Expert: Austin Cline - 10/2/2002

Question
I am studying religion at university and was asked the question 'do you think a society could exist without religion?'. This was just a discussion and not for assessment, but it interested me. I naturally have my own thoughts but I would love to hear what other people think about it and from what you wrote in your expertise I thought you would have an intersting view. I realise that this question is very involved but if you have the time could you tell me what you think?
Thankyou,
Renee Bailey

Answer
Renee,

One of the reasons why this question is so involved is that there are really at least two possible questions wrapped up in it.

The first might be: Can a society survive without religion? If people were not religious, would they still obey the laws and create a community which could endure?

The answer to that is, I think, "yes." It is true that religion can contribute to people's ability to follow laws and have a community, but I seen no reason to think that it is a *necessary requirement* for achieving such goals.

A subsidiary question to that is also probably: can people be good, moral and polite without religion? My response to that is the same as to the previous question.

A second major question which can be part of what you ask is: does it seem likely that any society would ever actually develop without religion? Will religion ever really disappear?

The answer to that is, I think, "no." The numbers of people who are religious may decline, but I doubt that it will ever disappear. Even if traditional religions fade away, new religions will grow in their place - witness, for example, the modern religions like the Raelians who have pretty much abandoned many of the things which characterize traditional religions, like gods.

I think that religion is, like art, an aspect of human culture which will always be around - sometimes in good forms and sometimes in bad; sometimes in larger amounts and sometimes in less.

Those are general responses to your query - if you have more specific questions about what I have written, feel free to write back and ask...