If the world was atheist

[Rum]

Me has a magic wand. If I wave it tomorrow and the world changes and everyone suddenly sees sense (as regards religion anyway). what would happen over the next five years?

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Me has a magic wand. If I wave it tomorrow and the world changes and everyone suddenly sees sense (as regards religion anyway). what would happen over the next five years?

People would learn to spell?

[Rum]

Me has a magic wand. If I wave it tomorrow and the world changes and everyone suddenly sees sense (as regards religion anyway). what would happen over the next five years?

People would learn to spell?

[charlou]

Me has a magic wand. If I wave it tomorrow and the world changes and everyone suddenly sees sense (as regards religion anyway). what would happen over the next five years?

You has a magic wand that would perform such a miracle? The cult of Rum is born.




Magic aside, on the 'what would happen if everyone saw sense and dropped religion' aspect, if 'seeing sense' in a rational, humanist way is the key motivation, over five years we could see huge improvement in the way people behave toward one another, obviously. If it's 'seeing sense' in a dogmatic, ideological way, anything could happen but I wouldn't consider it an improvement.

[Pappa]

I suppose people would just carry on killing each other over football and gang affiliation, etc. But I'm pretty sure that the world would be a slightly better place without religion - that's assuming general Woo disappeared with it, otherwise we'd get this coming true on a huge scale.

"When people stop believing in God, they don't believe in nothing -- they believe in anything."

[Xamonas Chegwé]

Not a great deal would be different. People would just be a little more honest about why they were killing and oppressing each other.

[Rum]

Not a great deal would be different. People would just be a little more honest about why they were killing and oppressing each other.

I think you are probably right. There was a discussion about pacifism on the radio yesterday - in fact it might have been what prompted this thread. A point was made that people behave badly and one should be ready and prepared for when they do. Seems they can behave badly over all sorts of things, not just religion.

[Xamonas Chegwé]

Not a great deal would be different. People would just be a little more honest about why they were killing and oppressing each other.

I think you are probably right. There was a discussion about pacifism on the radio yesterday - in fact it might have been what prompted this thread. A point was made that people behave badly and one should be ready and prepared for when they do. Seems they can behave badly over all sorts of things, not just religion.

I think that suicide bombers would become less popular as a means of attack - or at least volunteers would become harder to find. But terrorists would just rely more on roadside bombs and snipers. The IRA and the UDF managed to do quite a bit of damage without relying on martyrs.

[Chinaski]

Moral authority would have to come from a validated source, rather than an arbitrary one.

[Rum]

Moral authority would have to come from a validated source, rather than an arbitrary one.

Hmm..not sure if it would be much different even with that. I mean who would validate and if that validation was driven by ideology instead of religious dogma we would be back to square one.

[Don't Panic]

The nations of the middle east could put aside their differences and realise that as long as there is oil in the ground they can hold the rest of the World to ransom.

[Pappa]

Moral authority would have to come from a validated source, rather than an arbitrary one.

How could there ever be a validated source of morality?

[Animavore]

Moral authority would have to come from a validated source, rather than an arbitrary one.

How could there ever be a validated source of morality?

What I say goes.

[Pappa]

Moral authority would have to come from a validated source, rather than an arbitrary one.

How could there ever be a validated source of morality?

What I say goes.

Say, "Pappa suddenly finds a billion pounds."

[Animavore]

Moral authority would have to come from a validated source, rather than an arbitrary one.

How could there ever be a validated source of morality?

What I say goes.

Say, "Pappa suddenly finds a billion pounds."

Blow me.