If everyone was atheist

[Ravenshire]

So, you don't want to discuss then point. Ok, then.

Why'd you ask?

Ask what?

Your original question. I made a point, you commented on a triviality and ignored the point. So, why'd you ask?

[Catholic_Lady]

Ask what?

Your original question. I made a point, you commented on a triviality and ignored the point. So, why'd you ask?

To know what you guys thoughts on it were.

---

Ask what?

Your original question. I made a point, you commented on a triviality and ignored the point. So, why'd you ask?

You can say whatever you want to say, and if you want to hear from me or know what I think about it, just let me know.

[paulpablo]

Do you think the world would be a better place if everyone was atheist?

Please explain your answer below.

I think the world would be a very similar place.  There are too many variable to consider.  I think conmen, sexism, homophobia, primitive tribal thinking, unscientific thinking and a whole list of bad things would still exist without religion but I can't predict to what extent they would exist.

To me a religion is just a placebo that people take at a certain cost depending on what type of religion/placebo they have chosen.

Placebos do work, sometimes when I'm at the gym or I'm just doing something tough I forget I'm an atheist and think god/allah/jesus/zues/thor is on my side helping me crush the challenge ahead.  But I don't pay the cost for my placebo because I get out of that frame of mind the moment I relax, I can reflect on reality in what I think is a rational way and see the good points to abortions, believing in evolution, and not being homophobic.

[Pyrrho]

I think the world would be a very similar place.  There are too many variable to consider.  I think conmen, sexism, homophobia, primitive tribal thinking, unscientific thinking and a whole list of bad things would still exist without religion but I can't predict to what extent they would exist.
...

If the world were like this one, with just the minimum changed for there to be no religion, then there would be less sexism, homophobia, primitive tribal thinking, unscientific thinking, etc., because religion promotes all of those things.  Just getting rid of religion would improve all of those.  Of course, that does not mean that all of those things would be eliminated, but they would all be reduced.

To give one example, in my case, when I was a Christian, I was against homosexuals.  Not because I had any personal interest, but because that was what my religion taught.  When the religion was eliminated, so, too, was my motive to have any problems with homosexuals.  I now don't give a rat's ass whether my neighbor is homosexual, heterosexual, or bisexual.

Religion is evil.  If it ended, a big source of evil would be ended.  Not everything bad, but a significant amount of the bad things in the world would be eliminated.  Think about the conflict in the middle east, and what a difference there would be if no one there were religious.  It is almost inconceivable what it would be like, because that one change would make a vast difference.  The same is true of conflicts in Africa, where religion is also a great source of trouble.

The world would not be heaven without religion, but it would be dramatically better than it is now.

[Ravenshire]

Your original question. I made a point, you commented on a triviality and ignored the point. So, why'd you ask?

To know what you guys thoughts on it were.

---

Your original question. I made a point, you commented on a triviality and ignored the point. So, why'd you ask?

You can say whatever you want to say, and if you want to hear from me or know what I think about it, just let me know.

My mistake. I thought you were interested in dialog.

[Bob Kelso]

No. Not outright.

Would it be marginally better? I'd like to think so, but I can't help but fear the consequences of what seems to be a terrifying number of delusional sociopaths suddenly off their invisible, but functional, leashes.

How many times, fellow atheists, have you been in a discussion or witnessed one where some religious fuckstick basically admitted that if it weren't for their religion they'd be out fucking the brakes off of people and doing whatever pleased them because "life would have no meaning"?

[Pyrrho]

No. Not outright.

Would it be marginally better? I'd like to think so, but I can't help but fear the consequences of what seems to be a terrifying number of delusional sociopaths suddenly off their invisible, but functional, leashes.

How many times, fellow atheists, have you been in a discussion or witnessed one where some religious fuckstick basically admitted that if it weren't for their religion they'd be out fucking the brakes off of people and doing whatever pleased them because "life would have no meaning"?

They say that, but how many times have you found a former Christian to actually do that?  It is just bullshit propaganda, not anything real.  There is nothing to fear in people giving up their religion.

This is just another con job that religion has done, and they have suckered a whole bunch of atheists as well as Christians on this bullshit nonsense.

[Bob Kelso]

No. Not outright.

Would it be marginally better? I'd like to think so, but I can't help but fear the consequences of what seems to be a terrifying number of delusional sociopaths suddenly off their invisible, but functional, leashes.

How many times, fellow atheists, have you been in a discussion or witnessed one where some religious fuckstick basically admitted that if it weren't for their religion they'd be out fucking the brakes off of people and doing whatever pleased them because "life would have no meaning"?

They say that, but how many times have you found a former Christian to actually do that?  It is just bullshit propaganda, not anything real.  There is nothing to fear in people giving up their religion.

This is just another con job that religion has done, and they have suckered a whole bunch of atheists as well as Christians on this bullshit nonsense.

I guess I see your point on a large scale, I don't really know how the rest of the world is as far as people go (on a personal basis); but I live in the south and work in an ER, and I've seen what these religious idiots do to each other on a regular basis as is, I'm loath to consider what they would do without their little fairy tales and fear of eternal damnation. 

It may not be that way everywhere, but it's certainly the case here.

Edit: To be clear, as an atheist myself I certainly haven't swallowed the pills that Atheism=Amoral Behavior, or that religion is a good thing. Call me pessimistic but I'm just not convinced that the entire population could drop their religious beliefs without a somewhat staggering amount of people turning on the rest of us like rabid dogs.

[MJ the Skeptical]

Of course it would be a better place if there were nothing but atheists (but that term wouldn't even exist) because people would make decisions based on hard logic and facts, rather than faith and tradition. Think of the Vulcans.

[paulpablo]

If the world were like this one, with just the minimum changed for there to be no religion, then there would be less sexism, homophobia, primitive tribal thinking, unscientific thinking, etc., because religion promotes all of those things.  Just getting rid of religion would improve all of those.  Of course, that does not mean that all of those things would be eliminated, but they would all be reduced.

To give one example, in my case, when I was a Christian, I was against homosexuals.  Not because I had any personal interest, but because that was what my religion taught.  When the religion was eliminated, so, too, was my motive to have any problems with homosexuals.  I now don't give a rat's ass whether my neighbor is homosexual, heterosexual, or bisexual.

I still think there are too many cultural variables to consider along with the variety of religions this world has seen.  Greeks were religious yet they accepted homosexuality, Stalin was an atheist who criminalized homosexuality, I also believe that at points in Hitlers life he was anti religious and favoured science to religion yet he was also against homosexuals. 

I think most of the things in religions is just a reflection of culture anyway, the bible actually has more verses condemning shellfish than homosexuals, but the average American Christian won't give a shit about shellfish.

I would accept that it's quite likely that with the elimination of religion a lot of homophobic, sexist, unscientific ideas could be reduced but I couldn't be certain PURELY because the evolution of how cultures develop is so seemingly random and variable.  Think about all the crazy ideas, fashions, trends, wars, persecutions around the world that happen without religion.
Also if the question is asking what if every person who was ever alive was an atheist then there definitely would be too many variables to consider because I don't know what kind of culture the world would have right now without religion.