What would happen if the truth came out about religions?

Question

All religions were made up by someone, and are only there to get money from people. This is actually one of the tightest guarded secrets in history. What do you think would happen if all religious leaders would finally admit this publicly?

How would all of the people feel that have been had over the years? What would happen to all of the money? I mean like the swiss bank accounts the catholic church has or all of the property they own? Who would get that?

Answer 1

It already has but the religions refuse to accept the facts. They corrupt the facts to maintain stability. Remember the old saying, "If the theory doesn't match the facts you either have to change the theory, or change the facts!"

Answer 2

I am not so sure your question is based on a pragmatic study of why we exist. Have you considered some plausible arguments for the existence of a supreme being?

Your question is related to the cosmological argument for a First Cause of everything:

One needs to have a formalized understanding of logic and philosphy to understand the topic of God's existence. Here is a starting point:

Premise: Every event has a cause
Premise: The universe has a beginning
Premise: All beginnings involve an event

Inference: This implies that the beginning of the universe involved an event
Inference: Therefore the beginning of the universe had a cause
Conclusion: The universe had a cause

For something to have caused the universe it must have existed outside of the universe and time. That First Cause could only have been an omnipotent supernatural agent, God.

Another argument is one from design:

1. The universe began to exist
2. The universe has complexity, order and fine-tuning
3. Complexity, order and fine-tuning imply design
4. Design that began to exist implies a designer
5. Therefore, the universe has a designer

Premise 1: See Big Bang theorem (Hawking, Penrose) All matter and time itself began at this moment
Premise 2: Universe has complex designs, e.g, cellular DNA, Laws of Physics, fine-tuning for life on earth, etc.
Premise 3: Nothing ordered can come from chaos, an orderer is required. Laws of Nature are often cited, including Vuletic, as counterexamples, yet these very Laws are themselves ordered.

Premise 4: Self evident. If something did not exist, there is no beginner or designer

Thus, the universe has a designer.

Once a person concludes logically that a designer exists, the person must then look to evidence of this designer's divine will. After investigating, the bible appears to me to be the most reliable revelation of this supreme being. You can review the two links below for discussion about the reliability of the bible.

Accuracy of bible:
http://www.carm.org/questions/trustbible.htm
http://www.carm.org/demo2/bible/reliable.htm

While all of my questions will never be definitively answered, I find that rationally my belief is on solid ground. There are many things in the world we do not fully understand, yet we have no problems in believing them. For example, solar physics is not fully known, yet we all accept the "fact" that the sun will rise tomorrow.

I have also taken the time to spend years in universities studying theology as well as science (have a Ph.D.), so I could more fully understand what I have staked my eternal soul upon. I don't advocate everyone do this before making a decision one way or the other, but I do suggest folks go beyond the rhetoric in these fourms, the media, and elsewhere, so they can be more grounded in their beliefs.

Answer 3

Blooming 'eck!
I'll bet you are sitting there feeling really pleased with yourself at having asked such a penetrating and thoughtful question, aren't you.
Next week: we reinvent the wheel.
Allow me to ask you to do a little Googling:
Feuerbach.
Marx.
Darwin.
Buddha.
Socrates.

This question goes back for ages. The answer to it is that you either go along with your religious beliefs or you don't. Me, I'm a Catholic. I honestly can say that I do not believe that my religion was based on made up beliefs - although, to be sure, there are some very fine theologians in there somewhere. I am not constantly pestered for money by my clergy, although I am constantly pestered for missionary money. In fact, when I ran up against a problem with money, the parish priest actually insisted on paying for the bill out of his (pathetic) salary!
The second part of your question can be answered like this: when human ideas have come to the fore, they have been changed: Inquisition, Trent, Latin Mass, Galileo, Vatican Council.

Now, please put Liberalism and Socialism under the same rigorous scrutiny. Marx, for instance, or JS Mill, or Jeremy Bentham.

Answer 4

Actually the original reason religion was created was for power.Imagine thousands of years ago people didn't know how anything worked or why and were desperate for answers.Some very creative men decided to write those answers and declare them to be true and placed themselves at the level of leadership as the Representatives of the Gods.This gave them power and for several millennia they have remained in a powerful place in society having a huge amount of influence on what people do and what entire governments do.Religion is the Illuminati.Or at least it sure seems like it.

Answer 5

I don't think they would believe it to be honest, people will always look for answers, and if they can't find them, they choose an easy option, god, something that no one can really disprove, but also no one can prove. Seems very convenient that the creater of the universe has never been seen and there is no concrete prove that he (why is it 'he'?) exists. All religious texts have been changed significantly through out the centuries, so, in my opinion, every religion is like a huge game of Chinese whispers. Personally i believe that the story line to Monty Python's 'the life of Brian' could have been accurate; a small, somewhat insignificant event was blown out of all proportion leading to millions of people finding an 'easy answer' to the big question.

Answer 6

As an Atheist, I find it hard to support religions against your cynical simplification of them.

Religions evolved, in the main, our of the need of humans to have explanations about the world; certainty about the future and the ability to have a coherent social order.

It is true that some religions have become rich, however there are many religions and sects of religions which are poor.

Answer 7

I think that the world would end. There are ppl that have devoted all their lives to religion, and even though they have nothing to show for it(not that I think their expecting anything) but they say that their prayers are answered, wil lose their minds. The world doesnt know how to live without God, Christmas, the Easter bunny or the tooth fairy.

Answer 8

Well some of what you have said is very true, but not all religions are money making, yes they are all man made, and if the truth came out then most would collapse, but please do think twice about saying their all money making

Answer 9

Just read "The God Delusion" by Richard Dawking and all will become clear, if it wasn't before. The money? Have you ever seen The Vatican accounts?. The answer is no. Would we ever see this cash again? No

Answer 10

I don't think it is such a secret anymore, it's just that people are too obstinate to change their minds and no leader is going to risk looking a fool for fear of losing respect. Not that any of them are worthy of an ounce of respect...