Forums → WEPR → World without a religion?

Well we wouldnt have the dark ages so we would be about 600 years ahead in tech.

Correct me if im wrong, but wasnt the dark ages more due to the collapse of the roman empire, rather than the spreading of christianity?

Obviously this is all guesswork, but id say humans wouldnt have made it out of the stone age without religion. Its one of the few things that can bind large populations together. As soon as you create a religion you create unity, which allows large groups of people to live together without killing each other. As soon as this happens economies of scale kicks in, and technologies advance, although ironically as benthebozer pointed out, religion can also get in the way of that.

Honestly I agree with woody, to some degree. I think that religion, up until relatively recently, was a necessary aspect of human society. It does have many positive effects, and it has, without a doubt, made great contributions to our survival and success as a species.

At this point in our evolution as a society though, I feel that it is time to discard these myths and superstitions which we have held on to and pursue academic study, and allow for government with no theistic influence. I can't say that a complete absence of religion prior to today would be an overall good thing, as it's presence has lead to a lot of things which I feel are positive, however that is rapidly changing, especially in the past 150 years or so.

I feel that by abandoning mythology and superstition and embracing our knowledge of our world and our universe we can eliminate petty squabbles, embrace our differences, and truly learn to value each other, our lives, and our world.

Correct me if im wrong, but wasnt the dark ages more due to the collapse of the roman empire, rather than the spreading of christianity?

I think a world without religion would be for better and worse. It all partially depends on what would and wouldnât have happened without religious influence. On the better side, there perhaps would be a more open view of the strange and otherworldly. Another is what wouldnât have happened, like the crusades and the Inquisition. On the worse side, there might have been a lesser exchange of ideas between cultures, as there is nothing binding them. And again, what wouldn't have happened, like the American revolution among others.all of this would completely rewrite history.

On the topic of humans not developing without religion, this isn't quite credible. As humans are a ver social species, it comes almost naturally the will to be together and stay protected/fulfilled. Groups offer protection from nature, the elements, other humans, a much more supportive environment, and a more organized lifestyle. So I believe civilization didn't form around religion, but religion was a side product of civilization to explain whatever early man couldn't understand, to give them a motive and purpose/ standard to their lives.

As soon as you create a religion you create unity, which allows large groups of people to live together without killing each other.

On the topic of humans not developing without religion, this isn't quite credible. As humans are a ver social species, it comes almost naturally the will to be together and stay protected/fulfilled.

Religion can generate just as much discord as it does unity. One group believes in one god while another believes in a different god and they fight over who's imaginary friend is better. Even among these groups it breaks down further arguing over what message this god is conveying and the details of what this god is like.

Actually that's wrong. In ancient pagan religions there was no such things as religious wars. Sinse the only recivers of real messages from their gods was a limited number of people, there were no break-downs inside those religions.

I was under the impression that the dark ages were about 600 years of scientific represssion from christianity.

I was under the impression that the dark ages were about 600 years of scientific represssion from christianity.

Eh, well, I'm not excactly a buff on history, but I can say that, if there were no religon, who's to say what will happen? Who's to say we'd be all dead if not for religeon, who's to say we'd expanded the Human lifespan 90+ years?

Actually that's wrong. In ancient pagan religions there was no such things as religious wars. Sinse the only recivers of real messages from their gods was a limited number of people, there were no break-downs inside those religions. The only religions that do break from inside into large groups or attack other religions simply because they are from another religions are Cristianity and Islam.

Religion in itself is probably one of the greatest works of fiction. Second only to the Discworld series (Sorry, had to slip that in - which is what she said.)

Religion can generate just as much discord as it does unity. One group believes in one god while another believes in a different god and they fight over who's imaginary friend is better. Even among these groups it breaks down further arguing over what message this god is conveying and the details of what this god is like.

As humans are a ver social species, it comes almost naturally the will to be together and stay protected/fulfilled. Groups offer protection from nature, the elements, other humans, a much more supportive environment, and a more organized lifestyle.

However, the Dark Ages may have ended sooner if the Christian Church did not develop a strangle hold on the daily lives of individuals. The Church ruled every aspect of people's lives which led to a stagnation of creative growth, it was against the law to perform or create art that did not reflect the Church is a positive light.

Surely an organisation like the church which teaches people literacy, although it would use it to advance its own agenda would still create a basic level of infrastructure and education?