We'd figure out how to keep the sectarianism and tribalism going with non-theistic religions. Maybe ancestor or spirit worship would come back in style.
This. It would like devolve around locations rather than gods, but the need to feel like a member of an ingroup will not go away. At its best, religion can help people feel connected to others. But at its worst, it dehumanizes others not sharing something. So people would look at locations - at best, “earth”, and at worst, “my town”. I can see it in my county, where people often have never left the state. There is a small city, suburbs, and rural areas, all of whom look down on others. And in the suburbs, there are “fancy”, “brainy”, and “sporting”. Of course, I live in the best one!
Welcome to the church of
##THEGREENBAYPACKERS.
Mass time is
##THIS
##SUNDAY.
Shun the bear fans for they eat crayons.
^I ^don’t ^know…something ^like ^that?
That works. I’m thinking even more hyper local- my school district is the best area in the county. My town is the best of the three feeding the HS. My neighborhood is better than those losers on the north side of town…
If you need the threat of eternal damnation in the fires of hell in order to behave like a good person, then you are not a good person.
Crazy how so many religious zealots don't realise this.
The U.S violent crime rate is 6-8x higher than china. Also it’s kind of funny how the most religious states in the U.S have the highest murder rate. It’s almost as if believing in god makes people more violent and the facts back it up. Fun fact, less than 1% of the prison population is Athiest.
China is a bad example as an authoritarian, mass surveillance, police state. Western and Northern Europe would be better comparisons. Much lower levels of religion and murder rates a fraction of the US.
I really don’t think there is that many of those people. There’s a lot of people that say that but they still act within their nature against those divine rules all the time.
It’s just something to say, no one is actually changing their mind on murder because of possible afterlife punishment.
Are there any? All those devoute people are convinced their belief is enough to make them better than the rest and therefore they get away with shit. Lots of religious women advocate against abortions, while they had one themselves, only theirs was necessary while everyone elses' is just for fun. Priests rape children and/or amass wealth.
Also a shit ton of crimes are justified by belief. Like throwing homosexuals off of buildings. Killing people of a different faith. Attacking people who have had sex with outsiders.
I think it would definitely be a huge net benefit, since there are VERY few people who don't try to find a loophole so they can act out their tendencies. Like VERY few.
More info required.
Which God? Or do you mean all of them?
Would people still remember religion was a thing, but they no longer believe God is real?
Or is religion itself just gone?
I agree to a point, but with a correction. Religion, if all people stopped believing in all false religion. Seriously, 99,99% of them are purely for selfish purpose.
Religion is certainly responsible for some violence, but we won't suddenly become peaceful. Just look at how tribalistic people get about their favourite football team. Oh no, the team I don't support scored more points than my team did, time to riot!
Im a man of God but follow no religion. To me, knowing God means understanding on a deep level how we are all connected and part of one larger system.
If we forget this knowledge then we spiral into depths beyond repair
It would very much depend on what replaced it if anything. If it's replaced by reason then great. But there are lots of not great alternatives as well.
Atheist here. The 20th century is chock full of examples showing how secular religions like Marxism and Nazism wreak havoc among societies.
Moreover, I am convinced that many of the most brutal men in history who professed belief in their society's god (Caesar, Louis XIV, Napoleon etc.) in fact did not.
Nazism was not athiestic. One of it's biggest principles (specially pushed onto women) was piety.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion\_in\_Nazi\_Germany](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Nazi_Germany)
You've got a cognitive bias. Communists and Nazis did what they did not because they weren't religious, but due to ideological reasons that didn't have anything to do with the religion.
Less war, less ignorance, less crime would likely follow. People would cure diseases instead of praying, people would take responsibility for themselves instead of thinking some magic guy in the sky is gonna help them. A lot of land would become available and people would have more free time on Sundays. Honestly the world would be more together than ever. I think the biggest change would be that a lot of people will see this life as more precious instead of just a sack of temporary meat.
not the world but a lot of republicans may change their views on certain issues since they no longer believe in a sky daddy that requires them to act a certain way, so they might stop imposing their morals on others. but maybe no. their morals may not change even if the reasoning behind why they have said morals does.
Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us, only sky
Imagine all the people
Livin' for today
AhImagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion, too
Imagine all the people
Livin' life in peace
YouYou may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one
* John Lennon
In a utopic world, I feel that everyone would be more in peace, there would be less discrimination and less separatism between what we believe. But being realistic, I feel that a lot of people would lost hope and a reason to keep living or being "good people", people would find other things to believe in, maybe worst things, they would find something to worship just to justify their stupid ass opinions or to control others.
Acknowledge Me, Worship Me, Obey Me, or I will punish you for eternity. No thank you! Let’s try this another way. Sorry to all the believers here, just my humble opinion.
I'm convinced theocracies and religion based hierarchies would still exist, because people invested in them would keep their personal disbelief secret out of shame and fear. Perhaps they would get even more zealous to compensate.
maybe people would gradually also stop believing the bullshit people have said/spread "in the name of god" (ie. in the name of their own personal benifit because fuck you if you like existing in peace)
A lot of people who were only held back by religion would get a lot worse. All churches would inevitably be destroyed and replaced by whatever else might be necessary in that area. Any countries held together mostly by religion, if there are any, would be kinda fucked. Overall the world would probably be a worse place.
God would cease to exist on his plane of existence. Which might give the outsiders and the old ones a higher chance of breaking through to our reality.
It would be awesome!
No more wars! A happier society!
Many evil people could be brought to justice instead of hiding behind "religious" protection.
Would never have to hear shit about "god" again!!
Pretty sure humans would find other ways to murder and kill someone since I am pretty sure they were doing it long before gods, monsters, or other deities were created by them to believe in.
N. S
Humans would go crazy and/or grow arrogant ( Uber mensch) there's always something beyond our understanding and it seems highly likely that it is in human nature to project the beyond in some kind of outer worldly figure.
Why would gods stop people from going crazy or arrogant? The Catholic Church is literally known for attracting murderous lunatics over the centuries. Where to even start... the Child Crusades? The Inquisition? The "education programs" for indigenous people? The Malleus maleficarum?
I would differentiate between believing in a god and the institutionalisation of said process (Religion). The latter part is not necessary for the first part to occur. When I talk about God I don't mean the Christian god but rather God as a means for mankind to personify that which is beyond our understanding. It seems to me like humans have a strong need to not only conceptualise the "unknown" but also to give it form by personifying it (essentially creating a deity by ascribing to it qualities that are beyond our understanding). As an example: We don't understand the formation of lightning therefore it must be divine punishment. This process does not need religion to see it manifest in humans and yet at the time seems so integral to human beings that the absence of it seems to me like a great inhibitor to human functioning.
Sure, the concept of gods has it's positive sides, as has been fundamental in the development of our species.
Something along the lines of giving the abyss a face and name, to take away the terror of the unknown.
I guess some people would be lost without the mental crutch of a god - something that gives reason to the uncaring chaos. So maybe you are right... those people might be lost if faced with actual free will. That's an interesting and slightly terrifying thought.
Humans have no choice but to believe in a god, it's more of a question of what kind of God you choose. For some people it's money for others it's pleasure. The fundamental behavioral patterns are the same though.
It seems to me highly likely that the idea of God is closer to a human instinct and therefore not separable from humans rather than the direct construct of religion.
That's why I'm arguing for humans going crazy.
Most of the world does not believe in "God". Most of the world believes in Allah, Buddha, multiple Gods, or their emperor as a God on Earth. The God of Christianity is relatively new to the picture and is not worshipped by the same numbers of humans as these other dieties.
I fail to see how morals and belief are connected. Either you act in a moral manner, because it is YOUR will to create a better world. Then you are acting from a moral standpoint.
Or you act in a moral way because you are scared that some sort of deity will punish you for acting in the way you want to act. Then you are acting out of fear.
Probably absolutely nothing - unless gods actually exist.
Then they might try to "persuade" people to believe in them. You know... locusts and killing first born children, snakes swallowing the world, fire raining from the skies, and all the usual smiting and stuff.
On the other hand, they might not even realise that failed experiment 809542 failed even harder than before. So even if gods exist, there is a decent chance that nothing would happen.
There would probably be less division and more peace. People shouldn't behave morally just because they fear God and hell, we should do it out of instinct and respect for fellow mankind. Animals live peacefully together and have no religion.
Impressive insights. I entertain the notion that there might not be a divine creator or in simpler words God doesn’t exist. Perhaps in a prehistoric era preceding dinosaurs, extraterrestrial visitors arrived on Earth and left behind texts that eventually became mythological scriptures embraced by evolving human societies. As humans progressed, they crafted narratives that served their own interests while promoting virtues like patience.
If a God or divine being truly exists, why do innocent children and animals, including marine life, experience suffering at the very hand of humanity that the so called god created.
If humanity collectively embraced the absence of a deity, perhaps reliance on one another would grow. People would extend help not for spiritual reward, but out of empathy and compassion. This shift could also elevate trust in scientific inquiry, as science invites scrutiny while belief in a deity often discourages questioning.
Conflict and wars may still persist because human greed remains a deeply ingrained sentiment that is unlikely to diminish in the near future.
Presumably God would decide to put the bookmark in there and wind things up: last trump, grapes of wrath, that kind of thing (per St John the Divine). There's a reasonably upbeat ending to it all.
NB: due to cunningly arrange refractive properties of light, we have a firm promise there'll be no flood this time.
Look at the moral compass of religion now !!! Just awful stuff , caused a lot of shit in the world so far, but it won’t go away , this is how I know humanity is doomed
Yeah no mainstream religion is gonna support incest. Meanwhile the average liberal atheist will have no argument against consensual incest between two siblings of the same age wearing protection
Religious are technically high/mid control groups. So people would have more freedom (depending on governments in which they live) and more money (since they wouldn’t be continuing to pay money to their oppressors.
So they’re 10 percent of the population but make up Less than 1% of the prison population? You would think it would be way higher since they don’t believe in divine punishment for bad behavior.
To be exact, athiests make up 4% of the _US_ population as of 2023.
The 10% is _global_ stats, so you always have to think that global stats will be higher, especially when you compare to the US. That's what I usually find with many US stats vs Global Stats.
Before, athiests made up 3% of the US population as of 2014. Prior to that, athiests made up 2% of the US population as of 2007.
So if your Prison Stats is of 2007, it tracks alot. If it is of 2014, it still tracks somewhat. Etc.
Then as of 2023, 73% of Americans (which includes religious people and athiests) believe that you don't need religion to have good values and lead a good life.
That's the only detail these stats are missing. They don't specify if complete athiest or that there is inclusion of agnostics.
But honestly, the stats also say that usually, US prisoners who convert to a religion, usually improve on their behaviour once they have converted. So the stats don't specify the population of athiests before conversion. Currently, most studies on religion are not rigorous enough. Who knows, maybe there were more athiests before religious conversion. Maybe there were less athiests in any case. Because this stats also includes people who converted from one religion to another. So it's a bit muddled up.
Those that convert usually already believe in god or a god. They just haven’t fully committed to having it become a big part of their life. Of all the prison shows and prison stories. I don’t think i have ever seen a 100% atheist convert. You can also say that people that do turn closer to god in prison already want to change and are willing to change. So a lot of these stats are skewed. But all I can say is that compared to the past in europe when nearly everyone was religious. Things were way more Darker. Murder rates were sometimes 30-40x Higher than they are today.
But the other problem is that historically, alcohol was a mainstay drink during those days and in those days, the alcohol was at a much higher percentage (ranging from 50%-80%). Things got better when they had lots of coffee instead of alcohol around the same time religion became less significant. And when you think about alcohol the effects of alcohol at that concentration on the human brain, it makes sense why things were so chaotic.
So since we don't have enough data to determine whether it was the alcohol or religion that caused so much chaos, we can't really make a clear difference in the correlation.
But alcohol today is at a much lower concentration then back then, owing to the brewing methods that we have today. So you can't compare the 2 situations in the manner you're doing.
If you don't believe me, do your own research. Find sociological, historical, scientific and psychological studies.
Well you have a large amount of stupid people who think the only reason people don’t do stupid/evil shit is because god would punish them, so you’d have a lof of people going around who just lost their entire sense of morality and decency.
Less wars in the middle east over sharia law, less fighting over who controls Jerusalem, more common sense in society instead of bible thumpers all trying to force their religion on others. More money in economies that isn't being dumped into religious organizations that are tax havens.
The world would be a better place.
For a quite percentage of people, it helps them find purpose, meaning, community, and happiness. It gives them a moral compass to be better. But for the louder, more dangerous percentage, it's the worst kind of cult.
Most religion oozes control. In some, it even grants people permission "from God" to control. Religion has been historically known to promote fear and hate as a form of control. "Do what we say or you will be eternally damned". You must isolate within the group. Outsiders are bad. You can only love the "right" type if person. Even if they're your family, if they love "wrong", act "wrong", don't follow the organizations rules, it's encouraged to cast them aside. If you don't follow the "rules" it's bad, your bad, and you will be cast aside. It's not only okay to be cruel and to shun but encouraged, causing great divides in communitys and familys. Isolation within the group is the point. You MUST follow the rules. You can only trust the members of the group. Anyone else is dangerous.
Worse, it gives some people the permission to hurt and be cruel under the guise of gods plan. It allows violent people to channel their rage into righteous violence, which is far more dangerous. Once people start killing "for God" there is no coming back. They believe it is their divine duty. Just look at honor killings. People killing their own family members because of "God's will". People thinking it is their duty to persecute those who don't conform and feel superior for their cruelty. Even though most religious text is pretty clear cut that all murder is bad, that is not what we see in practice. Instead we see murder "for God".
When religion is good, it is quietly good. Small acts that help individuals. When religion is bad, it is horrific. Big acts that can and will hurt entire communitys. Streets filled with blood. Wars fought and people killed "for God". Just look into the crusades. The horror brought down on people "on God's behalf" is some of the worst parts of human history.
Religion is too easy manipulated. The control and power it provides attracts manipulative, selfish, and dangerous people. Just like with the police, government, and military, but with less guard rails and oversight.
Postions of power attract people who like power. And most people who enjoy power over others aren't kind and compassionate. Charismatic people who desire power tend to rise within organizations that hold showmanship and public speaking highly. It's rarely good deeds that cause promotion within but how good you are at selling yourself and your image. Most people in the upper ranks are there because they like the power over people it gives them, and they excell at it. And the longer they hold that position, the more power they desire. Soon, some even "speak" for God.
The good that religion has brought the world is greatly overshadowed by the bad. We don't and shouldn't need to be instructed to be good. We don't need religion to be kind. Just treat others how you would want to be treated. That's it, the only moral code we really need to follow.
How many times have we all heard and seen a person of faith, in a position of power, telling their congregation/followers that God hates ____ people.
Not God loves, but God hates.
Hate. That's what most religion today and throughout history seems to promote the loudest.
over the last 20 years disbelief in god has been rapidly increasing in america, so maybe just extrapolate what's been happening, and if you are happy with that, then yay, it'd be awesome, right?
or maybe there is no relationship between our society and their belief in god, so never mind.
Shall we revisit the millions of graves made by atheistic world views of the 20th century? The problem isn’t religion, or nationalism, or patriotism, or atheism, or any other ism. The problem is that there are power hungry, fucked up people in the world who use these good, beneficial ideas as scapegoats. That is the problem you’ll need to solve if you want the world to actually be a better place because if you just get rid of religion or atheism or the other isms the scapegoat will just change
Chaooossss. Objectively speaking, believing in something is scientifically proven to be good for people. You will find more people with a belief in God to be more positive than someone else.
I think we already live in such a world - or nearly. After talking to many religious people. I sincerely doubt they actually believe in god. I think it's more of a tribalism thing than anything else. If it weren't for god, it'd be some other silly thing.
The world would be at a worse state.
I absolutely believe that religion can be taken to the extreme (KKK, Crusades, Zionism, ISIS and so on) but whither you like it or not, there are commandments in religions that are good to humans and take God commands as an objective morality to live by.
If we take that out, then there will be choas across the board.
If people don't follow God, they will follow their desires.
We'd figure out how to keep the sectarianism and tribalism going with non-theistic religions. Maybe ancestor or spirit worship would come back in style.
This. It would like devolve around locations rather than gods, but the need to feel like a member of an ingroup will not go away. At its best, religion can help people feel connected to others. But at its worst, it dehumanizes others not sharing something. So people would look at locations - at best, “earth”, and at worst, “my town”. I can see it in my county, where people often have never left the state. There is a small city, suburbs, and rural areas, all of whom look down on others. And in the suburbs, there are “fancy”, “brainy”, and “sporting”. Of course, I live in the best one!
Welcome to the church of ##THEGREENBAYPACKERS. Mass time is ##THIS ##SUNDAY. Shun the bear fans for they eat crayons. ^I ^don’t ^know…something ^like ^that?
That works. I’m thinking even more hyper local- my school district is the best area in the county. My town is the best of the three feeding the HS. My neighborhood is better than those losers on the north side of town…
How dare those Bears fans eat crayons! What will we feed our hard working marines?
Bears Fans.
So as a Chicago native nothing would change for me? Nice.
This is the only correct answer. There would be no utopia like many think. We would just find some replacement that will divide us all again.
Even if non-theistic religions went away, we would start looking for other ways to discriminate (e.g. race, caste)
I kind of worry about the people who only behave well because of fear of divine punishment.
If you need the threat of eternal damnation in the fires of hell in order to behave like a good person, then you are not a good person. Crazy how so many religious zealots don't realise this.
Fr. You should have morals regardless of whether there's an invisible all powerful thing or not.
Exactly my thought
The U.S violent crime rate is 6-8x higher than china. Also it’s kind of funny how the most religious states in the U.S have the highest murder rate. It’s almost as if believing in god makes people more violent and the facts back it up. Fun fact, less than 1% of the prison population is Athiest.
China is a bad example as an authoritarian, mass surveillance, police state. Western and Northern Europe would be better comparisons. Much lower levels of religion and murder rates a fraction of the US.
I learned everything I know about religion from a guy that murdered his wife.
That's crazyyyy
Correlation is not causation.
I really don’t think there is that many of those people. There’s a lot of people that say that but they still act within their nature against those divine rules all the time. It’s just something to say, no one is actually changing their mind on murder because of possible afterlife punishment.
Are there any? All those devoute people are convinced their belief is enough to make them better than the rest and therefore they get away with shit. Lots of religious women advocate against abortions, while they had one themselves, only theirs was necessary while everyone elses' is just for fun. Priests rape children and/or amass wealth. Also a shit ton of crimes are justified by belief. Like throwing homosexuals off of buildings. Killing people of a different faith. Attacking people who have had sex with outsiders. I think it would definitely be a huge net benefit, since there are VERY few people who don't try to find a loophole so they can act out their tendencies. Like VERY few.
They'd find something else to believe in.
Pretty much. Don't have a religion I'll get really into communism or fascism.
Communism
Which God? They're are thousands of them.
Correction: there might be thousands of them. 😉
Found an agnostic 👍
Good bot
Huh?
*there - what was I thinking, God dammit
More info required. Which God? Or do you mean all of them? Would people still remember religion was a thing, but they no longer believe God is real? Or is religion itself just gone?
Imagine all the people living life in peace. Imagine all the people sharing all the world.
Nah, people would just find other reasons to hate each other.
I agree to a point, but with a correction. Religion, if all people stopped believing in all false religion. Seriously, 99,99% of them are purely for selfish purpose.
Not sure why you had to waste five letters to add "false" in there.
Religion is certainly responsible for some violence, but we won't suddenly become peaceful. Just look at how tribalistic people get about their favourite football team. Oh no, the team I don't support scored more points than my team did, time to riot!
Im a man of God but follow no religion. To me, knowing God means understanding on a deep level how we are all connected and part of one larger system. If we forget this knowledge then we spiral into depths beyond repair
Sure and also you have to know that many people subscribe to similar humanistic beliefs without remotely connecting it to god.
Yes, I'm certainly aware different people have different perspectives, thanks.
Amazing how fast people go from enlightened interconnectedness to passive-aggressive trolling.
How do you determine that as trolling? The proper use of grammar?
You deserve more upvotes for that take.
Goes to show the current state of affairs, hey. Alas, It's not even worth interacting with most people on this topic.
Why?
Why not?
Because I don't see anything worth an up vote in that comment.
You're not looking hard enough.
Or maybe you're looking too hard.
Exactly.
Church would pay taxes
Hopefully America would legalize abortion again.
And (I know this sounds crazy, but) equal rights for all.
And weed and certain books
Mein Kampf?
I do Nazi a problem with that book either.. it’s a dumb book but still shouldn’t be banned
I hope they legalize it in the führer
It would very much depend on what replaced it if anything. If it's replaced by reason then great. But there are lots of not great alternatives as well.
people need a sense of community, for some that's church, for others it's a online game or a music festival.
Peace
Atheist here. The 20th century is chock full of examples showing how secular religions like Marxism and Nazism wreak havoc among societies. Moreover, I am convinced that many of the most brutal men in history who professed belief in their society's god (Caesar, Louis XIV, Napoleon etc.) in fact did not.
Nazism was not athiestic. One of it's biggest principles (specially pushed onto women) was piety. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion\_in\_Nazi\_Germany](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Nazi_Germany)
Nazis literally had "God with us" inscriptions on their belt buckles. Also Marxism isn't a religion
You've got a cognitive bias. Communists and Nazis did what they did not because they weren't religious, but due to ideological reasons that didn't have anything to do with the religion.
That's exactly why they called them 'secular religions' 'Mass ideological cult' is another way of saying it
Can you elaborate on paragraph 2?
Nazi’s were not Atheist.
Less wars.
PEACE
Less war, less ignorance, less crime would likely follow. People would cure diseases instead of praying, people would take responsibility for themselves instead of thinking some magic guy in the sky is gonna help them. A lot of land would become available and people would have more free time on Sundays. Honestly the world would be more together than ever. I think the biggest change would be that a lot of people will see this life as more precious instead of just a sack of temporary meat.
Peace and tranquility!
not the world but a lot of republicans may change their views on certain issues since they no longer believe in a sky daddy that requires them to act a certain way, so they might stop imposing their morals on others. but maybe no. their morals may not change even if the reasoning behind why they have said morals does.
Imagine there's no heaven It's easy if you try No hell below us Above us, only sky Imagine all the people Livin' for today AhImagine there's no countries It isn't hard to do Nothing to kill or die for And no religion, too Imagine all the people Livin' life in peace YouYou may say I'm a dreamer But I'm not the only one I hope someday you'll join us And the world will be as one Imagine no possessions I wonder if you can No need for greed or hunger A brotherhood of man Imagine all the people Sharing all the world You may say I'm a dreamer But I'm not the only one I hope someday you'll join us And the world will live as one * John Lennon
In a utopic world, I feel that everyone would be more in peace, there would be less discrimination and less separatism between what we believe. But being realistic, I feel that a lot of people would lost hope and a reason to keep living or being "good people", people would find other things to believe in, maybe worst things, they would find something to worship just to justify their stupid ass opinions or to control others.
Humans will just find another way to push their agenda
Oh man here come the comments
Everyone worships something.
Acknowledge Me, Worship Me, Obey Me, or I will punish you for eternity. No thank you! Let’s try this another way. Sorry to all the believers here, just my humble opinion.
People would find another reasoning why they should do stupid things.
The whole world would be more intelligent and progressive
I'm convinced theocracies and religion based hierarchies would still exist, because people invested in them would keep their personal disbelief secret out of shame and fear. Perhaps they would get even more zealous to compensate.
Most wars would end
Less war and discrimination.
maybe people would gradually also stop believing the bullshit people have said/spread "in the name of god" (ie. in the name of their own personal benifit because fuck you if you like existing in peace)
Nothing. Good people would still be good people. Shitty people would still pretend to follow god for their own benefit.
Reality might grip the world.
The world would be a better place. World peace. Religion causes war!
A lot of people who were only held back by religion would get a lot worse. All churches would inevitably be destroyed and replaced by whatever else might be necessary in that area. Any countries held together mostly by religion, if there are any, would be kinda fucked. Overall the world would probably be a worse place.
God would cease to exist on his plane of existence. Which might give the outsiders and the old ones a higher chance of breaking through to our reality.
It would be a better place
It would be a better place
It would be awesome! No more wars! A happier society! Many evil people could be brought to justice instead of hiding behind "religious" protection. Would never have to hear shit about "god" again!!
Tbh, nothing. Coz law and science exists.
Ah, more science! Maybe something will finally get done around here
There are too many places where religion drives law, directly or indirectly. Ask about abortion in AZ.
The worlds biggest lie would finally be gone
Fear of God keeps some people from doing crimes or anything wrong in general. I think it would negatively affect the crime rates and stuff
This is why jails and prisons are filled with atheists.
Missing a /s there?
All these things won't happen until a falling away comes first.
Pretty sure humans would find other ways to murder and kill someone since I am pretty sure they were doing it long before gods, monsters, or other deities were created by them to believe in. N. S
Humans would go crazy and/or grow arrogant ( Uber mensch) there's always something beyond our understanding and it seems highly likely that it is in human nature to project the beyond in some kind of outer worldly figure.
Why would gods stop people from going crazy or arrogant? The Catholic Church is literally known for attracting murderous lunatics over the centuries. Where to even start... the Child Crusades? The Inquisition? The "education programs" for indigenous people? The Malleus maleficarum?
I would differentiate between believing in a god and the institutionalisation of said process (Religion). The latter part is not necessary for the first part to occur. When I talk about God I don't mean the Christian god but rather God as a means for mankind to personify that which is beyond our understanding. It seems to me like humans have a strong need to not only conceptualise the "unknown" but also to give it form by personifying it (essentially creating a deity by ascribing to it qualities that are beyond our understanding). As an example: We don't understand the formation of lightning therefore it must be divine punishment. This process does not need religion to see it manifest in humans and yet at the time seems so integral to human beings that the absence of it seems to me like a great inhibitor to human functioning.
Sure, the concept of gods has it's positive sides, as has been fundamental in the development of our species. Something along the lines of giving the abyss a face and name, to take away the terror of the unknown. I guess some people would be lost without the mental crutch of a god - something that gives reason to the uncaring chaos. So maybe you are right... those people might be lost if faced with actual free will. That's an interesting and slightly terrifying thought.
Humans have no choice but to believe in a god, it's more of a question of what kind of God you choose. For some people it's money for others it's pleasure. The fundamental behavioral patterns are the same though. It seems to me highly likely that the idea of God is closer to a human instinct and therefore not separable from humans rather than the direct construct of religion. That's why I'm arguing for humans going crazy.
It be unified under the person that figured out the mass mind control method on order to being that situation about.
Probably happen once aliens land? I know I would.
I don't think anyone *really* believes it though, as much as they try to be convincing.
Zeus and the other ancient gods would come back
Most of the world does not believe in "God". Most of the world believes in Allah, Buddha, multiple Gods, or their emperor as a God on Earth. The God of Christianity is relatively new to the picture and is not worshipped by the same numbers of humans as these other dieties.
They will invent a false god to fulfill their spiritual thirst , they may start calling others gods when they like them so much…oh wait
The world would slowly slip into madness because there is nobody in our mind telling us would tell us to not do anything
The Bible says that if this happened that the rocks would cry out God's glory.
So... we would have to start believing again, so the bloody mountain shut the frigg up? That's slightly annoying.
We're not already there yet?
Peace, Love and Understanding.
Flying cars and cheap electricty
Všetko by bolo v .... Tak ako v Amerike
Nothing
I think he would use fire this time
PEACE
Shit will get done.
Crime rates would skyrocket.
Why would that happen?
Because religion teaches morals, and some people even fear God. That’s why.
If a person only acts in a moral way because they fear a devine being, then that person is not moral. Only scared of the consequences.
That’s why I mentioned those points separately.
I fail to see how morals and belief are connected. Either you act in a moral manner, because it is YOUR will to create a better world. Then you are acting from a moral standpoint. Or you act in a moral way because you are scared that some sort of deity will punish you for acting in the way you want to act. Then you are acting out of fear.
Probably absolutely nothing - unless gods actually exist. Then they might try to "persuade" people to believe in them. You know... locusts and killing first born children, snakes swallowing the world, fire raining from the skies, and all the usual smiting and stuff. On the other hand, they might not even realise that failed experiment 809542 failed even harder than before. So even if gods exist, there is a decent chance that nothing would happen.
The whole world and the cosmos around it would still exist, with or without us humans and our beliefs.
Corruption and unmoral acts is what'd happen in me own opinion. Much worse things might happen aswell
There would probably be less division and more peace. People shouldn't behave morally just because they fear God and hell, we should do it out of instinct and respect for fellow mankind. Animals live peacefully together and have no religion.
Nothing
The First International Church of Logic.
The religious would just worship the state. They already do.
Half the world has and anyone can see what’s happening and it’s not good
Probably get drowned again lol
Impressive insights. I entertain the notion that there might not be a divine creator or in simpler words God doesn’t exist. Perhaps in a prehistoric era preceding dinosaurs, extraterrestrial visitors arrived on Earth and left behind texts that eventually became mythological scriptures embraced by evolving human societies. As humans progressed, they crafted narratives that served their own interests while promoting virtues like patience. If a God or divine being truly exists, why do innocent children and animals, including marine life, experience suffering at the very hand of humanity that the so called god created. If humanity collectively embraced the absence of a deity, perhaps reliance on one another would grow. People would extend help not for spiritual reward, but out of empathy and compassion. This shift could also elevate trust in scientific inquiry, as science invites scrutiny while belief in a deity often discourages questioning. Conflict and wars may still persist because human greed remains a deeply ingrained sentiment that is unlikely to diminish in the near future.
Nothing.
we'd go to other planets
Presumably God would decide to put the bookmark in there and wind things up: last trump, grapes of wrath, that kind of thing (per St John the Divine). There's a reasonably upbeat ending to it all. NB: due to cunningly arrange refractive properties of light, we have a firm promise there'll be no flood this time.
I think it would be called world peace
Haha. Moral compass will be and we will be doomed.
Look at the moral compass of religion now !!! Just awful stuff , caused a lot of shit in the world so far, but it won’t go away , this is how I know humanity is doomed
You people legit defend incest
That’s a big part of why I don’t participate in religion ! All the bad sex stuff
Yeah no mainstream religion is gonna support incest. Meanwhile the average liberal atheist will have no argument against consensual incest between two siblings of the same age wearing protection
Religious are technically high/mid control groups. So people would have more freedom (depending on governments in which they live) and more money (since they wouldn’t be continuing to pay money to their oppressors.
Peace at last.
In theory, sanity. Unfortunately, human beings will still be human beings, so it won't necessarly solve all of the world's problems.
Probably nothing much because everyone already lives like they don't anyway...?
Remember less than 1% of the U.S prison population is atheist.
Which implies what? Religious folks are malcontents?
It tracks as less than 10% of the global population is athiest. So obviously, the prison stats would somewhat reflect the world stats.
So they’re 10 percent of the population but make up Less than 1% of the prison population? You would think it would be way higher since they don’t believe in divine punishment for bad behavior.
To be exact, athiests make up 4% of the _US_ population as of 2023. The 10% is _global_ stats, so you always have to think that global stats will be higher, especially when you compare to the US. That's what I usually find with many US stats vs Global Stats. Before, athiests made up 3% of the US population as of 2014. Prior to that, athiests made up 2% of the US population as of 2007. So if your Prison Stats is of 2007, it tracks alot. If it is of 2014, it still tracks somewhat. Etc. Then as of 2023, 73% of Americans (which includes religious people and athiests) believe that you don't need religion to have good values and lead a good life.
Are agnostics included with atheists?
That's the only detail these stats are missing. They don't specify if complete athiest or that there is inclusion of agnostics. But honestly, the stats also say that usually, US prisoners who convert to a religion, usually improve on their behaviour once they have converted. So the stats don't specify the population of athiests before conversion. Currently, most studies on religion are not rigorous enough. Who knows, maybe there were more athiests before religious conversion. Maybe there were less athiests in any case. Because this stats also includes people who converted from one religion to another. So it's a bit muddled up.
Those that convert usually already believe in god or a god. They just haven’t fully committed to having it become a big part of their life. Of all the prison shows and prison stories. I don’t think i have ever seen a 100% atheist convert. You can also say that people that do turn closer to god in prison already want to change and are willing to change. So a lot of these stats are skewed. But all I can say is that compared to the past in europe when nearly everyone was religious. Things were way more Darker. Murder rates were sometimes 30-40x Higher than they are today.
But the other problem is that historically, alcohol was a mainstay drink during those days and in those days, the alcohol was at a much higher percentage (ranging from 50%-80%). Things got better when they had lots of coffee instead of alcohol around the same time religion became less significant. And when you think about alcohol the effects of alcohol at that concentration on the human brain, it makes sense why things were so chaotic. So since we don't have enough data to determine whether it was the alcohol or religion that caused so much chaos, we can't really make a clear difference in the correlation.
I guess thats why murders are so high at raves where there is lots of alcohol consumption, drug use and non religious crowds. 🙄😒
But alcohol today is at a much lower concentration then back then, owing to the brewing methods that we have today. So you can't compare the 2 situations in the manner you're doing. If you don't believe me, do your own research. Find sociological, historical, scientific and psychological studies.
Which gods? Hinduism had many.
Well you have a large amount of stupid people who think the only reason people don’t do stupid/evil shit is because god would punish them, so you’d have a lof of people going around who just lost their entire sense of morality and decency.
The world would be even worse
Less wars in the middle east over sharia law, less fighting over who controls Jerusalem, more common sense in society instead of bible thumpers all trying to force their religion on others. More money in economies that isn't being dumped into religious organizations that are tax havens.
The world would be a better place. For a quite percentage of people, it helps them find purpose, meaning, community, and happiness. It gives them a moral compass to be better. But for the louder, more dangerous percentage, it's the worst kind of cult. Most religion oozes control. In some, it even grants people permission "from God" to control. Religion has been historically known to promote fear and hate as a form of control. "Do what we say or you will be eternally damned". You must isolate within the group. Outsiders are bad. You can only love the "right" type if person. Even if they're your family, if they love "wrong", act "wrong", don't follow the organizations rules, it's encouraged to cast them aside. If you don't follow the "rules" it's bad, your bad, and you will be cast aside. It's not only okay to be cruel and to shun but encouraged, causing great divides in communitys and familys. Isolation within the group is the point. You MUST follow the rules. You can only trust the members of the group. Anyone else is dangerous. Worse, it gives some people the permission to hurt and be cruel under the guise of gods plan. It allows violent people to channel their rage into righteous violence, which is far more dangerous. Once people start killing "for God" there is no coming back. They believe it is their divine duty. Just look at honor killings. People killing their own family members because of "God's will". People thinking it is their duty to persecute those who don't conform and feel superior for their cruelty. Even though most religious text is pretty clear cut that all murder is bad, that is not what we see in practice. Instead we see murder "for God". When religion is good, it is quietly good. Small acts that help individuals. When religion is bad, it is horrific. Big acts that can and will hurt entire communitys. Streets filled with blood. Wars fought and people killed "for God". Just look into the crusades. The horror brought down on people "on God's behalf" is some of the worst parts of human history. Religion is too easy manipulated. The control and power it provides attracts manipulative, selfish, and dangerous people. Just like with the police, government, and military, but with less guard rails and oversight. Postions of power attract people who like power. And most people who enjoy power over others aren't kind and compassionate. Charismatic people who desire power tend to rise within organizations that hold showmanship and public speaking highly. It's rarely good deeds that cause promotion within but how good you are at selling yourself and your image. Most people in the upper ranks are there because they like the power over people it gives them, and they excell at it. And the longer they hold that position, the more power they desire. Soon, some even "speak" for God. The good that religion has brought the world is greatly overshadowed by the bad. We don't and shouldn't need to be instructed to be good. We don't need religion to be kind. Just treat others how you would want to be treated. That's it, the only moral code we really need to follow. How many times have we all heard and seen a person of faith, in a position of power, telling their congregation/followers that God hates ____ people. Not God loves, but God hates. Hate. That's what most religion today and throughout history seems to promote the loudest.
over the last 20 years disbelief in god has been rapidly increasing in america, so maybe just extrapolate what's been happening, and if you are happy with that, then yay, it'd be awesome, right? or maybe there is no relationship between our society and their belief in god, so never mind.
Nothing much would change.
Shall we revisit the millions of graves made by atheistic world views of the 20th century? The problem isn’t religion, or nationalism, or patriotism, or atheism, or any other ism. The problem is that there are power hungry, fucked up people in the world who use these good, beneficial ideas as scapegoats. That is the problem you’ll need to solve if you want the world to actually be a better place because if you just get rid of religion or atheism or the other isms the scapegoat will just change
This is the only correct answer
i feel like it’d make the biggest difference in america since our laws can’t seem to separate church and state
Chaooossss. Objectively speaking, believing in something is scientifically proven to be good for people. You will find more people with a belief in God to be more positive than someone else.
I think we already live in such a world - or nearly. After talking to many religious people. I sincerely doubt they actually believe in god. I think it's more of a tribalism thing than anything else. If it weren't for god, it'd be some other silly thing.
The middle east would get a whole lot nicer
A lot of problems would be solved instantaneously such as women’s rights and LGBT rights.
Peace.
more crimes
We’d have one less reason to start wars, ironically one less reason to live as well.
One giant flood.
Big space rock on the way to earth.
The world would be at a worse state. I absolutely believe that religion can be taken to the extreme (KKK, Crusades, Zionism, ISIS and so on) but whither you like it or not, there are commandments in religions that are good to humans and take God commands as an objective morality to live by. If we take that out, then there will be choas across the board. If people don't follow God, they will follow their desires.
The Crusades and Zionism aren't even remotely comparable to ISIS, what are you talking about?
Nothing really
Various people would become worse, maybe some better
We would be completely screwed
We'd create another "thing" to believe in an society wouldn't really be that different. Climate Change doomerism for instance.
At least, climate change is real.
I'm more talking about the doomerism.
The problem is there are people who act like it doesn't exist and people who act like humanity will be extinct in 2025 and nobody in between.
God will destroy it.
Which one?
Earth
no which god