Would the world be better off without any religion?

[Mock Turtle]

If people want to get rid of religion because they think is bad, but yet it also does things that are actually good, unless they come up with a replacement, you lose the bad and the good. Sometimes the good out-weighs the bad and vise-versa.

You say that you don't blame religions for anything (earlier comment) but here you say the bad can outweigh the good (the vice-versa), and which is my quibble with some religions - that they can and do indeed cause more problems than they solve - by holding up any progress that might be beneficial for humans, or simply causing division, for example. As I see such of course. But weighing up the goods and bads is not so easy of course, and especially over time.

How come so many can live without religions but others apparently not? Perhaps because these latter are not so free-thinking and/or educated enough to choose the without option. Perhaps, just saying.

Overall, I don't know if we would be better off without religions, but I think few would dispute that some peoples certainly would be better off if religious influences weren't such as to restrict the freedoms and expectations that we all mostly take for granted these days - the Taliban being one extreme example of such.

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

I think it's very specific.

I think it is very general.

 

[AppieB]

Mine has only a little faith and no working dogma. Dogma is rigid and absolutist, kind of bitter tasting.

But do you agree that the two biggest religions (Islam and Christianity) do have dogma and rely on faith? I wouldn't consider that a good thing.

The world seems to not care much for reason and evidence. Everyone's inescapable biases seem to hold them back.

Maybe, but this topic wasn't about what the world is. But if the world would be better off.
I would say the world would be better of with more reasoning and less faith and dogma.

 

[Heyo]

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

What would be better?
What would be worse?

Yes, the world would be a bit better. Most religions (counting number of believers) have an aspect of superstition. Allowing for superstition in one aspect of life makes it generally acceptable. If we didn't have religion, we'd not have that excuse.
Most religions are authoritarian. Accepting an authority, even if it orders evil, is not a good thing. Without the precedent of religion, authoritarianism would have one less foot to stand on.

This is a hypothetical. I don't say that we should get rid of religion or that we could.

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

You say that you don't blame religions for anything (earlier comment) but here you say the bad can outweigh the good (the vice-versa), and which is my quibble with some religions - that they can and do indeed cause more problems than they solve - by holding up any progress that might be beneficial for humans, or simply causing division, for example. As I see such of course. But weighing up the goods and bads is not so easy of course, and especially over time.

How come so many can live without religions but others apparently not? Perhaps because these latter are not so free-thinking and/or educated enough to choose the without option. Perhaps, just saying.

Overall, I don't know if we would be better off without religions, but I think few would dispute that some peoples certainly would be better off if religious influences weren't such as to restrict the freedoms and expectations that we all mostly take for granted these days - the Taliban being one extreme example of such.

It depends on what you consider religion in the end.

 

[Rival]

What's with all the folks on this thread claiming there's no good evidence for God or one's religion? Have any of you making these claims actually looked at the arguments for theism at all? It's as though many on RF think literally the only reason folks believe in God is because they want to. This is absurd. Have you ever considered that there may actually be good reasons people believe in God? I cannot believe the juvenility of some atheistic argumentation on here, it's embarrassing.

 

[AppieB]

Why is it a bad thing? You are making an ontological assertion, but what is the argument or data? Why? That's the question.

To make sure: your question is: Why is it a bad thing to believe things that are not true (comports with reality)?

 

[AppieB]

What's with all the folks on this thread claiming there's no good evidence for God or one's religion? Have any of you making these claims actually looked at the arguments for theism at all? It's as though many on RF think literally the only reason folks believe in God is because they want to. This is absurd. Have you ever considered that there may actually be good reasons people believe in God? I cannot believe the juvenility of some atheistic argumentation on here, it's embarrassing.

Yes, I actually looked at the arguments (many of them) and I found none convincing.

 

[Mock Turtle]

It depends on what you consider religion in the end.

What most would consider as such is good enough for me.

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

But do you agree that the two biggest religions (Islam and Christianity) do have dogma and rely on faith? I wouldn't consider that a good thing.


Maybe, but this topic wasn't about what the world is. But if the world would be better off.
I would say the world would be better of with more reasoning and less faith and dogma.

As long as you understand that is in you as something you do, for which someone else could consider it differently, then we agree.

And for the 3rd bold I would say than it would be better to learn what limits both categories have and learn when you use the one or the other.

 

[Rival]

Yes, I actually looked at the arguments (many of them) and I found none convincing.

Then why insist there's no good reason for others, instead of just applying it to yourself? You think there's no good reason or evidence.

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

Yes, I actually looked at the arguments (many of them) and I found none convincing.

Me too. I then looked at evidence and reasoning and found their limits and learned not to claim evidence and reasoning, when they don't apply.

 

[firedragon]

I think it is very general.

OK

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

Then why insist there's no good reason for others, instead of just applying it to yourself? You think there's no good reason or evidence.

We agree.

 

[danieldemol]

Yes, I actually looked at the arguments (many of them) and I found none convincing.

Same here and I'm a believer.

In my opinion.

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

What most would consider as such is good enough for me.

I do it differently.

 

[firedragon]

To make sure: your question is: Why is it a bad thing to believe things that are not true (comports with reality)?

Okay. So lets say people believe in religion, and according to your worldview, they are not true. Why is that bad for the world?

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

Okay. So lets say people believe in religion, and according to your worldview, they are not true. Why is that bad for the world?

Further even if their beliefs are not true, it is true that they can believe in them and further act on them, at least in some cases.
As for bad for the world, I have never seen any evidence for good or bad for the world.

 

[AppieB]

Then why insist there's no good reason for others, instead of just applying it to yourself? You think there's no good reason or evidence.

Of course, this is my comment so it reflects on what I think.
Do I really have to put I think in front of every sentence I write?

 

[Mock Turtle]

What's with all the folks on this thread claiming there's no good evidence for God or one's religion? Have any of you making these claims actually looked at the arguments for theism at all? It's as though many on RF think literally the only reason folks believe in God is because they want to. This is absurd. Have you ever considered that there may actually be good reasons people believe in God? I cannot believe the juvenility of some atheistic argumentation on here, it's embarrassing.

Surely it is all about religions. Many would have no issue with any belief as to there being a God and as to what they might do about such, but it is more about the dogma and beliefs resulting from and often enforced by any particular religion that is the issue. That is purely my issue with religions - what they tend to cause as beliefs and/or behaviour in many, and which is often divisive or harmful.