A World Without Religion

Reading through blogs about Christianity and popular culture made me realize that we have all thought about the presence of religion in the media further influencing society, but has a world without religion ever crossed your mind? 

Without religion fulfilling us with personal beliefs and hope, can one still obtain the fulfillment of happiness and morality?

If religion never ceased to exist, how would we know the definition of what we assume to be “evil”? Our understanding of what is known to be “evil” exists from theological knowledge and beliefs constructed by religious foundations. If there was no religion, there would be no harassment of Jews held responsible for the blood of Christ on their hands, or any other persecutions such as this [1]. There would be no war between culture and hypothetically, we would all be one. 

Take time to review the lyrics to John Lennon’s song, Imagine:

“Imagine there's no heaven

It's easy if you try

No hell below us

Above us only sky

Imagine all the people living for today

Imagine there's no countries

It isn't hard to do

Nothing to kill or die for

And no religion too

Imagine all the people living life in peace

You, you may say 

I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one

I hope some day you'll join us

And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions

I wonder if you can

No need for greed or hunger

A brotherhood of man

Imagine all the people sharing all the world

You, you may say 

I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one

I hope some day you'll join us

And the world will live as one”

The lyrics to his song imply that religion is the cause of corruption in humanity. If religion is meant to set rational behaviour and propose humane morality, how is it so, that the clash between different religions and cultures are the cause of destruction in humanity? Ironic, isn’t it? 

In my opinion, religion has become a way of recruiting people into divided groups who share similar beliefs and hopes. This gives the satisfaction of being “included”; a yearning that everyone wants. The one’s who are left out are the non-religious. Without any realization, this has caused war between religious cults striving to prove what is right and wrong. I think religion was also made to set certain principles for the inadequate who entail a rationalized structure for construction of the base of humanity. If there were no heaven and hell for people to believe in, then that would affect the way in which people behave. The question is, would people act more humane, or less? 




Reference: 


1. http://richarddawkins.net/articles/1-imagine-no-religion