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What if Everyone was Atheist?
November 18, 2015 at 9:26 pm
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. ?
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RE: What if Everyone was Atheist?
November 18, 2015 at 9:27 pm
The pope is irrelevant.
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RE: What if Everyone was Atheist?
November 18, 2015 at 9:28 pm
There are more than enough flags to rally behind. So, no, the world would be just the same. Only the reasons to kill would be secular.
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RE: What if Everyone was Atheist?
November 18, 2015 at 9:30 pm
It would be a slightly more peaceful place.
Yes, humans will almost always find a reason for conflict, but it would be a major reason gone.
Playing Cluedo with my mum while I was at Uni:
"You did WHAT? With WHO? WHERE???"
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RE: What if Everyone was Atheist?
November 18, 2015 at 9:35 pm
(November 18, 2015 at 9:30 pm)Beccs Wrote: Yes, humans will almost always find a reason for conflict, but it would be a major reason gone.
And another one would instantly fill the void.
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RE: What if Everyone was Atheist?
November 18, 2015 at 9:35 pm
(November 18, 2015 at 9:27 pm)Minimalist Wrote: The pope is irrelevant.
They made a big deal of his recent visit to the US in the press. He addressed congress and got political. I couldn't believe it.
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RE: What if Everyone was Atheist?
November 18, 2015 at 9:46 pm
(November 18, 2015 at 9:28 pm)abaris Wrote: There are more than enough flags to rally behind. So, no, the world would be just the same. Only the reasons to kill would be secular.
Sooo... You're saying there aren't any secular reasons to kill now? So there wouldn't be ANY decrease in ideologically based murder rate, if some of the motivations (in particular - the ones that come bundled with not only absolution from crimes and responsibility, but also from death) weren't there anymore? Not even a little? Interesting...
Well, not really "interesting" - more like "baseless" and "speculative".
We can't possibly know what the world would look like without religion, because we've never had an opportunity to witness such a world.
"The fact that a believer is happier than a skeptic is no more to the point than the fact that a drunken man is happier than a sober one." - George Bernard Shaw
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RE: What if Everyone was Atheist?
November 18, 2015 at 9:48 pm
(This post was last modified: November 18, 2015 at 9:49 pm by Homeless Nutter.)
(November 18, 2015 at 9:35 pm)abaris Wrote: And another one would instantly fill the void.
How do you know what would "fill the void" wouldn't be better - as in less destructive and more open to evidence and reason? Maybe substantially, maybe marginally, but aren't you falling for the Nirvana fallacy? "World wouldn't be perfect without religion, so it would be just as bad as it is now"...
"The fact that a believer is happier than a skeptic is no more to the point than the fact that a drunken man is happier than a sober one." - George Bernard Shaw
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RE: What if Everyone was Atheist?
November 18, 2015 at 9:51 pm
(This post was last modified: November 18, 2015 at 9:53 pm by abaris.)
(November 18, 2015 at 9:46 pm)Homeless Nutter Wrote: Well, not really "interesting" - more like "baseless" and "speculative".
We can't possibly know what the world would look like without religion, because we've never had an opportunity to witness such a world.
Oh, but you can make an educated guess by taking a close look at human nature. You can't possibly think that it's pink elephants and fairies floating from everyone's butthole, once religion is gone. Think again, and think about the people's need to feel exclusive by belonging to certain groups.
Well, maybe you're really that naive to believe human nature would change overnight.
(November 18, 2015 at 9:48 pm)Homeless Nutter Wrote: How do you know what would "fill the void" wouldn't be better - as in less destructive and more open to evidence and reason?
Look at human nature and history. Do you think, it would change? Since you called my assumptions baseless, based on what other than assumptions?
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RE: What if Everyone was Atheist?
November 18, 2015 at 10:05 pm
(This post was last modified: November 18, 2015 at 10:08 pm by Homeless Nutter.)
(November 18, 2015 at 9:51 pm)abaris Wrote: Oh, but you can make an educated guess by taking a close look at human nature. You can't possibly think that it's pink elephants and fairies floating from everyone's butthole, once religion is gone. [...]
Uhm, where exactly did I state anything about "pink elephants and fairies floating from everyone's butthole"? I'm sorry - if you read that in any of my posts - it must have been a very elaborate typo...
I'm not the one making blanket statements. 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?
There's nothing "educated" about your guess. It's just an expression of cynicism, which is fine - but just as naive as any other position in relation to a purely hypothetical and impossible situation.
(November 18, 2015 at 9:51 pm)abaris Wrote: Look at human nature and history. Do you think, it would change? Since you called my assumptions baseless, based on what other than assumptions?
I'm looking at it. And what I see is that religion is and always has been a part of and an influence on human nature and history. Care to tell me what part of human history devoid of religion you're looking at?
"The fact that a believer is happier than a skeptic is no more to the point than the fact that a drunken man is happier than a sober one." - George Bernard Shaw
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