you ever read 1984? I think the feeling in the world would be something akin to the fear and hopelessness present in that novel.