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If some society had religion that didn't believe in eternal damnation with a maximum sentence in hell being 15 billion years and then all people, even the worst people go to heaven, could this religion discourage sin even though there's no eternal punishment? Also What beliefs can be there to discourage misconduct in life besides eternal suffering and torment? The purpose is so i can have order in my hypothetical society without eternal torture.

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    I think in order to take this question seriously you should think about what those terms mean in the context of the invented world you're working on. Then, you need to translate & define those terms for us so we can comprehend the context and not just come up with random opinions or real world examples. I'm going to vote to close your question, which simply means you've got an interesting concept but need to work on delivery! – elemtilas Sep 19 '21 at 20:56
  • @elemtilas personally I find the question sufficient. It asks the clear question of "what kind of beliefs are needed to motivate people to do righteous things?"

    I'll also point out that the user is new... so maybe give them a little bit of slack.

    – WasatchWind Sep 19 '21 at 21:06
  • @Current -- If we wanted to talk about LDS vs Christian theologies, then yeah the question is sufficient. And your response is an LDS apologetic. Thus far, both answers speak to real world religious perspectives (one Mormon and one that seems possibly Atheist). Since the question is supposed to revolve around a worldbuilding problem, I don't see how either of the real world answers help. This is because you answered the question before it was well developed! – elemtilas Sep 19 '21 at 22:33
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    @Current -- So now we've got an interesting question that needs work, but can't really be substantively altered because you went ahead and answered it. We've got a new user who probably doesn't really understand how WB.SE works; he's got you asking me to cut him some slack; and the end result is a mess. – elemtilas Sep 19 '21 at 22:34
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    To Hamza, I'm really sorry your question has been answered before you really had a chance to edit it and to give us the necessary context. Um. I understand that you're new here, and I hope you had a chance to review our [tour] and [help] and read over what WB.SE is all about. It's unfortunate because you really have the basis for an interesting worldbuilding question, but it's really not ready to be opened for the community to answer. Since we deal with fictional worlds rather than real... – elemtilas Sep 19 '21 at 22:40
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    (cont)... world theology, it's really looking like the answers will read like a handbook of comparative religion. If that's what you wanted, then you're asking in the wrong forum! Here we strive to help people work out problems and issues with their fictional worlds and settings. As such, we deal with religions ideas of all kinds, from Atheistic to Zoroastrian. But we really need for you to edit your question -- or ask a new one -- that lays out the specific worldbuilding issue you're facing, and also gives us some parameters for giving you some useful answers! – elemtilas Sep 19 '21 at 22:43
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    (1) Most religions do not have a concept of sin; the concept of sin is a particularity of the Abrahamic religions. (2) Most religions do not have a concept of heaven as a reward for a virtuous life. For example, the ancient Greek religion and the Roman state religion did not have a concept of heaven as a reward for a virtuous life. (3) The eternity of damnation in hell is debatable, even in those religions which do have a concept of hell. See for example, apocatastasis. – AlexP Sep 19 '21 at 22:55
  • Gosh sorry y'all. Sorry I did something as egregious as answer someone's question... – WasatchWind Sep 19 '21 at 23:17
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    @Current, from our [help]: Answer well-asked questions. – L.Dutch Sep 20 '21 at 03:45
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    Hello, Hamza. I'm the last close vote and I wanted to explain why. @elemtilas raised some good questions that would have improved your question, but you were unable to do so in a timely manner before people made assumptions, jumped in, and tried to give you answers. That wasn't your fault, you're new here. Everyone else should have known better. You were asking for help crafting a religion for your world, and everyone got caught up in their pet peeves or favorite observations about real-world religions. Shame, that. (*continued*) – JBH Sep 20 '21 at 06:46
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    What I'd like to do is invite you to review the Religion & Philosophy section of our Worldbuilding Resources Page. There's some good stuff there that can help you craft your world's religion(s). If you find that you still need help, reviewing those pages will also help you express your question more clearly. In the meantime, ladies & gentlemen of Worldbuilding... you really are expected to only answer well-asked questions! Unless you're just farming reputation, please take the time to help new users learn how to ask good questions. – JBH Sep 20 '21 at 06:48
  • All dominant religions depend on the actual morals (only their variable representation of what is "good" and what is "bad") of the hegemonic class in this society. All oppositional religions depend on the morals of those who profess them. The very existence of the religion presupposes a certain level of ignorance and pralogism (see Lucien Levy-Bruhl). Also see http://ateism.ru/forum/index.php?topic=12422.0 (in Russian, but I won't translate, sorry:>); –  Пилум Sep 22 '21 at 14:46
  • Well, f.e., Confucianism and Shintoism and Hinduism (reincarnation), like the anc.Greek religion, had their own ideas about sins and the afterlife punishment (or lno existence of this). –  Пилум Sep 22 '21 at 14:46

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Most atheists don't 'sin'

Looking from a different view we can see sin can always be discouraged. But it is done by people. Hell doesn't need to be real for people wanting to belong and not break the law/sin. And the ones that do, can then be further discouraged by their fellow humans. Stone them, torture them, put them in prison or give them tasks to do. This can be done in a religious context as well. From saying certain prayers to all of the above.

Religion doesn't need hell

There's plenty things that can still motivate people not to sin besides punishment of them. Consequences that aren't punishment can be good as well. If you sin, the sun might fall from the sky. Or the god might lose a fight against a dark power. Or your kin might not be so bountiful as you hope. Things that can happen because you sinned and you didn't support your god. The afterlife can be rainbows and unicorns after, but you still want to leave Earth in a good way.

Trioxidane
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  • Atheists cannot sin, because sin is a concept of some religions, and atheists are not religious people. And of course religion in general doesn't need hell, given that only a small subset of religions have of concept of hell as punishment for doing some things which are considered worthy of punishment. (Not necessarily sins, because there are religions where souls can be punished in the afterlife and yet have no concept of sin.) – AlexP Sep 19 '21 at 23:20
  • @AlexP Atheists cannot sin in they eyes of atheists? correct. Atheists cannot sin in the opinion of those who follow the religion that sin is associated with? not true // in short, yes they can mate they just don't call it sin or accept that some of the religiously mandated sins are doing anything wrong but in the eye's of the religious that sin is still a sin regardless of if the person doing it is religious or not ;) – Pelinore Sep 20 '21 at 11:07
  • @Pelinore: Sin is by definition something internal to a religion; of course, the religion must have a concept of sin in the first place. If you accept that sin is something which transcends religious boundaries you run into insurmontable problems; because, for example, every follower of a non-Abrahamic religion is violating the commandment to not worship any other god but Yahweh. This would make Hindus sinners, and there are billions of them. Not good. And of course every follower of an Abrahamic religion is a sinner from the point of view of Hindus because we eat beef. – AlexP Sep 20 '21 at 11:45
  • @AlexP "because, for example" Yes that's correct, & that's how it works, the idea that that isn't how it works is a very recent one & very far from universally accepted by everyone religious, in the bible sin was defined as disobeying the 10 commandments & it didn't matter if you were religious or not, there were not any special dispensations for those of another or no religion, as far as I'm aware there still aren't. – Pelinore Sep 20 '21 at 11:51
  • @Pelinore: Of course it mattered. I don't remember any Hebrew High Priest assembling an army and trying to do something about all those sinful Greeks and Romans. Even when the Hebrews began living in mixed-up Hellenistic cities. It was tacitly accepted by everyone that each people had its own gods and its own rules and by and large nobody tried to impose their rules upon foreigners. The Romans didn't try to impose Roman gods upon the Egyptians, the Egyptian didn't try to impose their world view upon Greeks, the Greeks didn't try to make the Persians worship Diana the Huntress and so on. – AlexP Sep 20 '21 at 11:57
  • @AlexP "I don't remember any Hebrew High Priest assembling an army and trying to do something about all those sinful Greeks and Roman" the fact of sin & what you do (or even if you do anything) about it are not the same thing at all // there can even be differences in how you are supposed to deal with sin (or if you're supposed to deal with it at all) among the religious, those of other religions & non-religious but that does not change the fact of sin, the sin still exists, doing something or not about it is another thing entirely, don't make the mistake of confusing the two things. – Pelinore Sep 20 '21 at 12:04
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    @AlexP & Pelinore the point was that regardless of the definition (sin or breaking a law), punishment in this world can be used. Positive real world or spiritual reinforcement is also an option. So AlexP's comment first is an echo of my answer. The discussion of sin or no sin for atheists isn't relevant. It was merely to show that behaviour can be managed without hell. Atheists generally abide the law and moral codes without believing in hell. – Trioxidane Sep 20 '21 at 12:10
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Short answer "yes Obviously." Infact certain branch of christianity have similar beliefs in the form of purgatory.

15 billion is a long time to be in hell. From the perspective of a 70 year life time it might as well be enternety so I don't se people view on hell changing very much.

Bryan McClure
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    +1 for pointing out that 15 billion years when compared to an average lifespan of 70 years is forever for all intents and purposes. – JBH Sep 20 '21 at 06:53
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It depends on what you mean by sin.

Most humans have a basic prosocial philosophy, and some evolutionary backing

Humans generally will avoid killing family members or members of their tribe, eating their children, and will show some empathy for other's pain.

Also, most humans, atheists included, adopt some of the philosophy of the civilization they are in enough to stop them doing other minor crimes.

Atheists tend to be less concerned with ritual purity, and so care less for social prohibitions on drugs and sex. If you want a taboo on that, it's harder to sell.

Most religions don't use hell as a major motivator.

Christianity included, rants about hell are unpopular. There are several other reasons people don't break religious taboos.

  1. It makes your god unhappy, and you like or value what your god thinks, or believe they are watching and judging you.

  2. You're concerned with fitting in with the morals of your religious community.

  3. You get divine rewards and benefits in life and heaven for following religious rules.

  4. You spend a lot of time memorizing these rules, and follow them obsessively.

  5. You have religious relavations from holy books.

Any of these may be enough to make you follow the rules.

Nepene Nep
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  • Minor note: atheists don't necessarily care less about social prohibitions, it's the reason why they might care about them that's different. You can, for instance, look askance at drug use because of its effects on users and on society without once bringing a deity into it. And I think you'll find that the vast majority of atheists draw a very firm line at sex acts that Are Not Okay (assault, pederasty, and so on) for reasons other than Because God Said So. – Keith Morrison Sep 20 '21 at 02:51