Poll: Are you religious?

Veritasiness

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Hammeroj said:
matoasters said:
Speaking as an agnostic, an atheistic worldview doesn't prevent any of the shit that atheists seem to think only religion causes. Stalin, Mao... those names ring a bell?
Worshipping either of which required no rational thought whatsoever. You'll notice that both of them had a quasi-religious cult surrounding them, too, along with miracles, witch hunts, executions, the whole deal.
There's a big difference between athiestic worldview and a rational worldview. You can hold a rational worldview while being religious or atheistic.
 

shadowshian

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im deeply dissapointed by lack of "AHAHAHAHAHHAA! no" option but never the less no, not religious on any level. not big fan of those deeply fanatical or fundementalist sort of religious sort either. but i go by "you dont bother me i wont bother you" princible
 

KaizokuouHasu

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I'm not religious, depending on how you look at it. Some people argue that a lack of faith is a faith in itself.

I'm not convinced by the suggested answers for life and the universe provided by religion. All religions of today (with the exception of Scientology which is bat-shit insane anyway) were founded during times when science and scientific research hadn't been founded. Most religions have their roots in older religions that no longer exists because the believers of those religions died out, were murdered or converted to the next religion. Interestingly enough despite all this shifting in religion there has yet to be a mighty reckoning from the God of the original religion which must mean that if there is a god out there (or gods) they are kind of chill about how we conduct ourselves.
 

LordXel

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No, not religious at all. Very spiritual however, which is a bit hippie but I like hippie.
 

Veritasiness

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Hammeroj said:
Veritasiness said:
There's a big difference between athiestic worldview and a rational worldview. You can hold a rational worldview while being religious or atheistic.
That's not true. There is no part of believing something without evidence (100% of the time in your interest) that is rational. There will always be at least one part of your world view that is at least partly irrational.

I didn't say all atheists are perfectly rational aswell, but hey, chances are good, if a guy doesn't think of another man as a god, he's probably way more thoughtful than another guy who does.
I don't think holding a generally rational worldview is the same as being 100% rational all the time - but even if I did, the original argument still stands - as you said yourself, athiests are not always rational. Rationality is just the use of reason, not emotion, to solve problems. People are complex enough to be rational about most things, and irrational about others - I know I am.

Also, I am religious and I don't think of any other man as God; doing so would in fact be directly contradicting my own faith, the primary tenant of which is that God is a single, indivisible being.

Edit in response to edit: As far as Stalin and Mao, I agree that they're really religions/cults hiding behind professed atheism; you'll hear no argument from me there.
 

sukotsuto

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Yeah I'm religious. If you look at *how* religious is suppose to play out, everyone should be chillin' and at peace with one another, which is the big picture in all major religions. Religion is awesome, too bad people claiming to uphold religion sucks donkey ass. You know those people - those people who use it as an excuse to do something, add their own "interpretation" of their religion to better suit them and/or to justify their dickish actions - essentially corrupting a solid foundation (this is not isolated to religion alone - government, for instance).

What most people don't get to meet (and are never, ever on news media, just like any boring good news) are the cool cats who just happens to be religious, especially those who actually go out there and do missions to help people in unfortunate places.
 

RedEyesBlackGamer

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TheDist said:
zehydra said:
TheDist said:
Nope, I am an atheist, as for why? I see no credible evidence for the existence of any gods.

Simple as that. If repeatable, demonstrable evidence is shown then to me there would be an argument for it, however to this day it has not been provided.
Sure, except the burden of proof argument doesn't work when dealing with apparently non-falsifiable things. That is, normally the burden of proof works in day to day life, but with regards to things like "the creation of the universe" or other things which we will never observe nor really affect us, it is required that acknowledge that the evidence is lacking for both claims of existence and non-existence.

I'm not trying to convince you that my religion is right by any means, I'm just trying to show that the burden-of-proof argument isn't as perfect as some atheists think it is.
Sorry almost missed this post to me, going blind it seems. :s

Well let me use an example: I have an intangable, invisible, undetectable box which creates all gravity in the universe (also its purple!). Do you ask me to prove it or belive me untill somone else shows I am incorrect? That is how the claims of religion seem to me.

It is a hot topic I understand, and I honestly do appreciate that you arn't trying to convert me at all. If you wish to belive in a god, that is your right as a human, for any reason you wish. As long as it isn't pushed onto others or into laws to punish others, then you and I will have no problems. :)

My brian is just "wired" if you will, in such a way that in order for me to belive the big claims of religion I need repeatable, demonstrable evidence.
That is actually one of the views that I use against religious people (really just Christians).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell%27s_teapot
It is just like your example. It just shows that the burden of proof for a scientifically unverifiable claim is on the one making the claim.
 

Vandenberg1

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StarStruckStrumpets said:
Hold on a moment...


Watch and learn.
I'm a pagan. Asataru, belife in the Aesir. Also a realist and love Carlin. May he forevor talk sh*t on everyones parade!
 

Mrglass08

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I am a Baptist, came to my faith during college so I am not one of those who was indoctrinated from childhood like some seem to believe all religious people are.
 

Veritasiness

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Hammeroj said:
Veritasiness said:
Considering you quoted me quoting another person, I continued on with the point I was making in the context you tried to refute it. Namely, that the theist sweethearts Mao and Stalin had anything but an atheist following.

And don't deflect. When we're talking religion, let's talk religion, not rationality in the broadest form imaginable.
I don't think it's deflective to define rationality as what it is - or at least, the definition I'm working off of. The point I was, in fact, making was that rationality and atheism are in no way the same thing, any more than rationality and religion are.
 

Fidelias

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thelonewolf266 said:
Krall said:
Wait, why is agnosticism a third option? Surely it's covered by "No"?
Because it means that even though you are not religious you are open to the idea that there may be something to it you just can't prove or disprove it.
Oh, I should've picked that then... whoops.

But to answer the question fully...

I don't think about it much. On the one hand, believing in everything the bible says seems ridiculous to me. It was made hundreds of years ago, and even if you believe that it is written by someone that the Lord spoke through (it wasn't, or at the very least, man "spellchecked" it), the same rules and regulations that bettered society at that time, won't help us now.

On the other hand, when you ask yourself how this world and the universe itself came to be, can you just chalk it up to coincidence and luck? And no matter what arguments you put forth, there always has to be something there, that started all this. It's not that crazy to believe that there's something out there that created the universe, something that we just can't see, because we will never have the kind of perspective that it does.

That said, I don't think about it. I just try and live my life based on what I believe. Treat others with respect, and try my best to make a positive impact on others. If there IS a god, I'm pretty sure he'd care more about that than having people believe in him/her.