Suppose There Was No Bible

[Mickey Brausch]

If there was no Sklanskyanity, we'd have to invent it.

[MidGe]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Whether the irrational has a an evolutionary benefit or not, is moot, not enough time has elapsed yet to say this for sure.

[/ QUOTE ]

Is this true? Enough time has passed for us to learn the evolutionary benefit of many other traits (standing on two feet, etc.). It seems to me that believing in religion/mysticism will be an evolutionary boost as long as more individuals believe in religion/mysticism than do not believe.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes enough time has passed to recognise the benefits of standing on two feet, but too little time has past to know so abour religion. The startof those two events are a ver long time apart. Religion has in fact existed for very little time. (I assume an abosolute maximum of 50,000 years).

[Poker Plan]

[quote
Someone would start an organised religion, probably by writing some book that every one could follow.

[/ QUOTE ]

SSHE? [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[mojobluesman]

I think many people would immediately feel uncomfortable with the idea that "everything" always was and always will be or that it all came into being without some external contribution. As a result, God and religion in some form would emerge.

For some reason, for most people, the prospect that the whole thing was an accident is much more intuitively illogical than the idea that there is a God or metaphysical explanation that isn't within our grasp yet.

I don't claim to have a supeior IQ like many here do (130 isn't too shabby though), but intuitively, it seems obvious to me that something is going on that we don't understand and/or that our limited senses cannot pick up on that explains everything. However, it's not SCIENCE in the form that is generally hostile to religion.

[Misfire]

[ QUOTE ]
Someone would start an organised religion, probably by writing some book that every one could follow.

[/ QUOTE ]

Enter the flying spaghetti monster.

[Duke]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I think a very large percentage, perhaps even close to what there is now, would still end up believing in some sort of creator, higher power, or something similar.

[/ QUOTE ]
People try to start new religons all the time but the niche being filled makes it hard for them to take off.

Starting from a fresh slate won't make any different except in the very short term.

chez

[/ QUOTE ]

If a book came along right now implying that the universe were geocentric, and claiming that it was basically made for us, it'd be laughed at and only followed on a cult basis.

Think about writing stories, books, poetry... it's a very difficult task. Pointing out why they suck is much easier, but still requires a certain level of knowledge. If a guy walked up to you today and told you that the entire universe was 6000 years old, and started telling you something about a boat with 2 of everything on it, you'd laugh in his face. You'd wonder where he got the ignorance to claim that it formed long after Pangaea existed. But back then, they couldn't dispute it correctly, as they lacked the requisite knowledge to do so. Today, it would be immediately disregarded on grounds such as these.

It would fall on its face immediately in trying to convince people of its veracity. There would be no apologists jumping through hoops to say why it doesn't really say what it says, and picking out which verses are metaphor and which literal. There'd be no reason to, as it's an obvious fantasy. It would likely be seen as a fantasy with certain moral guidelines and interesting tales by which to live, but not to believe as truth.

Today we look back on the older religions, some that lasted a very long time, and wonder how anyone could ever have believed them. It's only a sense of familiarity and knowing a lot of people who find something of value in those faiths that prevent many of us from using that same critical eye on the Judeo-Christian mythology of today.

As for the effect of that, I think we would have already devolved into the 2 groups that I foresee for the future: there's a reason for it all, there isn't any reason to it at all.

I think that specific faiths are a relic of a time when it made much more sense to have them.

[John21]

[ QUOTE ]

As for the effect of that, I think we would have already devolved into the 2 groups that I foresee for the future: there's a reason for it all, there isn't any reason to it at all.


[/ QUOTE ]
Nice point.

[FortunaMaximus]

Maths or myths? One would probably be uninteresting without the other.

[chezlaw]

[ QUOTE ]
If a book came along right now implying that the universe were geocentric, and claiming that it was basically made for us, it'd be laughed at and only followed on a cult basis.

[/ QUOTE ]
of course it wouldn't make those claims, these claims are residues of the time but are of no importance to religon in general.

chez

[Overdrive]

I really wish there wasn't a Bible, a Quoran and etc. They cause so much harm and evil and death in the world. People should believe in science, not myths and legends and voodoo. The world would be a better place without religion of any kind.