Tried watching a good Friday BBC programme called The Easter Story but found it intensely irritating with devout Christians prattling on about the glory of Christ and how Christianity spread round the world.
But it got me thinking. What if Judaism, Christianity and Islam had not spread round the world and we had retained some sort of Pagan religion.
In genesis we are told to go forth and multiply. We have dominion over all the animals etc. In other words suppress nature for our own ends.
We are facing the greatest threat to civilisation with climate change because we have carried out those instructions.
Would it be any different if we had retained a nature worshiping attitude instead of a nature exploitation attitude ?. Who knows.
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Al-Bundy_59
Level 6
Apr 20, 2019
1
I have long thought that one of the most unfortunate developments of mankind was that of agriculture/animal husbandry, which then led to population increases, living in settlements instead of hunter/gatherer bands, etc. it’s been all downhill since then. I’ve been wanting to read a book entitled, ‘Sapiens,’ in which the author advances this same theory.
Azatheist
Level 5
Apr 20, 2019
2
Religion is religion regardless of who you choose to worship
darthfaja
Level 7
Apr 19, 2019
1
But surely if it is better to worship the nature that sustains us rather than a remote diety that has no connection with the earth. Taken to it's extreme this life on earth is just a stepping stone to eternal life in the hereafter so it doesn't matter if we take care of it or not.
@Moravian That is a very good argument and, as much as it pains me, in can’t refute it! 
. It’s a challenge that I must take up but at the moment all efforts would be flimsy and you would take them apart in a few sentences! I must have a go though.
A religion doesn’t have to worship a deity to be considered religion, just follow a set of beliefs.
And the Goat-herders Guide to Galaxy (aka the bible) states that Sky Daddy gives dominion over the land and all things upon or within it to man."
Religion took those words to heart and we are where we are today, primarily because of it.
My personal motto, to wnich I do my utmost to adhere to, is " Take ONLY what you need, share your excess with others who have little or none and REPLACE more than you take."
Triphid
Level 9
Apr 19, 2019
2
We would be pretty much where we are now with pagan religions. Religion had little to do with the industrial revolution and the reproductive nature of humans.
indirect76
Level 7
Apr 19, 2019
1
An interesting thought thread to follow there. Thanks
.
If we follow the religion ‘family tree’ back where do we end up? What is the basic precept for religious practice? If we go back to the discovery of Neolithic grave goods and associated document such as relief carvings and so forth we get some sense of systematic philosophy which creates a framework for integration with deity, an ‘other world’ integration, pacification of nature and so on. My suggestion is that ‘religion’ to use a term, must not be taken in isolation from the culture that developed it as it has an evolutionary as well as organic nature.
Christianity/Judaism solved a problem by explaining cultural subjugation and the ultimate eschatology of salvation. Cthonic and nature god systems allow for natural forces to be domesticated (until they don’t comply when it is the fault of the operator not the system!)
Religious activity is an essential aspect of social cohesion but must evolve to engage, in tandem, with changing human needs and aspirations.
Ceremonial activity and shared beliefs helped our ancestors to navigate their way through a dangerous and confusing environment, therefore we need to regain control of our ceremonial and philosophical needs and allow ‘religion’ to evolve with us, not prevent our advancement.
Geoffrey51
Level 8
Apr 19, 2019
1
Although I am sure fundies would refute it , but as you say religion has evolved. The Jews were originally polytheists and adopted monotheism possibly taken from Zoroaster.
The early Neolithic settlements in the Orkney Islands north of Scotland have standing stone circles the main one being the ring of Brodgar which predate Stonehenge and archaeologists have deduced from burial practices etc that they had some sort of religion.
Certainly the Christian religion has evolved to an extent but sadly Islam has a long way to go and needs "an enlightenment" Islamic apostate Ayan Hirsi Ali has written an interesting book on this.
I would rather dance naked round a fire at Beltane with some nubile young women than sit in a dreary church listening to hell and damnation, but that is just me.
I guess it would depend on how technology developed without a religiously inspired profit motive which ignores externalities and runs roughshod over anything in its way. Would that happen any differently in a largely pagan world? Good question. At the very least, though, that whole dark ages vibe with the inquisition and the elimination of scientific minds in favor of superstitious bullshit would definitely have panned out differently. Great thought experiment. Good post.
zeuser
Level 9
Apr 19, 2019
1
For centuries Religions sought and fought tooth and nail to suppress/repress human advancement thus without the septic influences of Xstianity, in particular, and possibly following a nature based system humans may NOT have wrought the 'horrors' (aka rapine and pillaging of the natural world, etc,) they see today.
We did not go forth and multiply, gain dominion over the animals and nature and have ended up where we are today because of what is written Genesis but because we are humans and doing what humans do naturally and normally and it would have ended up the same regardless of the past history.
jlynn37
Level 8
Apr 19, 2019
2
The world is passing away, but the earth is what is left I guess
Maybe ,, but would we have been so rapacious if we had the mind set of say the native Americans who believed that they were part of nature rather than in control of it.
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