I think it would a more peaceful and enlightened world. The planet and its people would be a lot better off. I know I'm a lot better off without religion. It's quite liberating.
All you have to do to find out is visit North Korea.
For some reason I fear for my safety, in the current state the world is in. The concept is good for the country. Maybe with some tweaking it could benefit the world.
Not true at all, Sorry, Being a slave state does not mean without god, just a shit leader is all. Look at Iceland who now have the fewest churches . Europe has a majority of non believers, So I would say look at the places that actually practice freedom of religion. Hell North Korea has nothing to do with the world view of morality.
@maturin1919 It’s been tried over and over. Someone decides that they will “remove religion” as you put it. First off, to think that your opinion about religion is the only correct one requires arrogance and condescension. Second, to think that you even CAN “remove religion” requires a dictatorial mind-set of the first order. Finally, to actually “remove religion” would require bloodshed and brutality.
Leave people alone. You don’t have the whole picture.
Though officially Cheondoist, the DPRK mirrors the Judeo-Christian god not only in a key aspect of authoritarian structure, the “holy trinity” of Kim Il-Sung, Kim Jong-Il, and Kim Jong-Un, but also in their virtuous characteristics, or lack thereof, in this case. The incessant demand to be worshipped by its inhabitants, the draconian consequences for petty crimes or non-crimes, the torture of their people via famine and other methods, and the egregious levels of jealousy and insecurity are all qualities possessed by both Yahweh and North Korea to comparable extents. The dysfunctional essence of the nation pertains less to its epistemological position of deity claims and more to the characteristics it shares with the biblical god character.
@palex I get your point. North Korea is probably not the best example. However, vast areas of the earth are or have been under the control of atheists—people who do not claim to be gods, such as Stalin, Mao and Pol Pot. Look at “State Atheism” in Wikipedia.
One example is Mexico. You can read here about it and see the bodies of the religious hanging from power poles along a roadway.
My point remains. No one need wonder what life would be like under atheism.
@WilliamFleming Any ideology, or non-belief, that is mandated by a draconian dictatorship is not remotely reflective of an optimal society. This substandardness is likely due more to the regime than to the ideology itself.
If we look to nations with relatively high levels of functionality, such as Norway, Denmark, Germany, and France, it should be obvious that the irreligious trend towards predominant non-belief indicates that high functionality and atheism are not remotely mutually exclusive.
The original question needs to be unpacked. Is it
What do you think the world be like if religion were legally abolished tomorrow?, or,
What do you think the world be like if religion gradually died out due to education and increased emphasis on critical thinking and intellectual integrity?
I sense you were attempting to answer the former interpretation.
@palex The Scandinavian countries and Finland are far from being religion-free—they all have Evangelical Lutherism as their state religion, and the governments give support to that religion. While church membership has declined there, that does not necessarily mean that the Scandinavians have become irreligious.
My personal opinion is that the question is moot and that everyone is and will always be religious in a certain sense. There are deep religious characteristics imbedded in our collective unconscious that affect everyone.
Maybe the question should be rephrased. “What will life be like when religious expression evolves into a more meaningful, profound and intelligent format?”
My answer is that life will be better. There’ll be greater abundance, more justice and less strife.
@WilliamFleming I agree that life will be better when the masses are capable of honestly addressing supernaturalism. My point is only to show that irreligiosity and human flourishing are not remotely mutually exclusive. The degree of irreligiosity of the aforementioned countries can be seen in the results of the “Lack of Importance of Religion in Europe by Gallup poll ( 2007–2008 ).” I have not checked, but I would confidently speculate that such numbers have only increased over the past decade.
This is pin point. Skip to 54 seconds for it. or just wait.
I think the world would be without humans, or with genetically modified humans only. It’s not as simple as just a bad idea that a lot of people believe. Religious behavior is supported by multiple biological systems, some of which were necessary for other functions, like parent/child bonding for example, and is an evolved cultural behavior as well. It won’t go away until we do, or until we get a lot better at gene splicing.
If we got rid of religions, human nature being unfortunately what it is, we would find other reasons to go to war and doing other senseless stuff.
Not if we found better methods of learning, dialogue and negotiation that worked
Pretty sure some other vehicle for the weak to follow would exist. Maybe a huge version of the Colombia Record Club or Publishers clearing House. I suspect the GOP would have Chapter houses in every town.
Ha...EXACTLY what you wrote up there...is what I believe. THAT time IS coming though...it was revealed by the creators of STAR TREK.
‘A lot has changed in three hundred years. People are no longer obsessed with the accumulation of things. We have eliminated hunger, want, the need for possessions.’
I KNOW you asked about religion...but...WHAT is the WEALTHIEST business in the world??? RELIGION. AND THE MOST psychotically based institution.
EVENTUALLY...man will look BEYOND BLASPHEMY...and step out into the light...and work toward personal exploration, and growth!!!
It would be pretty much the same, but without churches I guess.
It will be a lot like Switzerland or Israel, but without the threat of Islam imperialism.
Lol
What?
Isreal is a religious state., how does that work?
@MarkiusMahamius Israel and Switzerland are both secular states. Modern Israel was founded as a refuge for Jews who were / are persecuted elsewhere.
People would still be fucked up and do fucked up things. Religion is a symptom of our collective psychosis and eliminating it would accomplish very little (although it would be a nice start). The underlying issues of resource distribution, me me me, and tribalism would still be there.
Humans are also very aggressive. If we didn't reduce the population by a huge percent, we still need a method for maintaining social order. I don't know if it's possible to do that on a wide scale, without weekly brain washing sessions
The day will come but unfortunately, none of us will see it.
As the earth will reach a point when it no longer supports life, yes, the day without religions in this world will come.
@NoMagicCookie That's one possibility
The tendency to form one, to grab power and to dupe people would still be there. It is human nature as long as there are weak people there to submit. No catastrophic happening in nature will do anything but revive or deepen religion.
So as I see it there are only three things that will rid us of religion. Unless they are worked on together nothing would happen.
1.) We must substitute whatever is considered good about religion with non religious work agencies.
2) Ensure that. there are sufficient calming and therapy initiatives to cover the whole population.
3) Ensure that no one is told what to do or believe through maintaining full democracy.
Perhaps you know better.
Oh, there is much dirt that we would not have.....
While we concentrate greatly on the horrible things religions have accomplished , to be fair , we should also acknowledge the good things they have accomplished as well . May I suggest , many hospitals were established by religions , free food kitchens for the needy , sleep facilities , particularly when the weather is in the extremes , distribution of of free clothing , some establish useful programs to help people in need , such as , after school sports programs , AAA , and drug addiction rehabilitation programs . Like those of us here on agnostic.com we're not all good , and not all bad .
Yes these are all wonderful and they continue today, That is true religion or faith or belief or whatever. It is a community thought process. And it is good for those engaged in it. But it is NOT true in ideology.
I cherish the words Jesus is alleged to have said and they are so true. Now when religion interprets everything they use control So the spirit is wonderful but the god stuff is dangerous.
The world is full of some people trying to take advantage of other people. Religion is just one of many tools to do that, one of many.
So, most likely, same shit different day.
On the other hand I think things like Science, Maths, and any other endeavors alike would prosper considerably.
Science, Maths, logic, reason and democracy are our tools. Any others ?
It would be better, but given human history people would still find reasons to hate each other whether it be race or culture. People would still rape, steal, and murder each other. Greed would not go away. Look what greed has done to our country. In a nut shell, humanity was a terrible accident and when it is gone the planet and the Universe will be a better place.
I can only "imagine"
You really are not that limited.
if it weren't religion they would have figured out something else as oppressive
You mean like royalty? That is on its way out also.
The world would still be filled with people doing stupid shit because that's how humanity rolls but a lot less of it would be done in the name of God. It's a small win but I'll take it.