Society without God:Better or worse?

Religion doesn't always feed progress.
Examples: the Dark Ages, "creation science," the unicorns in the Bible (Psalms 92:10, Job 39: 9-12, and many others)
Religion also doesn't always make people more kind
Examples: the Inquisition, Christian justification of slavery in America, ritual circumcisions (i consider both male and female circumcision to be genital mutilation), the Westboro Baptist Church, Israel vs. Palestine

I believe that people would benefit more from practicing the Golden Rule than from any "God."
Treat others as you would like to be treated.

reply to post by deepred


What does any of the below have to do with Origins and Creationism?

Originally posted by deepred
Would society advance faster, or decline faster, without the belief in a higher power? A higher power that holds people accountable for there actions and sets moral values.

...advance faster.

What would the new moral standard be?

The same as it has always been: culture.
Religion has never been a moral standard. We've had 2000 years of Christianity, with 2000 years of variable morality.

Would we still choose good over evil if there was no reward or punishment?

There is still reward or punishment, it is simply not eternal and is given during life.

Would we redefine what is good and what is evil?

Well, religions tend to not have a proper definition. The definitions of those according to religions are about what a deity desires, not what is objectively good.

Would society and mankind advance more rapidly without the constrains of a God and the moral values set forth by religious teachings?

Moral values don't interfere with scientific progress. We'd do better without the religious conceptions of them though. Religious morality tends to include a lot of persecution.

Would science become the new "religion"?

Science cannot be a religion as it is a self-checking, evidence-based exploration of the natural world.

Would the government be responsible for defining what is moral and good?

No, society would still have that role as it always has had.

Would mankind become an animalistic culture, devoid of concience or remorse, with the only goals being self gratification without regard for others.

....what? Hell no. Look at the countries with the least religion in the world, they're quite safe, quite cultured, and have very low crime rates.

I am very interested in hearing the views of others on this topic.

Personaly, I believe the only reason we have made it this far is the belief in a higher power and the prospect of a reward or punishment for our actions.

I am an atheist, I know there will be reward or punishment of my actions from society, not from something when I die.