Would anyone follow a religion without a reward system?

Question

Think of how the major world religions began. An idea was created, that idea was spread, and people either accepted or rejected that idea. Now, all the major world religions are in place. But would they be here today if it were not for the fact that they all reward their followers on some level? Eternal life, nirvana, re-incarnation, something is offered in each and every one of them. Picture in your mind a man who lived long ago, he considered himself a prophet and spoke of a creature that created the universe and that we must love this being. The simple question that would follow would be, "Why should we follow it?". Would anyone listen to him if he did not offer something? Would they just take his word for it? I can't name one religion without some reward or caveat that exists today.

Answer 1

No--it boils down to simple utilitarianism. People seek pleasure, and avoid pain. Every religion offers SOMETHING--whether in this life or the next (peace, joy, eternal life, purpose, etc.). Those who decide to follow a particular religion believe that the promised benefits outweigh whatever they have to give up to be part of it.

Answer 2

Hinduism does not offer anything that I would consider a reward. Hindus believe that all people reincarnate...which is a bad thing to them. The "goal" is to stop reincarnating and, thus, to stop suffering. The only "reward" Hinduism offers is oblivion. Behaving properly does get you into a higher caste, but that is because you have learned the lessons of the lower castes, not as a reward. It also has to do with personal purity, not how devoutly you pray or believe.

Wicca does not offer any rewarding afterlife. It generally holds to beliefs of reincarnation - which they hold happens to everyone. If everyone gets it, its not a reward. And your next life isn't better just because you were a good person in this life. There is no concept of caste.

Jews have very little concept of religious reward. Yes, eventually there will be a ressurection, but until then everyone sits in the common grave of mankind (sheol). They follow God not because of a promise of a future ressurection but because God deserves respect and because it is their duty as Jews.

Various older pagan faiths didn't offer much in the way of reward for good behavior either. Almost everyone went to the same place in Greek mythology. Only the really bad people got eternally punished, and "bad" didn't correspond particularly to faith. I know of no story in Greek mythology that said that non-devout people would get a worse afterlife than more devout people.

Answer 3

I can't name a life situation that doesn't have some rewards, either, at least one we would choose. Life is all about rewards: food tastes good, a hot shower makes us clean (and feels good), cold water quenches thirst, child birth (even though painful) brings the blessing of an heir, employment gives us money to buy what we want/need, relationships satisfy, toys are fun....even going to the dentist gives us a nicer smile, and going to the doctor alleviates pain and adds a few more years to our lives. Human beings are "rewards-oriented"....by design. So it's not just religion that has a reward system....it's life. And yes, we probably would not choose it, either, if there wasn't a reward attached.

Answer 4

if u have red french poets like camu who talk about individual experience u will understand it is all about individual experience that turns into realization.all religions originally talked only about the self and the universe--the adam apple,the prophet and the hindu spiritualism which is probably more explanatory.ultimately it is yr life and what u make of it.
If u do not wish to follow any religion dont.actually religion is just social justification of an order. at the basic level in terms of spirituality u should explore ur presence in the universe.why are we born and why do v die?these r questions relegions vill not provide answers.if yr seeking enough u will find them.
if u dont like it chuck it.

Answer 5

Without a reward system, what sort of caveats would there be? (None)

Without caveats, what reward system would there be? (None)

If there was nothing to follow, and nothing to receive, we'd have no obligation to do anything. You'd experience no joy and no sadness for breaking a rule or for being nice to someone.

I do think religion reminds us of promises we make to God to follow him or just the objectives needed to complete this earthly life in fulfillment. We do these things because we feel happy to be obedient to them.

Answer 6

Its sort of obvious... thats human nature... without benefits or consequences there is no purpose... no reason for being nor doing...

If you did not believe in some form of afterlife, than what would be the point of anything... It wouldn't matter if there was a God (or gods) or not... one day you just cease to exist and none of it mattered, good, bad, somewhere in the middle.. you just end up nothingness so do whatever the hell you want...

People need to believe there is a greater purpose or else they have no purpose or direction...

Answer 7

Nope. People do things for a purpose. If there is not a reward and there is not a discipline for not following a religion, then why follow it? If the Bible said this, "Worship me and you will simply die. Don't worship me and you will die just the same." Nobody would follow it. Why would someone waste their time worshipping instead of doing something else?

Answer 8

Yes they would. They would follow a religion because of the penalty system. Hell. Damnation. Local religious police. No jobs for the unfaithful. Stuff like that can work.

Answer 9

What's your point? People don't do anything that doesn't reward them...by our very nature we seek rewards and avoid punishments...that's how we learn and how we relate to the world. Would people choose atheism if they didn't believe it carried some rewards (or allowed them to avoid negative consequences)?

Answer 10

It isn't a reward system, it's reality. When you do what is righteous you reap the benefits of being a righteous person. All I mean is do unto others as you would have them do unto you, and your life will be blessed.

Prayer works too. Be blessed.