Would the world be better off without any religion?

[firedragon]

Russia is a deeply religious country, always has been, even when formal religious practice was actively repressed.

Can you provide some statistics to say that? Say statistics for the past 200 years at least?

 

[AppieB]

So taking away hope is a good thing?

Believing something to be true is something different than hope. Hope is not merely for theists.

 

[AppieB]

No. We'd still have other ways to screw each other over, nationalism, racism, partisanship, etc.

Religion isn't always to blame.

One could say the same about racism: Would the world be better off without racism?

No. We'd still have other ways to screw each other over, nationalism, religion, partisanship, etc.
Racism isn't always to blame.

Sounds to me like flawed reasoning.

 

[AppieB]

Would the world and people be better off without any religion?

What would be better?
What would be worse?

I would say the world would be better off without religion and/or religious kind of believes based upon dogma's.

That of course doesn't mean that all religions are equally 'bad' or that all religious people are 'bad'. Not at all. But I prefer people based their beliefs upon reason and facts instead of religion or dogma's.

 

[RestlessSoul]

Can you provide some statistics to say that? Say statistics for the past 200 years at least?

You can easily research it for yourself. Though I wouldn't advise visiting just now.

 

[AppieB]

Nope.

Just look at secular soviet russia

Yes, look at secular north west Europe (Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Norway etc.)

 

[Shadow Wolf]

It depends on the religion, really, as some are benign and benevolent while others are malignant and destructive.
Like Jainism. They try to harm as few living things as possible. We're probably not better off with such avowed pacifists. But the ones teaching hate, strife, division and rigid dogma we'd be better off without.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Nope.

Just look at secular soviet russia

Why is there a theme of going to the worst examples? It's no different than mentions of socialism automatically jumping to their instead of places like France or the Scandinavian countries? They are, after all, working with a base of secularism and a dose of socialism in their state models.

 

[AppieB]

How? People are still superstitious. People still believe things that are not evident or "factual".

So? Do you think superstition is bad? Is it good to believe things that are not evident or "factual".?

 

[AppieB]

I don't know. Maybe. Religious groups have historically been the first to operate charities and the like. And even though psychology/psychiatry are really great, religions were often there first to console and comfort.

Well, no surprise there. Most people (by far) in history were religious.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

So taking away hope is a good thing?

When it becomes a crutch, yes.

 

[AppieB]

How does that make the world a better place? Let's say hypothetically people are just blind like you say, still, how would that make the world a better place if religion does not exist?

Believes inform your actions. The more your believes align with reality, the better decisions you make regarding that reality.
If you believe that drinking battery acid is good for you, you probably will not benefit from that false believe.

 

[Viker]

One could say the same about racism: Would the world be better off without racism?

No. We'd still have other ways to screw each other over, nationalism, religion, partisanship, etc.
Racism isn't always to blame.

Sounds to me like flawed reasoning.

Flawed? So. Removing religion would solve the world's ills?

It wouldn't matter.

I was pointing out that there are proven worse boogeymen.

 

[Viker]

So? Do you think superstition is bad? Is it good to believe things that are not evident or "factual".?

I believe you are missing my point altogether.

 

[Viker]

Yes, look at secular north west Europe (Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Norway etc.)

Just like I would say not all religion is evil. Neither is secularism. People tend to focus on that more.

Seriously. Name something worse than Stalinist Soviet Russia in recent memory.

Yeah, you have missed my point altogether.

 

[firedragon]

You can easily research it for yourself. Though I wouldn't advise visiting just now.

I am asking for your claim. If you had not done that research prior to making that kind of claim that's fine.

Cheers.

 

[firedragon]

Believes inform your actions. The more your believes align with reality, the better decisions you make regarding that reality.
If you believe that drinking battery acid is good for you, you probably will not benefit from that false believe.

So your claim is that believing in religion is like believing drinking battery water is good for you?

Can you prove in some way that religion is like drinking battery water?

 

[Altfish]

Would the world and people be better off without any religion?

What would be better?
What would be worse?

I'm not sure.
Religion gives pleasure and comfort to many people.
If you changed the thread title to "Would the world be better off without the INFLUENCE of any religion" I'd unhesitatingly say YES

 

[Viker]

I'm not sure.
Religion gives pleasure and comfort to many people.
If you changed the thread title to "Would the world be better off without the INFLUENCE of any religion" I'd unhesitatingly say YES

In other words, "mind your own dammed business, religions!"

I agree.

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

I say yes, simply because it stops people from believing things they do not have good evidence for.

And as always we end up playing the following game: I like evidence for what good evidence is and that good evidence is not a belief.
Further for the everyday world in practice there could at least some cases where for X is Y and not Z versus X is Z and not Y, there is no evidence for either case.
In other word we are doing if there is difference between facts and value/norms.