What if?

Colbaker

Colbaker

Colbaker

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Paignton, Devon
What if religion never existed, what type of world would we live in now, has religion been a positive thing for the human race?

Religion seems to have coinsided with the evolution to homosapians, although there are questions of possible beliefs with the previous incarnations in out evolutionary chain in the form of burial rituals but these may be more to do with care for the individual than any sort of belief structure.

In my opinion religion has had a negative effect on the progression of the human race especially when it comes to scientific discovery as not too long ago it meant a death sentence to anyone questioning anything believed in religion, would we already be living in the star? Would we be cloning humans for spare parts by now?.
On the other hand has religion had a positive effect on our humanity? In my opinion No as many wars have been fought and many people have been killed and are still being killed in the name of religion.

Actually I cannot think of anything positive religion has given us as a race, would we be far more advanced socially and scientifically if religion never existed?
 
The problem wasn't really religion specifically historically, it was a poorly educated population who were more than willing to succumb to a given power structure. Assuming religion never existed historically then most likely it would have been replaced with another system of control & coercion to fill the void left.

While I'm also confident the dark ages held back progress for that time - many historical figures in science have also been men of religion, given the ability to learn by the institutions which they were a part.

I don't think we have enough data to say conclusively if it's been an overall force for positive or negative technological change (as we have no idea how whatever system was in it's place would have impacted on it) - essentially we have no control group.
 
It's religious thread 'o clock!

In the one corner we have Atheists! And in the other corner we have hardcore religious people!

DING DING DING
 
Would science have evolved as quickly if it was not for religion and people trying to disprove it's teachings?

I'm just throwing it out there.
 
Religion was crucial to the development of civilization because it allowed humans to coexist in groups that included different tribes, under the banner of a ruler or rulers "blessed" by the god(s). Belief in something greater than themselves prevented these tribes from killing each other and it exerted powerful influence towards cooperation, which lead to cities, states, empires. Yes, it also lead to many wars, deaths, atrocities but, in the long term, some of these confliects were beneficial (the conquests of the Roman Empire lead to the Western Civilization and most of the progress of the last 2000 years has been happening in it).

Today, religion is becoming irrelevant in developed countries and it is part of a greater whole (tradition) rather than the powerful force it used to be. Its main function, to provide power through magical anointment, is failing because educated people don't buy it (they never have anyway, it's just that there are many educated people now compared to, say, just a few hundred years ago).
 
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porushinobu said:
yeah but there would be less fighting as there will be less to argue about.
like, whos pet rock is the best looking :cool:
Click to expand...

Sorry dude, I'd have to disagree. We'd just find something else to fight about.

The crusades would've still happened. Greed for land etc would've just been the more obvious motives than being hidden underneath the pretence of a 'holy war'.
 
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