Discussion»Questions»Religion and Spirituality» What if all humans were Atheists? Religion disappears as a cause to hate. How many folks have died/will die because of religion?
I think humans need to worship something. Early on they worshipped the sun or nature. Some even worship one another to this very day! Thank you for your reply bh! :)
Maybe there could be some kind of 'new and improved' religion if it was based on A. C. Grayling's The Good Book -a humanist bible which is a summary of major religions but eliminating God and supernatural events.
Thank you for the info Kg. I have never heard of it but it sounds very interesting! Humankind. You'd think at the very least we would be kind to one another. Happy Monday to thee! :)
If we are not connected to a creator, that makes us what? no more important than any other living being or animal, acting like the protesters who don't care about other peoples property, causing violence, and have no real concern about your rights or theirs, wanting to take from people and not earning anything. is that where we are heading? If one acts like a animal ,one becomes one.
If no one believes in a God, whether there is one or not isn't relevant Kg. In my opinion. Thank you for your reply. Oops. I see that this reply was not intended for me. Apologies! :)
This post was edited by RosieG at February 6, 2017 8:47 AM MST
Faith in 'something' can be effective to serve a purpose to cause an effect. Belief in a God and belief in a fake pill prescribed by a doctor can be the same thing. Faith can make something SEEM real when it is effective.
God and fake pills do have something in common; they are not consistent
my comment was not a testament to gods existence or efficacy. it was a point of logic. Believers ppoint out to atheists that not believing in something does not make it not exist. They forget that the opposite is also true. . . that believing in the same something does not make that something exist. About god existing or his rate of answering success, i dont know anything about that.
Ok true. It's all in the mind. Some believers claim that even if God was proven non-existent they would still continue to believe. That is reasonable when it can give some sense of comfort/security for the person. I have experienced a placebo healing effect so I believe in some form of 'higher power' within myself when the mind is suitably inspired. Does seem almost kind of supernatural.
Maybe it is time, Tom Thumb, to come to grips that you are a mammal. A vertebrate. A life form of this earth and nothing more. A human life (yours, mine, anybody) is no more significant to the universe than that of an oyster. It is merely a point of human arrogance, propelled by human ignorance to conceive of a special status for humankind above all creatures in the eyes of a intangible, fictional creator deity.
The problem is more with extremism. Even Atheists get a little too into it and some develop a rabid hatred for anyone who doesn't share their belief..or lack thereof..
Sure, religion has been responsible for much hatred, much death, and more than a few wars -- but without it we'd still find reasons to kill each other. Religion, of itself, isn't a bad thing -- lots of people need its assurance; what browns me off is the way it's used to bilk the gullible.
It must be human nature to worship a "higher power" Didge. Early on they worshipped the sun or nature. I'm not CERTAIN why but I'm guessing it is because humans feel inadequate on their own and need a stronger something/someone on whom they can lean to get them through scary times. How many people going through tragedies have you heard say "My religion/God carried me through this"? People pray and believe and it gives them strength they don't have all alone on their own. Some might call religious belief a crutch. Alcohol/drugs/sex? They can be crutches too. Some crutches are benign, some not so much. I think without religion all the hate would be focused on political differences. So much of it is now. Is Racism/bigotry a political belief? I'm gonna ask that question and see what happens! Thank you for your reply Didge! :)
Sure, a lot of people need assurance that their own reasoning isn't able to give them, and for them religion provides that crutch.
About 1650 BCE the Greek island of Thera was destroyed in a single day by a volcanic eruption whose nature was so unusual that it was not understood (according to Dr Charles Pellegrino) until Mount St. Helens erupted in 1980. Sometimes we need more knowledge before we can effectively interpret past events. In the same vein, the true nature of religion was not understood until the Trump presidency which gave us "alternative facts".
We all cling to beliefs of one kind or another Didge. No one KNOWS for sure what is. We all just speculate and will believe what makes the most sense to us. It may or may not be true. Since some scientists say that life is all illusion we have competing illusions that we cling to as if they are the only ones that are true. We try to figure out why we're here, what we are supposed to do and if any of it is meaningful. I don't look down on anyone who believes/disbelieves in a "higher power". Why? Because I DON"T KNOW so maybe what they believe is so. Maybe it isn't. "Maybe" isn't good enough reason for me to make any judgments. The thing that really gets to me is the condescending arrogant superiority of Adamant Atheists or Adamant True Believers. Equally. Each looks down on the other and feels superior. That is ridiculous in my opinion. Just sayin'! Thank you for your reply Didge! :) Maybe one day it will all be revealed on another plane in another universe. OR maybe this is as good as it gets! :)
B.H.Wilson 