Where would we be without religion?

Question

I feel religion caused us to question our actions and feel there was more to life than living from one day to the next.

We were considered barbarians before religion free to kill, rape and rob as we much as we wanted in order to live.

Philosophy, Arts, Music, Architecture and Civilization rose up because of religion.

Would we still be Barbarics trying to live from one day to the next basically as cavemen in this day and age without it?

Is there anything else that would have caused us to change our ways to become what we are today?

Answer 1

Many of us are still barbarics; people are killing every day, raping every days, stealing every day, Religion only changed some families and communities/cultures.

I personally think that without religion, we would be like animals. But since the signs of the first civilizations, people have always wondered WHAT? WHY? WHO? so they either made gods for themselves, believed a wise elder was their god, or followed their family line and believed in the first God that man knew of from Adam and Eve. I really can't see religion never being. It's part of our human makeup because we have spirits/souls and that leads us to question the truth of it all. Animals have no soul/spirit, will never wonder about their creator and will never feel the need to know any of this.

Answer 2

Well, there woud certainly have been thousands and thousands of people who would have disagreed with you in the 14th through 18th centuries who were burned as witches.

The people killed in the crusades might diagree.

The gays and lesbians and others persecuted today by conservative Christians might disagree.

Ireland seems to have a problem with it.

The Jews seem to be creating a stir over Jerusalem and the West Bank.

Hitler kind of made a mess over it.

Galileo sort of disagreed with you.

I could go on, but my idea is that philosophy, arts, architecture and civilization rose up because of humanity. That they had religion had a part, but was not the exclusive cause.

As many advancements and achievements there were, so too, were atrocities.

Answer 3

The main thing that religion gave us - is the belief that we need to be "good". The other thing that it gave us - was the language of idealism. And I agree with all other things which you have mentioned about the works/development that happened due to religion.

Religion has served its purpose. We will not get anything more out of it.

However no organized religion was able to find a complete way of understanding existence as it is - or the truth. No religion has been able to answer the question of 'purpose of human being'. No religion has been able to define the right human conduct - which could be universal. No religion could connect the words, meaning, and actuality in existence. No religion could stand against the test of logic. Each got stuck in some dogmas and rituals, and worked on building walls against other communities - which resulted in countless wars.

It is difficult to say - what other course of events could have been? The religion happened. And we saw its consequences - both positive and negative. The important thing to ask is what needs to be done now. I think - now the good thing to do is to connect the good expectation from each religion to reality. To go into the meaning. And if it is meaningless (i.e. it doesn't connect with the reality, or doesn't stand with the test of logic or consistency ) - drop it. To understand how we humans are one. And come to the common religion of all humans - which is humanity. To define a human being. And live that definition - in our conduct, education, law, order. ( It is not a suggestion to find the middle ground between Science and Religion. Science is just another religion - with its set of dogmas. )

Answer 4

Your religion was a side effect of politics. Art and civilization was beginning long before religion got going.
The churches did more to suppress science and culture than they ever did to promote it.
Just what do you think the Spanish Inquisition was all about, or the Kentucky School board rulings, or the Scopes trial.

If religion had its way we would all still be living in caves without even fire.

Answer 5

"We were considered barbarians before religion free to kill, rape and rob as we much as we wanted in order to live."

Things we consider barbaric existed LONG after religion was invented. Keep in mind that religion has been around at least as long as recorded history, so if you even have heard of any particular act of barbarism, you be certain that religion had been conceived of before it ever took place. There's little doubt that the crusades were barbaric, and religion was certainly around by that time.

"Philosophy, Arts, Music, Architecture and Civilization rose up because of religion."

Says who? Show me the Sistine chapel ceiling and I'll show you the Mona Lisa. Show me a cathedral and I'll show you the Eiffel tower. There's certainly at least as much, and I'd guess more, secular art, music, and architecture than religious. I just don't see where you're getting this idea from.

Answer 6

I think that civilisation would have still evolved without it. If someone is an atheist they don't run around killing people because they think that there are no consequences to their actions. I think that about 50 per cent of the population would probably be very depressed though as religion gives you hope that if you lead a worthwhile life you will be rewarded. If everyone thought that there was no reason to it all then I'm sure a lot of people would be unable to cope.

Answer 7

religion was not the answer that brought about any of the above mentioned things. the arts go all the way back to the caveman, the great philosophers were during the renaissance (a time when people moved away from religion) between the 14th and 16 century. in cultures that have had no religion or earth based religions (meaning worship of mother nature, trees, or any animal) we find less violent people and more working together. read your history and you will find more people have been killed in the name of religion than all the wars (non religious) combined. we would all be better of without it.

Answer 8

Barbarians without religons would hav been like wild animals . but civilized beings would have ben bettere off without religonsand it have done more harm than good for the modern society that is advanced in knowledge and religons thrives on folly only.

Answer 9

Where would we be without religion? I think we would still be where we are today without religion, only that there would be something else in place of religion. We would probably be arguing about that too.

Answer 10

I know of no human culture or society without a religion.
I Cr 13;8a
10-24-6