Where would we be without religion? Would we have fallen like Rome or Gomorrah? Would there be a positive difference?

Can we talk about this objectively?

Please don't tell us if you believe or disbelieve. What would the alternative be? Is there an alternative?


I think there is no alternative because people have always longed for the belief in the unseen. It's possible that we could have risen higher on the evolution chart without religion? I don't know how we would've turned out;I can only speculate. Will we ever reach a place where the majority is unbelievers? Will the question (Where would we be without religion?) ever be answered?

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lol- I thought about that : )

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We are social animals and so herd oriented. It may be just our nature to follow?

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..for many, yes.. (others of us, not so much)

"When the student is ready, th' Master will appear" --th' Buddha

"cast not yr pearls before swine" --JC

I so totally agree with this.

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Losing my Religion actually made me a more compassionate human being.

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The best thing you can do for your fellow,
next to rousing his conscience, is - not to give him things
to think about, but to wake things up that are in him...
to make him think things for himself - George MacDonald

I have to wonder if peace wouldn't be closer at hand if there were no religion. Seems many fights and wars are started over religious beliefs. If you don't follow mine, then you deserve to die. Or so says a lot of their religious books and teachings. I can't see it ever happening though, as humans need crutches to lean on. They've needed that since they discovered fire and thought it a miracle and therefore must have been created by a higher power. They can't fathom that the world was created in any other way than by something bigger than themselves( a daddy form) and can't bear the thought that when you die, that's the end. We're still in the infant stage of evolution and our brains can't stand the thought of being alone and responsible for bad things, bad doings of others or good things that come about as well.
Your question is Is there an alternative. Yes there is but, no one will choose the alternative which is no religion because it makes them unpopular and untrustworthy of the masses.

..i agree with myself too..! (cant stand arguing with anton--he's nuts)

..we may have to (if we are going to survive the coming changes).. these ancient cracked warhorses are increasingly ineffective at helping humanity cope with what is happening to us now..

You mayt be right in all of what you said.

I'm still not sure. Seems for as long as I can remember no matter how young or old when faced with a simple decision between right and wrong, I knew what was right even though I didn't always choose it. I think I only made amends because of conscience and the pain that comes with it and believe I got conscience from religious beliefs that were taught to me.

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mine- The Catholics

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well rome fell after it became a christian nation and the dark ages where caused by the catholic church which put science back atleast a hundred years so I think we would be more advanced if the world had evolved without religion.

I believe it is possible to exist without religion, organized religion in my mind keeps people from thinking for themselves, Faith is a different story. I do believe we need faith in something in order to survive the trials of life. I believe if you have faith, then you will never feel small and insignificant. We may never answer all the questions of the universe, as every answer brings with it a new set of questions.

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God gave men both a penis and a brain, but unfortunately not enough blood supply to run both at the same time - Robin Williams.

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Now, there I was just smiling self contentedly to myself at all the comments here when Sad-bi had to spoil it.

Taking facts in isolation to demonstrate a point can actually work both ways, ergo:

1. It can be equally argued that Rome fell after it became a christian nation BECAUSE the tolerance taught by christianity was seen as a sign of weakness by the barbarian nations who promptly swept across the Roman Empire looting and pillaging. Turning the other cheek is not always a good thing. Perhaps there is a lesson to be learned there...?

2. The Dark Ages were caused by the ebb and flow of the bubonic plague that swept across Europe decimating an already thin population and robbing civilisation of it's brightest minds. Into the void stepped catholicism preaching a mix of hope and damnation to increase the size of their flock. Opportunistic? Yes, but not the cause of the Dark Ages. The age of enlightenment came despite the churches once the population recovered and science could rear its head once again - based, I might add, from centers of learning within monastic schools.

Not picking on you Sad-bi, just making sure you stay straight and narrow - oh wait, is that an oxy-moron in your case?

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"Whoa, lady, I only speak two languages, English and bad English." - Korben Dallas, from The Fifth Element

"If history repeats itself, and the unexpected always happens, how incapable must man be of learning from experience?" - George Bernard Shaw