Replacing/Removing God/Religion

[Kilgore Trout]

Is religion and/or god something that could be removed from human society? If so, could they simply be removed, or would they need to be replaced with something else? If so, what thing(s) could serve as adequate replacement(s) for religion and/or god? Essentially, if there are components of god/religion which fill a necessary role for people in general, what are these components, and what else shares them?

 

[sandandfoam]

Football and politics might go a long way.

 

[Adso]

Is religion and/or god something that could be removed from human society? If so, could they simply be removed, or would they need to be replaced with something else? If so, what thing(s) could serve as adequate replacement(s) for religion and/or god? Essentially, if there are components of god/religion which fill a necessary role for people in general, what are these components, and what else shares them?

Nature abhors a vacuum, and it's in my opinion that human nature follows suit. I personally have no idea what would fill these voids, but this line of questioning reminds me of the Notre Dame of Strasbourg becoming the Temple of Reason during the French Revolution and the Russian idea of "God-Building". The attempt has clearly been made several times, but it's never really seemed to take off so well.

What are your ideas on these 'components'?

 

[MSizer]

I think we're stuck with it, at least until we shed our evolutionary tendencies to attribute agency to things. Agency attribution coupled with metacognition equal supersition. I certainly won't be around long enough to see those traits go like the dodo.

 

[blackout]

I'm sorry you all seem to feel you're "stuck with me" as I am.

In order to get rid of/put an end to, my relationship to /with life,
(here on this earth anyway) you would have to kill me.

Honestly, what do you think you could possibly "offer me"
to replace what is the authorship of my own life.
My Own Deity?
You would prefer to pen my life for me?
Write my own story?

No thanks.

 

[MSizer]

I'm sorry you all seem to feel you're "stuck with me" as I am.

In order to get rid of/put an end to, my relationship to /with life,
you would have to kill me.

ok, who else feels like a jerk now? You're no more responsible for you belief than I am for me disbelief, if that makes any difference. You know you're one of the highly regarded ones around the forum.

I'll return to my corner now 8^(

 

[fallingblood]

I do not believe it would be possible to get rid of religion. If one looks at the Soviet Union, and their attempt to rid themselves of religion. It could be said that by doing so, they unintentionally created a state religion, the deity being the ruler. For the most part, I would say this is true with any country that tries to rid religion. They simply, not intentionally, replace with a state religion.

I believe people need that. You could get rid of God, but something else would replace it.

 

[OmarKhayyam]

I agree with Russell. We will eventually outgrow it.

Childhood's End maybe?

 

[Quagmire]

Is religion and/or god something that could be removed from human society? If so, could they simply be removed, or would they need to be replaced with something else? If so, what thing(s) could serve as adequate replacement(s) for religion and/or god? Essentially, if there are components of god/religion which fill a necessary role for people in general, what are these components, and what else shares them?

One thing I can say for sure, if religion were to disappear (from the USA for instance) tomorrow there would be a lot of people going without Thanksgiving dinner next week---or dinner period, any night of the week.

Whatever else religion is responsible for, there's no denying that churches run, fund, and man most of the soup kitchens, food pantries, clothes closets, outreach programs, and basically any of the really effective charities in the U.S.

I don't know what or who would fill that void. The fact that there would even be a void says something.

 

[Dunemeister]

Is religion and/or god something that could be removed from human society?

Repressive regimes have tried. The results weren't pretty.

 

[Evee]

One thing I can say for sure, if religion were to disappear (from the USA for instance) tomorrow there would be a lot of people going without Thanksgiving dinner next week---or dinner period, any night of the week.

Whatever else religion is responsible for, there's no denying that churches run, fund, and man most of the soup kitchens, food pantries, clothes closets, outreach programs, and basically any of the really effective charities in the U.S.

I don't know what or who would fill that void. The fact that there would even be a void says something.

I hadn't even THOUGHT of that. I read it as a purely psychological problem, but wow, I feel like a jerk now.
I wanted to voice that, even though I can't give an intelligent answer to the OP right now, cause I simply don't know. What makes G-d so attractive an idea to me? What could replace or simulate that feeling? I can't even explain how I came to the idea, since it's not one I was raised with. I'll get back to you on that....

 

[enchanted_one1975]

Religion brings happiness and hope to many. If it were to be removed people would change. However, removing it from society would not remove it from one's heart.

 

[cardero]

Is religion and/or god something that could be removed from human society? If so, could they simply be removed, or would they need to be replaced with something else? If so, what thing(s) could serve as adequate replacement(s) for religion and/or god?

More circuses.

 

[Quagmire]

More circuses.

Bread and circuses.

 

[Smoke]

Football and politics might go a long way.

I'm not sure football hooliganism is a sufficient improvement on religious hooliganism to make it worth the effort.

 

[zenzero]

Friend a totalstranger.

Replacing/Removing God/Religion

Whatever one may do, the essence remains forever.
e.g. you may take a fish out of the water but never take out the water out of a fish.

Similarly, we are fishes in the river called *life*. That life force will remain and that some has labelled it as *god* remains even if we replace the word with some other word.

Love & rgds

Love & rgds

 

[Draka]

One could not remove "god" or "religion" unless one was able to take every person that believes, no matter their belief, and find some way to "rewire" their brain to change them entirely. I somehow don't see that ever being possible. Do you?

 

[Apex]

I agree with Russell. We will eventually outgrow it.

Childhood's End maybe?

I have yet to understand why there is a need to "outgrow" it.

 

[Draka]

I have yet to understand why there is a need to "outgrow" it.

Don't you just hate that? As if those of us that do believe in some sort of deity are somehow less mature than those who don't believe. Like spiritual awareness is a child's thing, like baby blankets and favorite teddy bears. Our beliefs are treated as if they are the same thing as a child's security blanket and we must "outgrow" them. You know, perhaps some people live their lives believing what they do out of fear of facing the real world, but there are a great many of us that don't fear and have no need for security and didn't come to our beliefs for any of those reasons. It's actually quite insulting to hear our beliefs are things we must "outgrow". Who made non-believers the parents of society at large to determine that believers need to "outgrow" anything?

 

[Ozzie]

Is religion and/or god something that could be removed from human society? If so, could they simply be removed, or would they need to be replaced with something else? If so, what thing(s) could serve as adequate replacement(s) for religion and/or god? Essentially, if there are components of god/religion which fill a necessary role for people in general, what are these components, and what else shares them?

Well, unless you want to assert you were gifted here from outer space, there is a long cultural history behind you, part of which might include deities you might choose to ignore. I don't think science is a useful tool for replacing religion. More likely it is a useful prism for facts alone. Any fact is a tenuous assertion.