Just think how peaceful the world would be without religions.
I don't know if it would be any more peaceful - humans seem to have a need to "win", often by violent means (or boxing would have never been a thing). I think that overpopulation is the biggest issue; along with an apparent genetic willingness to become a "sheeple".
That said, religion seems to be the catalyst in most wars - usually a desire to force on belief on another group. AFAIK, the only belief that has not had a war started in it's name is us. I don't think druids, wiccans, or any pagan belief has either. Note - I do not consider Greek, Roman, or any of the larger belief systems as "pagan".
I think you mean without humans; as long as we continue to think of Us and Them there will never be peace. If there was no religion we would still find a way to divide ourselves.
My personal beliefs/opinions run atheist. If I'm intellectually rigorous, I think agnostic is a more honest term. My values run taoist/Buddhist/animist. But my favorite thought about religion comes from Joseph Campbell. He says theists think their myths are literally true, atheists believe all myths are literally false, and all of them miss the point, which is that myths are metaphors which point to higher truths.
It wouldn't make the slightest difference.
Communist regimes like China and Russia caused plenty deaths/strife and were non religious. Hitler wasnt particularly religious ,at least it wasn't central to Nazism. Pol Pot in Cambodia was not at all religious yet the bodies piled up there too.
Man does not need religion to kill his fellow beings. Usually religions are used for political ends.
just think how healthy it would be without humans
To be honest we need religion some people are just too into possessions. Religion allows them to keep thier possessions under a being good condition. If i told you "you don't get anything when you die" you'd just ignore me and be in pursuit of somthing that could be harmful to others. Religion gives people what they want and what we want peace.
Yes, I think a peaceful world is a probability, but removing religions will not necessarily result in a peaceful world. Imagine what millions of people (who need a supernatural entity to believe in) would be if they didn't have what they think guards them?
Right now, I wish religion isn't pushed on a child until they grow up and can choose and think for themselves. Stopping the forcing act of religion to kids (from parents, governments, schools, etc.) will surely bring out a much better generation that can think for themselves.
Anyways, a world without religion today will not result in peace. Because stupid people exist, crazy people exist, and they all will lose it, they might start killing everyone (thinking there's no more hell or heaven after they die, that they can do what they want). I'm not saying all religious people haven't obviously expressed their mental illness and violence/crime. But religious people are the kind of people (or like children, they are irrational) if they didn't have some grounds and rules (by fear, such as hell and afterlife), they would go full on mental, and eventually form religion all over again to control these weak people. It will be an endless circle.
“Imagine what millions of people (who need a supernatural entity to believe in) would be if they didn't have what they think guards them?” I think research has shown they’d quickly find something else to ..follow. Though I’m wondering, with so many in the world having access to information via the internet, what will be the trend..? I notice a very thinly veiled cold aggressive dishonesty among the younger generations, and assume they realize - there’ll be no supernatural punishment - so take it!
It would have been nice to avoid the Crusades, Spanish Inquisition, Holocaust, Northern Ireland rebelion, Al Queada and the Muslim-Christian-Jewish conflict today in the Middle East.
If it wasn't religion there would be some other excuse. I think the real struggle is for power and dominance. We struggle to be able to think freely, whiel others try to tell us what to think in an attempt to have control over us. I don't think the absence of religion would remove that. althou8gh it might result in more rational thinkers... which i guess woudl be noticeably more peaceful.
There's an excellent book on this subject of controlling others by William W Sargant. "Battle For the Mind" 1957.(paperback)
In this day and age, the world is indeed becoming more peaceful; this is in tandem with the wane of religious influence. Western civilisation is gradually seeing to this. In its absence in the past, however... let's face it, humanity would have just fought over something else.