If in the next hour, everybody alive became an atheist, what would happen?

[Metaphor]

Imagine what might happen if, in the next hour, everybody alive who is a theist becomes an atheist, through a mechanism unknown. Over the next hour, everybody who is a theist right now suddenly no longer believes in God or gods, and they truly wonder why they ever did. This transformation is 'secret', in the sense that each person is only aware of their own deconversion. They don't know it's happened to everyone else around them. Of course, they can choose to tell people they've become an atheist if they want.

The newfound atheism also comes with rejecting corollary beliefs (e.g. in an afterlife) though not necessarily all supernatural/mystical beliefs (you could still believe in crystal healing).

The newfound atheism is permanent. Nobody ever reacquires a belief in God.

How long would the world take for it to be aware of the event? Would there be people who claimed they were still theists?

Would strife reduce? Would people still go to church? Would prayers be uttered?

What would happen in theocracies? What would happen to biblically-based political viewpoints? What would happen in Islamic terrorist groups? To the religious of any faith?

What would happen after one day? After a year? After twenty years?

 

[T.G.G. Moogly]

Lots of people would have to get a life. Other than that, not much of anything of significance.

 

[bigfield]

A few billion simultaneous existential crises.

 

[Angry Floof]

Nothing. Billions of people continuing to fake it.

 

[Metaphor]

Nothing. Billions of people continuing to fake it.

"Continuing" to fake it makes it sound like billions are already 'faking it'. I really doubt that.

But for how long would this faking last? Would we see religious worship generations later, even though there is not a single believer? Would parents teach their children to pray? Why?

 

[bilby]

Nothing. Billions of people continuing to fake it.

"Continuing" to fake it makes it sound like billions are already 'faking it'. I really doubt that.

But for how long would this faking last? Would we see religious worship generations later, even though there is not a single believer? Would parents teach their children to pray? Why?

Because that's how we have always done it.

That's more than enough reason for most people.

 

[Angry Floof]

Nothing. Billions of people continuing to fake it.

"Continuing" to fake it makes it sound like billions are already 'faking it'. I really doubt that.

But for how long would this faking last? Would we see religious worship generations later, even though there is not a single believer? Would parents teach their children to pray? Why?

Religion isn't a bunch of people believing something within the privacy of their own thoughts and experiences. It's a bunch of people with their private thoughts and experiences under constant influence of social systems and norms, repeated behaviors and ideas, some shared cultural fears and beliefs, all mishmashed together and that keeps people going with the flow of whatever the fuck the previous generations pushed along from their previous generations.

Of course, it changes because everything is constantly changing. Even the most absolutist of traditions can't avoid change, but ordinary human irrationality and misperception has no problem mentally holding a belief system as absolute and unchanging, regardless of first hand evidence to the contrary. Even as our mental world is constantly changing, we believe it's not. And when it becomes apparent that god belief might not be the most realistic world view, we're as likely to simply rewrite the story in our heads to make it seem realistic again as we are to consciously accept being wrong and adjust the mental world accordingly. It's a story - or more accurately an ideological identity - that provides a strong social cohesive because it's connected in some way to almost every aspect of life.

There's so many layers of belief and some of them are layers of lies we tell ourselves. Sometimes we know we're lying to ourselves and sometimes we don't. That's before you even get to the lies we tell others in dealing with the social systems, much less what we tell ourselves about yet another layer of watcher (God).

So I was probably remiss in oversimplifying all that in calling it "faking," when it's more like myriad influences affecting myriad cognitive mechanisms in a brain that likes finding and creating patterns.

Maybe if the question were more specific, such as, "What if in the next hour everybody alive became conscious of being atheist?"

I might even add "said so out loud" part because for some of us, even verbalizing something silently to ourselves, is not always enough to accept that idea into the world view. If there's still a reaction of cognitive dissonance, any number of us would stuff that thought away and continue with the program until something else impinges enough to acknowledge what we really believe. Saying something out loud has a way of binding your sense of self with the words, and we all want to think ourselves true to our word, and intelligent, and honest, yadda yadda. (This is used in scientology. There are numerous ways to get a new person to say "I am a scientologist.")

So if the question were rewritten as above? Probably I'd agree with bigfield. A lot of people invest their lives into religion. We write our own life stories and if the personal life story is based in religion, then yeah, we could be talking about existential crises for some. But I imagine that a lot of people would feel joy and relief. Maybe some would flip their lids completely. I don't know.

 

[fta]

[YOUTUBE]https://youtu.be/pkCuc34hvD4[/YOUTUBE]

On a more serious note, Michael Martin touched on this question near the end of his "Atheism: A Philosophical Justification". Oh darn, I've just discovered Martin died last year.

 

[ideologyhunter]

Puppies, kittens disappearing overnight to atheist sacrifice.
Every American town (esp. in Texas) would suddenly have dozens of well-maintained buildings suitable for mini-malls, salons, tchotchke boutiques (altho' there'd finally be property taxes due.)
Within months, wars of mass extermination, because atheism equates with that (esp. if you don't read the book of Joshua.)
Remainder tables filled with the Left Behind books -- all 515 volumes of it.
Billy Graham's daughter spotted walking listlessly down St. Marks Place, minus a few of her central incisors, with a slightly charred chemical smell about her, and her hand out as she begs wordlessly for pocket change.
Comedy Central begins airing past seasons of the 700 Club. Pat Robertson spotted on top of Mount Shasta in a golden diaper and holding a scepter and a KJV, screaming obscenities at passing clouds.
The Republican Party reacts to the transition with seamless efficiency -- maps out an election strategy based on Torture, Guns, and Dollars.
Kim Davis refuses to issue marriage licenses to those who still attend church.

 

[Random Person]

I imagine the traffic to this site would crash the servers with all the folks wanting to "get a life."

 

[Tom Sawyer]

I don't know about the rest of the world, but I'd pretty quickly start killing people off for not not believing in God for the right reasons.

 

[Keith&Co.]

But for how long would this faking last?

Probably for quite a while. Especially if the deconversion is secret.
There are already people invested in the power that is afforded them by being watchdogs of other people's heresy and apostasy. The actual religion is secondary to the sense of community one gets from being able to identify US and distinguish US from THEM.
The fact that many of US no longer feel that US are all that different from THEM isn't as important as the fact that being US makes US better than THEM.

The verbiage will slowly change, but the lining up in groups so someone will tell you who to hate, who to resent, how to vote, what to eat, what to think about certain movies, or social groups, or climate change.... That's going to last for a while.

Would we see religious worship generations later, even though there is not a single believer?

Sure.

Would parents teach their children to pray? Why?

II expect parents will teach their kids to socialize along certain lines. God's as easy an excuse to create lines as any.

When i realized my atheism, i began to question if i'd ever believed. I suspect i was conditioned. I don't recall ever actually asking Jesus into my heart. I was just told he was there, and it was the right Jesus which made us different and special.
If we lose 'believe or you'll burn in hell,' i think many churches will make do with 'conform or you'll die alone.'

 

[Ramaraksha]

I don't know about the rest of the world, but I'd pretty quickly start killing people off for not not believing in God for the right reasons.

There you go - those are your morals. Without the threat of God's punishment, religious people have no morals to speak of - they would be running around killing, murdering and raping

- - - Updated - - -

It would be wonderful! A dream come true! Happiness and Peace would reign. The concepts of Heaven and Hell are the two evils facing humankind - using these religions have divided us humans, set us against each other and mass murdered millions. The only reason few talk or write about it is that they are the majority and they cover their backs

 

[AthenaAwakened]

If in the next hour, everybody alive became an atheist, what would happen?

Ice Cream and Cake for EVERYBODY!!!!!!!

 

[Lion IRC]

Nothing. Billions of people continuing to fake it.

Those atheist clergy might get to keep their jobs?
LOL. I never believed those atheists-in-prison stats either.

Shouldn't laugh though.
Closet atheists pretending to be priests is something the Church might try to cover up to protect their reputation. Moving atheists around from one parish to another whenever certain allegations or suspicions were raised.

 

[Angry Floof]

Nothing. Billions of people continuing to fake it.

Those atheist clergy might get to keep their jobs?
LOL. I never believed those atheists-in-prison stats either.

Shouldn't laugh though.
Closet atheists pretending to be priests is something the Church might try to cover up to protect their reputation. Moving atheists around from one parish to another whenever certain allegations or suspicions were raised.

You think atheism is at the root of rapist priests? Oh, this needs its own thread.

 

[Lion IRC]

 

[fta]

I dug out the "Conclusion" of Michael Martin's Atheism: A Philosophical Justification.

If atheism became widespread in our society, new atheistic religions might arise to fill the gap in people’s lives, or old atheistic religions such as Jainism might gain converts. Moreover, it is not only possible but likely that some people would continue to attend theistic religious services and to be members of theistic churches even if they did not believe. To some people church membership meets an important social need, and to other people religious ceremonies have significant aesthetic value. The teachings of theistic religions can provide moral insights to atheistic participants…

Superficially, I would expect some of the more obvious symbols and trappings of our present theistic society to fade and disappear. For example, I would expect that our currency would no longer be imprinted with “In God we trust,” that Christmas and Easter would no longer be national holidays, that a prayer would no longer be offered at presidential inaugural ceremonies, that blue laws would become a thing of the past, and that prayers in public schools would no longer be a serious issue. As for the public media and the popular culture, I would also expect to see changes. I would expect TV evangelism and the billion-dollar industry it has spawned to disappear and the Sunday religious services broadcast nationally and locally on TV and radio to diminish. I would anticipate that the Pope or Mother Teresa would no longer be front-page news, that many religious bookstores would close, that Bibles would no longer be found in hotel rooms, that expressions such as “God bless you” and expletives such as “God damn it” would disappear from our language.

On a less superficial level, surely the political power of traditional churches and of the religious right would be greatly reduced. With this would come more liberalized laws concerning abortion, divorce, homosexuality, and birth control. Theism-based morality would have few adherents, and this in turn would affect our view on moral education. Although the Bible would be the source of some moral guidance, it would be read critically and would no longer be thought of as divinely inspired. Theistic religious leaders would no longer be looked to for moral guidance unless their moral insights did not purport to be based on revelation.

If atheism became the dominant view throughout the world, one would anticipate vast changes in many areas. For example, there would probably be fewer wars and less violence than there is now. In many places in the world today, such as Northern Ireland and the Middle East, war and violence are at least partially based on religious bigotry and hatred. The birth rate would also drop in many countries, since religious objections to contraception would no longer prevail. Further, if atheism was widely held throughout the world, one would anticipate the secularization even of societies where religious fundamentalism is now a way of life...

 

[Lion IRC]

There is a parallel we could draw from the idea that people would/wouldn't behave differently if they suddenly thought there was no God.

Just change the wording of the Op a little and have everyone suddenly think there are no such things as jails, or undercover police, or unmarked police cars, or CCTVs, or speed detection cameras, or burglar alarms at banks...

Yes of course people would continue to act just the same as usual. Everyone knows those thing are no deterrent.

 

[bilby]

There is a parallel we could draw from the idea that people would/wouldn't behave differently if they suddenly thought there was no God.

Just change the wording of the Op a little and have everyone suddenly think there are no such things as jails, or undercover police, or unmarked police cars, or CCTVs, or speed detection cameras, or burglar alarms at banks...

Yes of course people would continue to act just the same as usual. Everyone knows those thing are no deterrent.

Well as a lifelong atheist, of atheist parents, I have never believed in God; and yet I have never killed, raped, robbed or even assaulted anybody.

The God hypothesis cannot explain my moral behaviour; God is not necessary for me to be good.

And while I get a strong feeling that you don't believe me - that you think everyone, other than perhaps the most depraved of sociopaths, really believes in God, I would like to point out that if they did, we really wouldn't have a need for jails, or undercover police, or unmarked police cars, or CCTVs, or speed detection cameras, or burglar alarms at banks...

The very existence of such things demonstrates that most people do NOT act as though they were under constant surveillance, and will ultimately face justice from an omnicognisant judge.

If everyone believes in God, why do most people act as if they don't; and why is there no bias towards morality in those who say they do? Why do deeply religious people behave badly, and atheists behave well? That's only something you would see if Gods and belief in them were irrelevant to morality.