Would the world be better off without Religion?

Religion is for the weak.

It gives people something to believe and put faith in, hoping that there is something better than reality. In all honesty, it works. Like you said, people 'converting' or just practicing a good Christian lifestyle can better their lives. I've seen it happen. Just think of all the ex-cons that come out of prison reformed, preaching, and end up turning their life around.

I don't really think their can be a definite answer to your question. If there weren't any religions in this world, what/who would people look to? There are natural instincts in humans to be leaders/followers, and if there weren't any religions in this world, you'd probably have a high number of sects and/or cults that believe in a common goal.

There will always be a greater power out there..

I feel that religion can have positive effects on individuals and on small groups of people. However, the effect of religion on the world is war. The good does not outweigh the bad, in my opinion.

People feel so strongly about religion that when someone else disagrees with them, it doesn't take much to start a war.

Religion is for those who have nothing else to believe in. The world would deffinetly be better off without it.

It's hard to tell. Religion is often times an excuse to make other reasons a little more sexy to wage war. It's a way of okaying it with the masses. Without religion we could have had many of the same wars just for different reasoning.

But let's say we all have one religion? We go back to that theory of Utopia, which in essence, would be the perfect thing we would need to evolve as a species.

One religion would be bad. Imagine what would happen to any intellectual guilty of apostasy.

They're sent to an island to brood in the rapport of the other outcasts.

But let's say we all have one religion? We go back to that theory of Utopia, which in essence, would be the perfect thing we would need to evolve as a species.

Conflict is one the very best catalysts for advancement, especially from a research and development standpoint. One of the very core ideas to evolution, "survival of the fittest", is a direct result of conflict.

On the subject of religion itself and if the world would be better off without it, I'm not sure that we would be. Religion has inspired such a massive amount of Arts and such that the world would be a vastly different landscape than what we know now. While there is much to deplore about religion, there is also much to rejoice in my eyes.

Conflict is one the very best catalysts for advancement, especially from a research and development standpoint. One of the very core ideas to evolution, "survival of the fittest", is a direct result of conflict.

Yes, that is very true. But, look at it on a broader scale, my own personal belief believe there are many many other species/creatures/life forms within our universe/parallel universes so now if we could evolve to that point where we are as one we could then compete with other species, which would be on the much broader scale.

On the subject of religion itself and if the world would be better off without it, I'm not sure that we would be. Religion has inspired such a massive amount of Arts and such that the world would be a vastly different landscape than what we know now. While there is much to deplore about religion, there is also much to rejoice in my eyes.

Good point, we would have no Pyramids, no Cistine chapel, no old Roman structures or Colosseums, No massive churches that you can find worldwide, etc.

Nope. If there wasn't religion, many misguided people would have nothing to turn to and then do whatever they damn well please because they have nothing to live for.

religion is very important in this world, it gives people something to put faith in and do their best (ie christianism etc) and make their lives as model citizens, which both helps people turn their lifes around AND makes society better.

I mean, when there's trouble arounda community, or something or the other, religious people (category 1) would try to help which is great way to make the economy and the political system improve much, since democracy is dependent on the people (dont' correct me) as such if the people are like, goodie toshoes, then we won't have much problems :P

Kyeruu, do you think atheists are unhappy? Immoral? Negligent of social responsibilities? Is there any tangible thing a theist can do that an atheist can't? Atheists are not necessarily devoid of all faith. We can have faith in people. We can have faith in the tangible, in the here and now rather than in an alleged afterlife. We can even be spiritual people. Admittedly, I am not, however I don't speak for all atheists either.

Just because I don't belive in God doesn't mean I'm not going to try and help an old lady getting mugged. I have morals.

Just because I don't belive in God doesn't mean I'm not going to try and help an old lady getting mugged. I have morals.

Why would you help the person you're mugging? You make no sense.

Why would you help the person you're mugging? You make no sense.

You're retarded sometimes.. hah.

I know that's not what he meant, but I was bored and felt like typing something. Hmm, I'm watching a show on hippies. You guys were born in the wrong time .

I think religion gets worse backlash than it should. There will be divides until we've fucked each other out of diversity.