Suppose There Was No Bible

David Sklansky · #1 09-09-2006, 05:53 AM

That would put us in the same boat as people five thousand years ago. Except for all the scientific knowledge we have.

Anyway if there was nothing written to hang our hats on and no undeniable big time miracles, what would people believe? What percentage of the world having no organized religion to join, would be atheists, deists, theists in a general sense, or theists in a more specifc sense?

VarlosZ · #2 09-09-2006, 06:18 AM

Presumably, there would be more Zoroastrians around. Hard to imagine some other organized religion (or pervasive belief system, failing that) not simply taking the place of Judaism/Christianity/Islam.

cambraceres · #3 09-09-2006, 06:32 AM

As was just said, Zoroaster was the principle deuty in the world before Chrisitianity came about. If the bible had never been composed, a vacuum would have formed, and large portions of the world's population would have to find some other belief structure to serve as the pervasive institution of their time.

Right now religion is waning, but without Christianity coming about and destroying innumerable lives and institutions, perhaps religion would be more popular. It's just too hard to say what would have happened without orthodox Christian theocracy as we know it.

One very important implication is worth mentioning, if Christians had not been present in southwestern europe in the 7th century, the saracen invaders would have routed all of europe, and it would then have fallen under the control of the islamic caliphate.

Ahhh got to go work.

Cam

cambraceres · #4 09-09-2006, 06:57 AM

after reflection, I say it is invalid to question what our modern world would be like without the Bible. To say what it would be like without organized religion would be a meaningful question. To ask even what Christianity would be like without a bible is invalid because of the pervasive effect of this treatise on belief and ritual.

I will say that Christianity would not have been as successful in taking over so many hearts and minds had there not been a semi-consistent document outlining the fundamental tenents of the thing. That would have meant alot of things, but again to posit a natural resultant is unneccessary.

Cam

David Sklansky · #5 09-09-2006, 07:16 AM

I really meant to ask what modern people would think if they all woke up with total amnesia of any religion and all holy books had disappeared. In other words if the only evidence for God was what they saw around them, would they believe in a deistic God, a more personal god, a god with specific traits, or no god at all. Put yet another way, with no Bible, would Not Ready be an atheist?

New001 · #6 09-09-2006, 07:20 AM

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.

chezlaw · #7 09-09-2006, 08:00 AM

[ 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

MidGe · #8 09-09-2006, 08:07 AM

I agree somehwat with new001.

Without bible, the irrational in the human mind would still flourish, to wit the number of people that believe in astrology, numerology etc... (a much larger number than any single religion or sect). It is part of the current human mind make-up. Whether the irrational has a an evolutionary benefit or not, is moot, not enough time has elapsed yet to say this for sure. IMO, it is a flaw, bound/doomed to disappear. I base my opinion on its fragmentary nature. They seem all to be working against each other. Like Koestler, I would call it the ghost in the machine. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Jshuttlesworth · #9 09-09-2006, 12:03 PM

[ 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.

John21 · #10 09-09-2006, 12:03 PM

[ 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 ]

I was raised in a basically agnostic environment. As I became more aware of the contradictions and superstitions in different religions my belief leaned towards atheism.

Now I make a distiction between religion and the belief in a creator. So while I'm not religious, I do believe in some type of creator or creative force that I refer to as god.

To paraphrase, I think therefore I am - and it seems to be a human condition to question " why I am." All around us we see an effect preceded by a cause, and it just seems logical that we would question the cause of our own being.