The happiness of false hope

Christians can be charitable and kind towards others by believing that their actions have greater spiritual meaning.  Mormons can be excessively good natured towards people, as in the South Park episode that compares how cynical normal people are.  Buddhism and Hinduism both emphasize good actions over bad actions.  Someone like Stephen Colbert who can recognize hypocrisy and contradiction still has faith in a God, teaches Sunday school, and maintains an upbeat attitude.  If all of these people realized that that there is no God, no afterlife, no spirit, no spirituality, and all religion is a set of myths and lies, then how would they act? 

I'm sure a lot would cynical, negative, and ill natured towards others.  Why be nice to others if there's no universal scorekeeper?  No reward for your good deeds?  In fact, you'll probably get taken advantage of.  Ayn Rand describes this well, advocating Egoism rather than allowing yourself to be manipulated and taken advantage of due to the appeasing, subservient attitude that most religions bring.

So without religion could people still be as happy, as generous, as charitable as they are now?  Or would a larger number be more selfish and self centered than they are now?  Is it better to have a negative but truthful society, or a happy society built on lies?

you don't seem to understand buddhism. it's not about god or afterlife, it's about inner peace while you're alive. many buddhists don't believe in anything supernatural.

You make a good point... Religion may help stupid people... or at least better then the modern day approach: throw a pill at anything that moves, then profit off it, as well as the trouble that arises afterwards.

To those who know what logic and science is, religion is little more then an immature pipe dream. We must discern real from fake...

I find it amusing that there is like 10 billion pieces of facts about evolution. and 0 for religion. Yet the fanatics never give up pushing their propaganda. Did I say amusing? I meant disgusting.  -_-;

opiate of the masses

:D

>>4
opium of the masses
fixed

>>2
reincarnation

The defining factor between good and evil isn't religion.

:D

>>3 Linked for the truth.

>>8
good and evil are matters of perception
freethink or gtfo

Religion is an irrational institution for the irrational human. That is to say it simply tries to make life a bit easier by attending to a human being's often irrational subjective existence. Science can shape society but it cannot be applied to a single person's life.

And no, anonymous is not a completely efficient rationally maximising homo economicus roboticus, even though he thinks himself one.

>>11
Good = actions which generate happiness, pleasure and higher pleasures and actions which reduce sufferring in total in all sentient life

Evil = the opposite

Perceptions are different, but the truth is constant. This is why it is important to get perceptions as close to the truth as possible, science etc..

>>12
We are legion, although our stupidity reaches new limits it cancels itself out as proportion of a total.

>>1
I don't agree that people need to have someone watching them to be nice... that's what 5-year-olds do.

>>14
You are as naive as a 5 year old.

>>13

something people consider to be bad, isn't always wrong or doesn't mean/make it(s) wrong.

And something people consider to be good, isn't always right or doesn't mean/make it(s) right.

>>16
Spoiler: What people think doesn't necessarily correlate with the truth.

Re-read my post another 8 times, I coverred everything.

To the Atheists who hate religion: Great, you don't believe in a higher power. I can see why since there isn't really any hard evidence. But trying to make people who do believe is idiotic and hypocritical. I'm sure you don't like how some religions try to convert people, yet you are doing just that. Why is it so hard for you to tolerate religion? You don't need proof of something to believe in it. Do you believe in atoms? Faith is believing something without proof of its existence.

I am a Lutheran and I believe in God. Ignoring all the spiritual stuff, I just think it makes sense that there has to be something that's always been around to set off the Big Bang and lay down the laws (of physics). Evolution and religion can coexist, I believe God created evolution, set off the universe and maybe guided it in a few places. I think we are here on this Earth to do what we want, with no help from God. I never pray, and I rarely go to church. I don't think God is just going to help us out because we ask, we have to make it happen. There are tons of instances where if God was going to step in and do something, he should've, like the Salem witch trials, the crusades, the holocaust, all that stuff. Personally, I don't believe in Hell or the devil and think everyone gets in to heaven. Religion can be a very good or a very bad thing.

I don't hate any religion, or atheism. What I do hate is intolerance. Even though the question isn't "does a higher power exist?", your utter contempt for religion is very thinly veiled

>>18
I am an atheist who tolerate religion. I do not intend to indoctrinate my children to be atheists. Pointing out there is no proof of god is not akin to indoctrination.

>>19
You are the OP I assume? I would be more akin to believe you if you would have presented it unbiased like that. Instead you chose to say things like, "Is it better to have a negative but truthful society, or a happy society built on lies?" "If all of these people realized that that there is no God, no afterlife, no spirit, no spirituality, and all religion is a set of myths and lies, then how would they act?" From that I gather that that is your personal beliefs and not just a hypothetical situation for discussion. Also, I was not just talking to you but to the other Athiests ITT who obviously hate religion such as >>3 >>4 and >>12.