Would religion be as popular if there were no promise of heaven?
Just think. Imagine if at the end of your lifetime, when Death takes your hand in hers, you go to meet your maker. And he tells you "If the 10,000 years before thy death did not bother thee, neither shall the 10,000 years after thy death.", and simply vanished you into nothingness.
I have no doubt that religion (I use this term loosely, since not all religions promise an afterlife) would be far less widely practised than it currently is. The only thing that distinguishes religion (benefits wise), from any other social construct, is its promise of the afterlife. Humans seem to have an innate fear of death and the unknown, and religion allays this fear by dealing with both issues at once. It removes the fear of death by promising something even better afterwards, and by knowing what comes after, there is no longer the fear of the unknown. One of the best marketing lines in history.
What else does religion have to offer, really? Social togetherness? Join a salsa club. Doing good works? Join World Vision or the Red Cross. There is virtually nothing religion has to offer, apart from the afterlife, that cannot be easily replaced by some other secular social construct. Churches and religions may market themselves differently, appealing to a young person's natural desire to be part of a group, but the fundamental issue behind religion, the only key idea it promotes, is the afterlife. Everything done on this Earth is tailored for the afterlife. Do good, and you get rewarded. Religion, despite all its talk about sacrifice and good deeds, primarily appeals to a person's sense of self-interest. Nothing more, nothing less.
In a sense, one might argue that most theists are in it for their own selfish interest. If there weren't a promise of Heaven, what incentive is there to worship God? To subjugate yourself to a deity who is completely unwilling to reward you?
Another interesting question: Would you be willing to give up salvation if it meant that 10 other people could be saved?
I have no doubt that religion (I use this term loosely, since not all religions promise an afterlife) would be far less widely practised than it currently is. The only thing that distinguishes religion (benefits wise), from any other social construct, is its promise of the afterlife. Humans seem to have an innate fear of death and the unknown, and religion allays this fear by dealing with both issues at once. It removes the fear of death by promising something even better afterwards, and by knowing what comes after, there is no longer the fear of the unknown. One of the best marketing lines in history.
What else does religion have to offer, really? Social togetherness? Join a salsa club. Doing good works? Join World Vision or the Red Cross. There is virtually nothing religion has to offer, apart from the afterlife, that cannot be easily replaced by some other secular social construct. Churches and religions may market themselves differently, appealing to a young person's natural desire to be part of a group, but the fundamental issue behind religion, the only key idea it promotes, is the afterlife. Everything done on this Earth is tailored for the afterlife. Do good, and you get rewarded. Religion, despite all its talk about sacrifice and good deeds, primarily appeals to a person's sense of self-interest. Nothing more, nothing less.
In a sense, one might argue that most theists are in it for their own selfish interest. If there weren't a promise of Heaven, what incentive is there to worship God? To subjugate yourself to a deity who is completely unwilling to reward you?
Another interesting question: Would you be willing to give up salvation if it meant that 10 other people could be saved?
posted by benisonp at 7:01 PM
2 comments
