I've been told before (probably on this site) one of the good things about religion is that it gives us morals. But would we not have any morals in the absence of religion? Without religion would we all run around totally amoral?

No, morality does exist outside of religion, although perhaps ethics is a more accurate term.

No, morality does exist outside of religion, although perhaps ethics is a more accurate term.

Follow up, would we have ethics without religion?

I think morals and ethics can be shaped by your religion, but you do not have to have religion to have morals or ethics, IMO.

I believe you can have both without religion.

Follow up, would we have ethics without religion?

Yes.

Yes.

If we can easily have both...what use does religion serve in society? I'm not asking about you as a person, but what benefit it gives society as a whole.

In order for any society to exist successfully a from or ethics or morals are necessary to maintain the obedience to law in as many citizens as possible. It isn't the simple threat of punishment that keeps people in line it is the sense of "what's right and wrong" that they were indoctrinated with from their earliest memories that was reinforced in school and by society.

 

Early religions served this purpose by saying that the gods had decreed these things and anyone who violated them would be risking punishment by Ishtar and Baal and so on.

How can we really answer that question, since we don't know a world without religion?

If we can easily have both...what use does religion serve in society? I'm not asking about you as a person, but what benefit it gives society as a whole.

It's a tough question to answer for a few reasons (one of which 5Wide touched upon). Another reason is because "good for society" is so subjective.

 

I know that, for example, the Catholic Church essentially built the education and especially hospital system in the Western World. But it is a difficult question to answer, particularly because it is so vague. Are you implying that religion is inherently bad for society?

How can we really answer that question, since we don't know a world without religion?

I don't have religion...I consider myself moral and ethical.

 

But honestly it's more of a hypothetical than anything.

In order for any society to exist successfully a from or ethics or morals are necessary to maintain the obedience to law in as many citizens as possible. It isn't the simple threat of punishment that keeps people in line it is the sense of "what's right and wrong" that they were indoctrinated with from their earliest memories that was reinforced in school and by society.

 

Early religions served this purpose by saying that the gods had decreed these things and anyone who violated them would be risking punishment by Ishtar and Baal and so on.

Disney movies and fairy tales indoctrinate children with the belief of right or wrong. If we as a society can get this sense of morality and ethics from other sources is there another purpose religion serves to society?

 

I have to admit that you are exactly the person this thread is aimed at (though I want anyone's opinion for sure).

I don't have religion...I consider myself moral and ethical.

 

But honestly it's more of a hypothetical than anything.

 

But, we live in a world and society where our morals and ethics have been heavily shaped and influenced by religious beliefs in the past. So, everyone's morals are affected in some way by religion, whether that person is actually religious or not.

 

JMO

 

That's what I was getting at. Not that a non-religious individual can't have morals/ethics.

Disney movies and fairy tales indoctrinate children with the belief of right or wrong. If we as a society can get this sense of morality and ethics from other sources is there another purpose religion serves to society?

 

I have to admit that you are exactly the person this thread is aimed at (though I want anyone's opinion for sure).

 

I had a hunch and considered staying out of it for the sake of my own amusement.

 

But I figured, why not?

 

Religion offers another vehicle for ethics/morality, one that more people prefer.

But, we live in a world and society where our morals and ethics have been heavily shaped and influenced by religious beliefs in the past. So, everyone's morals are affected in some way by religion, whether that person is actually religious or not.

 

JMO

 

That's what I was getting at. Not that a non-religious individual can't have morals/ethics.

This may shock some...but I can buy that. I think it would be foolish to say that in a "butterfly effect" way mine haven't been shaped by religion. Though there may be some countries where this isn't true...in the good ol U S of A it is definitely true.

 

If hypothetically we were able to complete rid the world of religion would we revert back to a wild state?