if we colonise Mars, should we ban religion?

"If we colonise Mars, should we ban religion ?"

No, it doesn't work that way. The soviets tried to ban religion, which didn't work very well. People adapted to the situation and practiced their religion covertly. Freedom of speech and the freedom to practice religion are in place for a good reason ...

"Obviously we cannot stop people believing ..."

I'm sorry, but you're wrong here. There are a few possibilities to remove religion by force, but im my opinion, they're 'not exactly' moral ones. There is e.g. the possibility of modifying the flunitrazepam ('Rohypnol') molecule and combining it with alcohol in order to cause a selective but permanent amnesia. This mixture is already known to cause amnesia (but one of the general type). The intended target would be the areas of the brain in which the religious convictions are stored. The only thing you have to do is e.g. to grab a poison gas rocket, change the cartridge and to detonate one or two over a city, just as a normal VX poison gas rocket would do, that's all. A less conspicuous alternative to rockets would be to implement this mixture (or any other stuff which produces the same effect) into the food chain. As you might know, 93% of the members of the National Academy of Sciences are atheists. One of the little unsettling facts is that it just takes a few neurochemists and food chemists with the proper attitude and a continuous provocation for such a scenario to become reality. I think the christians are very, very lucky that the atheists who are able to do such a thing are a lot more moral than they think they are ... ;)

" ... actual proof of religions good and bad points ..."

There can't be any proof, because the term only exists in mathematics and logic. It's evidence you're talking about - and there is no known evidence of the scientifically valid type (demonstrable, repeatable, independently verifiable) for the god hypothesis.

" ... like the effect of knowing there is nothing after death on people."

That would require the christians to get their story straight in numerous places first, e.g. -if- there were a god, the god character in the bible wouldn't make sense anymore, because he's supposed to be perfect - and if he's perfect, he's also morally good - which makes it impossible for him to have an immoral character like the one described in the old testament. It also doesn't make any sense to say that he became more moral in the new testament in order to excuse that, because perfect beings do not aquire additional knowledge about morality or -anything- else ... they're supposed to possess all knowledge from the start. The statement that his morality is incomprehensible for humans also doesn't make any sense, because it undermines the belief in him. The belief in something requires comprehension. How can you believe in something you can't comprehend ?

So what is he now ?

He's either perfect, incomprehensible or immoral. He can't be incomprehensible for humans or immoral, because then he wouldn't be perfect anymore, which leads me to the conclusion that the bible has no choice but to be wrong about its god and the christians have to get their story straight in order to at least render him logically possible to exist.

Plenty of people believe we should abandon religion even without colonization on Mars.

The pope just told everyone in Africa to not wear condoms. This was a sure dumb thing to say. Every war we've ever had, religion played a big part in it.

Religion can do good things, like giving someone's life a meaning. But when your religion is prejudice, which almost all of them are, it's not worth practicing

I'm not keen on banning thing. That more a theist thing. Religion is in decline so opefully by the time we are ready to colonise Mars religion will be marginalised and its toxic effects a thing of the past.

Pretty sure that there is no oil there, and there is certainly not enough water or heat. We could see if we can steer comets to impact on the surface and deliver water in bulk, but it would take a LOT of time for that to settle and make things Earth-like enough for us to live there.

I do agree, if we reach out, we MUST LEAVE religion at home.

No one truly knows what is after death. People should be free to make their own choices, so religion should not be banned.

No, we should send the Atheists to Mars and let them have a world to their own. That would be small loss to those who seek Divinity.

You can't ban religion any more than you can ban eating, sleeping and drinking.

No. That will never end well. Let them believe what they want in private and make the public sphere secular.

I think the world is more bigger than that you imagine and also our mind.

Religion or sth like that are our emotions and morals. So we can't!

Your question dose Not make sense. For the Biblee tells us that there is Not life on any other planets!