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Steven Lloyd

Philosophy

Boyd, B period

20 Oct. 2008

Throughout human history there has always been an idea of higher powers instilled in the

population. The belief in these powers, whether they were concerned with a single, monotheistic

view of God or a polytheistic view of multiple gods, has led to many disputes and clashes

between civilizations. One thing we will now never know is if the world would have been better

off without these ideas of a supreme being.

Human history on Earth would undoubtedly be drastically different if there had never

been an idea of God. God has been the subject of countless penis wars and disputes in the last

several centuries alone. People with differing beliefs in a god power have been killing each other

since the beginning of time. Religion has played a role in millions of deaths, but can it be said

that these deaths would have been prevented without any kind of religious belief? I think human

civilization would have been fine without religion. Mankind would have learned basic human

rights and an idea of morality without the assistance of religious documents and practices.

Though, it may have taken longer to realize these things. But as many wars that can be attributed

to it, religion has inspired innumerable areas of human experience in the arts. The first songs and

musical scores were borne of religious practices. From its start in religion, it developed

secularly. Paintings, drawings, and sculptures have been conceived with the idea of God or

heaven or hell. Some of the most famous, adored paintings are littered with angels or demons, or

other religious ideas. In literature, it’s no different. For example, the most circulated book in the

world today is the Holy Bible. For centuries, all studies in science of the earth and the heavens

were attributed to the will of God or the gods. Politics is another example in which religion was

a large influence. Leaders of civilizations and how they ruled have been decided by religion or
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God forever. Kings and queens relied on the belief in divine rights and the people’s acceptance

of this for years. Laws were made and destroyed depending on what the leaders thought was the

interpretation of the Bible or any other holy document. The study of philosophy would be a

considerably subject matter than that of today. Great portions of the philosophy subject we know

today would simply not exist in a non-belief world.

The course of human history would be unsettlingly different than the world we all as

humans know today. The truth of whether it would be a world for the better or for the worse can

never really be known by man. Religion has played a tremendous role in all civilization since

the existence of civilization and without it or any higher belief notion, mankind would be on a

dramatically different route.