Can we eliminate all religion?

Question

I would like to get rid of all religions, especially those that dictate there religion is better than mine. I think religions are simply rules that work to seperate us. Let's get rid of the whole mess and believe in each other instead.

Whaddaya say?

Do we have to have religion to have a moral foundation? Can we learn from the great teachers (Abraham, Christ, Buddha, Ghandi, Muhammed) without subscribing to their rules and dismissing others beliefs?

Or can we simply believe in life and those around us?

Answer 1

The problem with this idea is human consciousness. The fact that we know we are mortal. Which begs the question, "Why are we here?" This is the well from which all philosophical thought and religious belief springs. Being human means that you will question your existance and try to find meaning in it. Thus the plethora of religious belief and intolerance when faced with differing beliefs.

A better question might be, "How do we create a religiously tolerant world?"

Answer 2

I would like to get rid of religion as well, but there are so many people who feel threatened by such a thing. I wonder if religious anarchy would work? In a sense we are already there, heck, religion is a choice, not a forced thing, except when I was a kid and would fake going to church (yeah, that takes a certain talent).

Anyway, I love the concept but executing it would be most difficult. There are people who get a great sense of self though their church. How can you just remove the dogma that keeps these people upright?

Some people might not believe in the laws of the land, but they believe in the ten commandments. And hey, those commandments are valuable, gosh-darnit they tell people not to kill other people and if we didn't have those commandments murderers might just run rampant or something. The one about coveting your neighbor's xass or wife apparently means to put up a big wall, right? Oh and to hate gay people too, Hmmmm, wonder just who does this sort of stuff?

We can do better than this.

Peace.

Answer 3

Whoohoooo! Although...a lot of things can be considered "a religion." For example my personal religion is being a good person. So....believing in eachother could be considered a religion. Which means we couldn't get rid of religion all together, we would just get rid of the stupid ones.

Answer 4

1st Jesus is not a religion and the different religions came from man to begin with. Religions are a diversion from whats important and thats the Word of God. Man will fail you eveytime but you can always trust and depend on God's Word.

Answer 5

You want to get rid of all religions, even yours?

What happens once we do that? Will you be able to carry on with your life any better.

Pretend that it is already done. Now live your life as if nobody else does anything to bother you.

All better!

Answer 6

I say...considering myself a Christian, but not religious, I do not view my relationship with Christ as rules that separate me from others. In fact, it is because of my commitment to Christ and my desire to emulate him that I love people I would not have chosen to love under my own power.

While I cannot sacrifice my belief in Jesus to believe only in earthly inhabitants, I am willing to believe in each other because of my love for you in Christ.

Answer 7

i second the first amen

though, a new religion might form. one where we dont believe in religions, and then another will form, cause they want to believe in a god, and the other group doesnt, and the battle will go on until spiritual truth is found

Answer 8

Sure, and once you've eliminated all moral foundation and sense of right and wrong, we can simply spiral downward into a violent, might makes right world community. There won't be any right or wrong except as contrived by the social subset in power in any given society, so all you have to do to get your rules in play is get the power. This should be fun!

Better buy some guns everybody, you're gonna need 'em.

To Chino: Just the opposite. The primary religious conflicts in play right now are initiated by Islamic extremists. That's a single religion among a plethora of religions. Look at the Middle East, Indonesia, Kashmir, etc., and what do you find? Islam. One single religion whose goal is to stamp out all infidels. Seems you could do with just eliminating one religion, if you really wanted to go that route.

On another note, let's look at another conflict where Islam is not in play, the rape of Tibet. Buddhism trying to hold out against the invasion of atheism at the hands of China. Look at the Soviet Union and the oppression of the religous during their history. The societies that have tried to eliminate religion and its influence have degraded into oppressive, totalitarian societies. It seems you're the one not paying any real attention.

You probably are also ignorant of the fact that the modern concept and ideal of the value and the dignity of the human individual and the sanctity of their rights was born out of Judeo-Christian value/concept of the individual as a sacred being beloved by God. Not only is it not a humanist value, it's very inception predated the modern humanist movement and is religious to its very core. The atheist concept of individual human dignity was well demonstrated in the Soviet Union.

To answer the additional question above: Religion provides an overriding spiritual authority that subordinates human behavior and desires to the will of God (or whatever supreme deity is central to said religion) and ties the conformation with this pattern of living to an eternal outcome, whether good or bad. If you remove religion and rely on the teaching of humans, you can only get the support of those people who agree with you, period. You can't rely or call on an overriding spiritual authority, and even if you appeal to the greater good, that will only apply to the people who are willing to subordinate their own will to your concept of the greater good. For what is good? One group of people might find it good to gather arms, take control of great swaths of land, capture thousands of women to serve as a harem for the leader and a few trusted associates, with similar spoils and rewards filtering down to the soldiers doing the work of war. To what authority do you appeal to convince them to stop? Unless they buy into your contrived sense of right and wrong, then what they do is right as long as nobody can stop them. You cannot tie the consequences of their behavior into any lasting penalty unless you yourself can administer that penalty. If you cannot, then their own success will validate their actions. And I say contrived because all human societal structures and authority would be contrived out of whole cloth, with no religion or other overriding spiritual authority to guide them. Might would very much make right.

Answer 9

Forreal. Religion's just something to fall back on when humanity became too weak to rely on itself. It seems like no other concept has sparked more wars than religion, so I agree. Let's get rid of it altogether.

Answer 10

The only way to reach the heaven most religions claim exists is if we strive to make it here on earth.

We should be focused more on this life then on the empty promise of an afterlife.

To LooneyDude:

Your name is apt. How is what you described any different then the way life is now? Might makes right... You are oblivious to current world events, aren't you?