If you could wipe all religion out of the collective human conscience and start over, what would you teach?

Question

Imagine you have the power... the world is a blank slate. You can bestow on to the whole of humanity whatever system, doctrine, belief or non-belief you want to explain existence, human origins, morals, ethics, life, death, everything. Keep in mind that at this point in time, we still don't have any single system that ALL people agree with, so think carefully...

Would you go with an existing religion?

Would you go with science?

Would you go with a humanistic philosophy?

Would you create something entirely new?

You have the power... what will you do?

Vlad - come now, the worst? I guess you never saw Plan 9 from Outer Space.

Answer 1

Good question, although I absolutely detest the movie "V", easily the worst movie in human history and thats no exagerration.

Answer:

It starts with what children are taught, what values. I would want a curriculum that made human progress paramount and taught a code of human rights, thats somewhat different than that crafted from our current religion crazy world.

Achievers would be distinguished, but the system would always make for second chances. Sex and "dirty" would never again meet in the human pysche. The only admonishen toward sex would entail warnings about over population, maybe even some government intervention there.

A modified Golden Rule would remain, something like:

On first meetings, always show respect, afterwhich treat people as you would want to be treated unless a threat has been fairly ascertained or they percieve you goodwill as weakness and return your behavior with disrespect.

Where a threat is carefully analyzed and determined as such, act decievly weighing all consquence in the short and long term.

Answer 2

Unless you are going to change the essential make up of human beings, what makes you think we wont eventually end up with an approximation of what we have now ? But I'd go with the good bits of Catholicism, maybe with polygamy thrown in.
I'd ban science except for advances in the medical field and the creation of a single weapon designed to thwart alien attack(just in case), and a direct phone line to God, to see how I'm doing. We would all live a life of simplicity , the credo being "There is more to life than increasing it's speed". Non believers would be medicated with Diazepam and made to live on an island continent, say , Australia, where they would be monitored and well taken care of.
I would do everything in my power to make sure the internet was never developed.

Answer 3

There is no single system that all people would agree with, unless you were able to brainwash the entire world, and then what would that profit you? You'd be the king of a planet full of zombies. Choice remains one of our greatest developmental guidelines and it's what makes life so damn interesting. I believe the world has enough self imposed dictaors already, and look at the shape we're in. If you were to wipe out all religion then would not your spirituality, your creativity, your science and your freaking mind be far behind? Mankind is what it makes for itself. LIke it or not we're all in this together. We're all connected in some form or another whether you're able to see it or not. "The fault lies not in our stars, but in ourselves." Get it? You cannot wipe away all and then pretend to play God. Our diversity defines us, separates us and joins us together by a simple truth. Love one another as you love yourself, for if you cannot find it from within, you will never find it from without. Bless and Blessed Be

Answer 4

I would go with Agnostic Theism. Agnostic Theists affirm an inability to know about the non-existence of a diety and or deities. Based on this affirmation and a desire to achieve and maintain happiness and good health Agnostic Theists claim a belief in the one possibility out of all possibilities that enables self to have the highest esteem of self and world.

Answer 5

I would go with a communal lifestyle--meaning that we all would work for the good of the entire village, state, country, ect. Everyone would have everything they need because we would all work together, each according to our individual talents, for the good of the group, village, ect. There would be no politics or religion to cause wars so we could focus on caring for our children, life and each other. Oh...I sound like such a hippie...! LOL

Answer 6

Critical thinking and a broad education starting at a very young age. Teach children that people see the world in different ways, and present them with the information and the tools they need to assess, choose and respect the choices of others.

Answer 7

Humanistic philosophy = morals.
Wouldnt it be nice to live in a world where people just looked out for eachother.
You still see a glimps of it sometimes.
I feel that religion has its states of corruption.
It turns warped and meaningless.

Teach to appreciate life, themselves, others and travel often.

I know, I sound like a treehugger.....

Answer 8

Lazzie-faire Capitalism

Answer 9

The current problems arise from there being so many "teachers" and people willing to become "followers." The result is authoritarian dogma which seeks to justify all manner of horrors. Eventually you get people saying "believe this or burn in hell," or "believe this or I will stone you to death."

What is needed is for people to think for themselves and for each individual to decide what to believe, based on observation, intuition, experience, and contemplation. A world in which each person is a philosopher is bound to be better.

Answer 10

reason science with morality and heart the philoshophers of morality need to be taught in the school system along with reading writing and arithmetic . this could include confucius Buddha Gandi Christ and others without being religious.
Law and ethics are one thing needed in grade school on up as well.
peace