Would we have another mass dominator religion? I doubt there is another candidate offering the conveniences Christianity does.

I'm not educated about the roots of religion or it's evolution, or for that matter what different types of religions there are.

Atheism is to religious hope as pride is to the concept of meditation (when thought of as a tool to release dopamine, or create other enjoyable experiences.) I am not claiming an argument for either side, since I think both are useful, and it is overly circumstantial for me to generalize.

Would we have many different religions to chose from? Or subjective religions? Logical religions?

What do you think? I guess this has probably been asked before.. but I'll post it anyway.

My God.

Islam might have spread more probably.

I think whatever conveniences you may speaking of would be easily replaced, because human beings just tend to constantly conceptualize new strategies to ease their own minds and assign a solid purpose in their life. Our species is good at finding ways to ease our burdens, both physically, through technological innovation, and mentally, by coloring our own realities in with hopeful, imaginative promising scenarios that give us something to look forward to.

Most likely, it would just be created under some other name with a varying set of attributes that could be shaped to fit what we'd find most appealing to believe in.

Doubtful.
In fact there probably wouldn't even be an Islam if there were no Christianity.

I dont entirely understand what you said, but I think that if there HAS to be a dominant religion, I guess Christianity is the best one. However the best situation would be where there is no religion at all in my opinion.

Doubtful.
In fact there probably wouldn't even be an Islam if there were no Christianity.

why do you say? Islam shares ideas with christianity but has no real basis off of christianity. Judaism would still be around, just not christianity.

My guess is, Mithraism would dominate western religion had not Christianity arisen.

They have a lot in common.

why do you say? Islam shares ideas with christianity but has no real basis off of christianity. Judaism would still be around, just not christianity.

Mainly because Judaism has always primarily been a rather localized religion that was more ethnic in nature and never big on conversion. To put it crudely if religion were high-school Judaism is the introverted religious kid no one talks to while Christianity is his extroverted little brother. You're more likely to hang out and talk with Christianity than you are with Judaism.

Besides supposedly the first person to recognize Mohammed's prophethood was his wife Khadija's cousin who was Christian. The more conspiracy minded atheist might see a connection but that's neither here nor there.

Mainly because Judaism has always primarily been a rather localized religion that was more ethnic in nature and never big on conversion. To put it crudely if religion were high-school Judaism is the introverted religious kid no one talks to while Christianity is his extroverted little brother. You're more likely to hang out and talk with Christianity than you are with Judaism.

Besides supposedly the first person to recognize Mohammed's prophethood was his wife Khadija's cousin who was Christian. The more conspiracy minded atheist might see a connection but that's neither here nor there.

Like the analogy. Although, none of this means that Mohammad wouldn't have had something of a religious realization, considering that it was real, or just some weirded out delusion. Either one would have happened with or without christianity, just without some of it's influence. It might have taken longer to take roots, but could have taken roots.

When did the Muslim countries start becoming backwards? Was it the Crusades or Imperialism that got them messed up. I know that Arabs basicly invented chemistry and a bunch of other things.

That is a good question. I think it might have been the crusades. After the crusades, muslims were weary of the western world. Take this with a grain of salt though.

Like the analogy. Although, none of this means that Mohammad wouldn't have had something of a religious realization, considering that it was real, or just some weirded out delusion. Either one would have happened with or without christianity, just without some of it's influence. It might have taken longer to take roots, but could have taken roots.
You could very well be right, although I still feel that Christianity was the springboard from which Islam took flight.

I would argue the rot was always there (religious reactionaries have always plagued the mid-east) but it didn't truly take hold until much later with the fall of the Ottoman Empire. Remember although they had lost much territory they were still considered a force to be reckoned until WW1. Basically all the drive to reform and modernize originated with the dominant Turks, once they were out of the picture things just fell apart. Which is why Turkey is a fairly advanced secular nation while the rest of the mid-east... isn't.

This is all just personal conjecture though.

I'm positive that had Christianity never arisen, the Roman Empire would have adopted another, similar religion. That would have probably spread in a similar way. The world's a boiling pot of memetic viruses, and another would have done the same.

Seems everyone is in agreement that another religion would have taken it's place.

A better question would be....."Where would we be without theism?"

lost and alone...mankind (i'm generalizing a bit) can't fathom the idea that there isn't something greater than us, it just blows our mind. That, and the possibility that we're alone in the universe.

lost and alone...mankind (i'm generalizing a bit) can't fathom the idea that there isn't something greater than us, it just blows our mind. That, and the possibility that we're alone in the universe.

atheism seems to handle it pretty well.

Same place we are now, just without theism. Theism doesn't change the basic nature of mankind, which seems to be quite animal. We'd have something non-religious to follow after, and there's always a multitude of things to fight and politic over, be it genetic or geographic.

Same place we are now, just without theism. Theism doesn't change the basic nature of mankind, which seems to be quite animal. We'd have something non-religious to follow after, and there's always a multitude of things to fight and politic over, be it genetic or geographic.

Carl Sagan has made an excellent argument in his book Demon Haunted World for where science would be had theism not existed.

They were always backwards. They may not have seemed that backwards back then but they haven't changed so they're definitely backwards today by our standards.

Carl Sagan has made an excellent argument in his book Demon Haunted World for where science would be had theism not existed.

Never heard of the book before. I'll check it out sometime. Summarize?

Breaking rocks in the hot sun

I fought the law and the law won

I fought the law and the law won

I needed money cause I had None

I fought the law and the law won

I fought the law and the law won

I miss my baby and I feel so sad I guess my race is run

Well she's the best girl that I ever had

I fought the law and the law won

I fought the law and the law won

Robbing people with a six gun

I fought the law and the law won

I fought the law and the law won

I miss my baby and I miss fun

I fought the law and the law won

I fought the law and the law won

I miss my baby and I fell so sad I guess my race is run

Well she's the best girl that I ever had

I fought the law and the law won

I fought the law and the law won

I fought the Law and the Law won


Who wants to bet that these were Jesus's last words?

This is the second time I've clicked this thread expecting an argument about how christians where always the traditional protectors of logic etc bullshit and I keep thinking to post this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antikythera_mechanism

So I did anyways :)

atheism seems to handle it pretty well.

This for the win.

Who wants to bet that these were Jesus's last words?

lol. I would.

In response to the original quesion, I would like to say that Christianity was an accident, of sorts. Had the roman empire treated Jesus Christ and his followers differently in the early days of the religion, it might not have become so widespread and powerful (and, as history will prove many times, corrupted). And, if Christianity were to never have reached the size it has today, there would still be the hundred or so local religions in europe and asia, and the US would probably be predominately Celtic (English and Irish, i think), or some other branch of paganism.

Srsly, Athiesm for the win.

Never heard of the book before. I'll check it out sometime. Summarize?

Basically he spends a good deal of time telling you of the early scienctists and science. He cites many sources throughout his book and informs that the early western scientists were much more advanced than the western science after the rise of Christians. The age of reason was more of a re-learning period or an age of re-discovery than it was an age of learning or discovery.

You would really have to read the book. He does make a good case of it.

meditation (when thought of as a tool to release dopamine, or create other enjoyable experiences.)

Hang on, this is stupid as fuck. I don't want to hijack the thread so I'll leave it at that but anyone who has that view on meditation is doing it wrong

Who wants to bet that these were Jesus's last words?

Hehe - Good analogy there.

I looked hard to find some relevance in Fonzy's typical BS; thanks for pointing it out.

I can tell you the truth but no one would believe me.

^ lies, you'd probably get bashed by all the christians

We'd probably be over run by religion....o wait, we already are. Looks like we're doomed.

Logical religions?

aint gonna happen. they all revolve around money. end of story.

If there had to be a dominant religion, buddhism would be the way to go.

Doubtful.
In fact there probably wouldn't even be an Islam if there were no Christianity.

QFT.
I think a better title would be 'where would we be withoout Judaism.

In a much, much better world.

Archimedes was the original inventor of calculus, not Newton. But, thanks to christianity, his writings were scrapped and conversion pamphlets were printed over them.

What if we had had just that for hundreds of years longer than we did? where would we be now?