What if Everyone was Atheist?

[abaris]

All I asked was whether or not it's possible that at least some of the people wouldn't automatically find a different reason to f*** up other people, once they realized that this life was the only one they had. After all, plenty of people - like myself - reject religion and do not go on to join other organizations dedicated to indoctrination and murder. And if even only a few people didn't find a new motivation for hatred, after religion was gone - wouldn't that make the world at least a little better?

Why? Simply why?

Who's some? The reason that you are an atheist and don't feel the need to join up with the next game in town, doesn't say anything. There are the so called new atheists, who again band together to form an exclusive, "enlightened", group. Sometimes even forming atheist churches.

The absence of one ideology doesn't change anything. If every other reason to kill should fail, which I highly doubt, there's still nationalism. And that certainly won't go away anytime soon.

[Simon Moon]

Imagine there's no religion and everyone is somehow convinced there is no religion starting tomorrow. How would the world be different?

1. The Pope would become irrelevant
2. People can sleep in on Sundays, stop wasting their time praying, bible would become #1 fantasy fiction bestseller etc.
3. What else do you think? Would it make the world a better place? What would bring people together that used to belong to a church, temple, mosque, etc. ?

The most important thing is for people to be critical thinkers, skeptics and understand what actually constitutes good evidence.

There are plenty of atheists that believe in all sorts of woo.

But the world would be a better place, if everyone made decisions based on having an internal model of the world, that more closely mapped to the real world.

[Homeless Nutter]

The absence of one ideology doesn't change anything. [...]

Religion is not "one ideology". There are hundreds/thousands of them and they differ from other ideologies - as I already stated, and you conveniently disregarded - in that they offer absolution and promise of eternal life, making this life far less important.

And "who is some"? It's exactly who it sounds it is - a number of people. I don't know how many people without religion would turn to communism, or atheism plus - but I can't possibly imagine that it would be all of them. And even a few less atrocities - and it  might be way more than few - would make the world a better place, if only slightly.

Without AIDS, or cancer - people would still be dying of something. But at least a few people would die later and possibly in less pain. Which was my point.

[robvalue]

Without religion, you'd have a much harder job getting someone to blow themselves up just to take out a bunch of outsiders, and convince them there's something in it for them.

I agree with Simon, I think better critical thinking would make a big difference.

[Foxaèr]

[quote='mbk734' pid='1117297' dateline='1447896398']

2. People can sleep in on Sundays.

Even if there was no religion, people would not be able to sleep in on Sunday because of the corporate idealism toward greed, money-making, where people must work on Sunday.

[Homeless Nutter]

Even if there was no religion, people would not be able to sleep in on Sunday because of the corporate idealism toward greed, money-making, where people must work on Sunday.

Do you mean people like - doctors and nurses, police, power-plant staff, public transport drivers, entertainers, hospitality staff - in short all those people, who make sure we don't have to spend 1 day a week sitting on our hands in dark rooms, hoping we don't need a blood transfusion before 8:00 AM on Monday?

Sunday is just a day of the week. I'm a chef. I've worked most weekends over the past 15 years. I get my time off, corporate greed or not - it's the law, thank you very much - just not usually on the days, on which the church once decided to make everybody loiter.

[Foxaèr]

it's the law, thank you very much

The law or not, I am certain you have realized not everyone works on the weekends.

[robvalue]

This website would just be called "Forums".

[miaharun]

I think if everyone was Atheist, Most people will not have a base for whats right or wrong. Morality is there but applies to good natured people as far as i can see. If its in your DNA to be a bad natured person , there is no base to stop you from committing misdeeds. One can bring in law but people with no base to decide whats right or wrong will write the law. I cant imagine the outcome of such a world. Reminds me of the movie Equilibrium (2002).

[Homeless Nutter]

The law or not, I am certain you have realized not everyone works on the weekends.

I'm not entirely sure what your point is. Working people were made to take time off on the same day in order to fortify the idea of totalitarian control their masters (or gods) held over over them. They were told they were only allowed to rest when they were told to do so. It was also fairly convenient, back when public services - especially those available to working class - were practically non-existent.

Catholic church enforced Sunday as a day off work, in order to f*** with the Jews, so that they couldn't do business on 2 days a week.

There is nothing in human nature that requires us to all sleep in on the same day. Corporate greed has nothing to do with that.