How would the world change?

Please take a moment to consider how you think the world would change if the gods were irrefutably proven false.

What would your life be like?
What would you do differently?
What do you think others would do differently?

- Same as it is now.
- Nothing at all.
- Probably think that God actually COULD be disproven false, and would become atheists out of sheer foolishness.

Well, if religion and by extension, the concept of God with all that carries were irrefutably put down? We'd better all have INCREDIBLE Faith in our fellow man for 100% personal judgement, morality from intrinsic motives and purity of Heart which our species has never seen before.

Religion and the fear of God is, quite literally, *ALL* that I think keeps large portions of the world population at individual levels from just doing whatever feels good or seems to work that moment. The sense of consequence beyond simply being caught by police, the world over.

Without the sense of eternal price or serious downside? Why not just blow away the next idiot to cut you off and then shoot the fool who picks up his cell phone to call on you? What stops you from beating down the next street vendor you figure screwed you for $1 on a hot dog? If the cops aren't there and that purity of intent and character isn't inherent .....nothing but the fear and awareness of LONG term consequence to turning black within the Soul remains.

Take that away, world wide? Well..... Sign me up for that One-Way Mars trip. Maybe we get it right on the New World. That'll be the last nail in Earth's coffin for civilized human society...even if it takes a few decades to fully manifest. Just my thoughts.

reply to post by jiggerj


As an atheist my life wouldn't be much different. Because I have a disbelief in the concept of god and all gods, goddesses, etc. Being proven false will only usher in more atheist and non-religious people.

I would do the same as I'm doing now. Living well and simple. As well showing respect and others.

Gosh a lot will change as others will now start to focus on themselves and their community. Religion and spirituality will most likely be gone because all gods have been proven false, but you could have groups who are critical of the claim.

That's all I can think on the top of my head.

do you really think clapping your hands together and howling at the moon helps anything? EVERY religion on earth has a "higher power",just a different name,and a few rules.If the nun smacks your hand with a ruler for writing with your left hand??? Who the heck is she?? I need to walk into a million dollar building to believe??

I would continue to love others and build my community the same as I am now. Not because my intellectual understanding of what is 'good' tells me so, but because my spirit is filled with truth in the knowledge that I'm living the way man is created to.

On the other side of that coin.
What will you do when God makes himself known to your heart?

reply to post by jiggerj

how you think the world would change if the gods were irrefutably proven false.

Well. since "god" falls under the explanation of all things that are mysterious, not understood or of a mystical nature, I'd say that we would be the gods, then. Because we would have all the answers and there would be no more mysteries or questions to ask!

It would either be utopic, or boring as hell!

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


I see it the other way around. How many wars have been fought in the name of god? Now how many have been fought in the name of no god? There were lots of god-fearing people in the middle ages, but the Inquisitions and Crusades were still carried out. The folks in Syria are god-fearing people as well, yet they continue to slaughter each other.

Religious extremists believe in a god, yet that doesn't stop them from bombing innocent people or mutilating them.

If you ask them why they did it they'll most likely say "for god".


As for the OP, I don't think god can be disproven, but to entertain the thought, I wouldn't change anything about myself. I would still love others as I love myself and I would still have the utmost respect for ALL of life.

If all gods were proven to be false, we might have a little peace on Earth. If there was no god, there would be no one to tell people to kill each other. Most of the world's population already does believe in some kind of god in one form or another, and none of them have done us any good so far.

Interesting topic, S&F.

reply to post by 3NL1GHT3N3D1

That's fair enough and more horror and/or evil has been committed in the name of one God or another than any other single cause in human history, taken in isolation of other factors.

Having said that, it's still always been a minority among Believers of any given Faith who think up and carry out such horrors upon their fellow man (Often among those of their own Faith who aren't "pious enough".) Some religions are also known for their peaceful nature. Buddhism comes to mind as one of a few that fall into that. So for the literal sins of the few, however bad they have admittedly been, we'd root for the foundations the many depend upon to be destroyed?

You'd be seeing a level of inherent goodness and tendency toward empathy and compassion among the majority of the population I've never personally seen among people. Oh, among a % yes...but nowhere near common enough to rely on that alone for morality and basic human decency to hold over the long term.

In my own case, I'll be big enough to admit my knowledge of more than the physical life we see while passing these years plays more than a small part in guiding my own conduct and setting the absolute lines I'll never cross. In my case, other people's beliefs or opinions of that are irrelevant as my conviction through reincarnation among other factors is simply a fact of life and not one of Faith from where I sit. Others though?

Well... I DID win a debate on the Bible with a born again Christian, one time. I was so happy with myself I could've just burst.....and I utterly destroyed a guy I knew as a close friend before that day. Faith WAS a good % of what his whole life revolved around. ...one can say that was his weakness ...but that has never helped me entirely forgive what I did to him in "winning" and hence, taking that from him.

Some debates aren't worth winning...and others, just never worth having in the first place. (I don't mean discussion like this... I mean debate with a purpose to actually WIN over a Believer of any Faith). For some, Faith really is all they have for a core in life ..and 'some' number billions across the major religions.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


While it's true that the minority are the ones who plan those types of attacks, it is also the minority who run religion. Could both minorities be the same? Just throwing ideas out there based on pure speculation.

Thanks for the reply.

The only thing that would really change is corrupt men, would have to find new excuses for their vile behaviors. Religion and the belief in some kind of deity is not really the problem. The true problem is the human capacity to be irrational. God forms suddenly becoming false does not and will not change that.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000

Without the sense of eternal price or serious downside? Why not just blow away the next idiot to cut you off and then shoot the fool who picks up his cell phone to call on you? What stops you from beating down the next street vendor you figure screwed you for $1 on a hot dog? If the cops aren't there and that purity of intent and character isn't inherent .....nothing but the fear and awareness of LONG term consequence to turning black within the Soul remains.

Mornin' Wrabbit,
Do you really think that the fear of hell plays a major role (or any role at all) in the behavior of mankind today - WITH all the belief in the gods?

Originally posted by TheOnlyAnswer
I would continue to love others and build my community the same as I am now. Not because my intellectual understanding of what is 'good' tells me so, but because my spirit is filled with truth in the knowledge that I'm living the way man is created to.

On the other side of that coin.
What will you do when God makes himself known to your heart?

Which god? The malevolent god of the old testament? The Islamic god calling for the murder of infidels? Or the Jesus that will one day return, not with love, but with a sword?

Originally posted by 3NL1GHT3N3D1
reply to post by Wrabbit2000

 

I see it the other way around. How many wars have been fought in the name of god? Now how many have been fought in the name of no god? There were lots of god-fearing people in the middle ages, but the Inquisitions and Crusades were still carried out. The folks in Syria are god-fearing people as well, yet they continue to slaughter each other.

Religious extremists believe in a god, yet that doesn't stop them from bombing innocent people or mutilating them.

Without the gods the Middle East would have no reason to hate the Jews. They would have to stop trying to destroy Israel. Without religions, people would focus on this life and this life only. Saving the planet might become top priority. Maybe a religion would form to worship and protect Mother Earth and Mother Nature.

Of course, bad people will still be bad people. Those with the capability of killing in the name of a god would just find another reason to kill. But without a major religion to back them up, or rather, with the whole world against them, they wouldn't have any place to hide and would be put down swiftly. Just my thoughts here.

reply to post by jiggerj

Do you really think that the fear of hell plays a major role (or any role at all) in the behavior of mankind today - WITH all the belief in the gods?

Well, you have an interesting thread for thinking about this, as you often do for these sorts of topics. First, I'd say it extends well beyond concepts of Heaven and Hell though. It's important to note before saying more, I think we both know or have run into more than our fair share of 'Cafeteria Christians' and Muslims to Mormons 'In Name Only'. That is, Christians who pick and choose what they want to follow like it's a buffet, not a Faith with consequence to one's choices in life. The Other are those who claim a Faith like Islam or Mormon yet still drink like a sailor on a bender or smoke and take casual relations with women as if God was 'just kidding' about that part.

This wouldn't apply to those ...kinda sorta religious people, because they don't take it seriously themselves. How could losing it mean THAT much?

To the large % who are devout and live by the belief that Judgement and Salvation are tangible and REAL things they'll someday face? I do believe that is paramount to making the right choices when making those are not only difficult but the last thing they want to do over what would feel good at the time.

Additionally, I think you're overlooking something critically important. Without belief in God or Allah, as two examples, there can be no afterlife as such and hence, NO chance of ever rejoining or seeing loved ones who've passed. That belief and Faith in rejoining those who have meant the most can be all that keep many both sane and level headed after unbearable loss that otherwise may have ugly outcomes for their personal future.

My Faith handles that in a very different way...but watching an extended film on the 2004 Tsunami from the victims and survivors last week in my Geo course really drove home again how deeply some NEED that belief to justify living a day longer when others close to them have not...and many saw them die mere feet away. Kids..in many cases. 1/3 of the dead from that event were children by best estimates. That is one area where Faith is all people have left....when they lose everything else.

Just my thoughts.

Originally posted by jiggerj


Of course, bad people will still be bad people. Those with the capability of killing in the name of a god would just find another reason to kill. But without a major religion to back them up, or rather, with the whole world against them, they wouldn't have any place to hide and would be put down swiftly. Just my thoughts here.

This is a bit of wishful thinking. Charismatic psychopaths will always be able to seduce throngs of people into doing the unspeakable. Without religion as the excuse the new excuse will be nationalism. It is all about people really a highly social animal that has difficulty socializing in large numbers. The herd can only get so big before it starts to fracture.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000

Additionally, I think you're overlooking something critically important. Without belief in God or Allah, as two examples, there can be no afterlife as such and hence, NO chance of ever rejoining or seeing loved ones who've passed. That belief and Faith in rejoining those who have meant the most can be all that keep many both sane and level headed after unbearable loss that otherwise may have ugly outcomes for their personal future.

Good point. This would definitely change. Without the hope of an afterlife, the death of a loved one would be much more devastating. And yet, even before the idea of an afterlife was thought of people still managed to
survive the loss of a loved one.

Here's a clip of a baby monkey death. The mother is obviously stressed, but after a time she moves on. She will probably have another baby. God or no god, life goes on.

reply to post by KeliOnyx

This is a bit of wishful thinking. Charismatic psychopaths will always be able to seduce throngs of people into doing the unspeakable. Without religion as the excuse the new excuse will be nationalism. It is all about people really a highly social animal that has difficulty socializing in large numbers. The herd can only get so big before it starts to fracture.

I was speaking on a personal level - one man committing murder. Your statement is undeniable. Without the belief in gods we would simply change our reasons for committing the unspeakable, so this wouldn't change anything.

reply to post by jiggerj


Even on a personal level it wouldn't change much. At least not as far as I can see it. A person intent on murdering will still murder. A nut job that feels at odds with the rest of society will still bomb marathons, the only thing that would change is their reasons to justify it. Whether it be skin color, eye shape, weight, level of income, or some other arbitrary means of division. It isn't that the idea of a peaceful world is a bad idea or not something to strive for. It's just the idea that religion or faith in a supreme being or beings is the cause of it all is erroneous. Some people you just can't reach God or no God.

It just seems to me alot of people take this if only people quit believing in God we could have a Star Trek society approach. Without ever realizing that, that utopia only exists because they have cheap plentiful and clean energy. The means to cheaply mass produce whatever resources they need and access to affordable advanced medical care. As long as there is competition for resources and society is producing winners and losers we will continue to breed discontent.

Originally posted by jiggerj
Please take a moment to consider how you think the world would change if the gods were irrefutably proven false.

Well, first the entire world would need to be on the same page as to what the phrase 'the gods' actually means. Good luck with that.

To me, 'the gods' are archetypes of the collective unconscious in symbolic, poetic, 'mythological' form. They are internally unconsciously generated poetic images (not "inventions")... containing precisely folded layers of multiple meanings that are consistent with the meanings of the mythological system that they are a part of.

'Prove' that false, please.

Then prove that the concept of 'irrefutable proof' is actually scientific.

Irrefutably.