I'm a pagan. Asataru, belife in the Aesir. Also a realist and love Carlin. May he forevor talk sh*t on everyones parade!StarStruckStrumpets said:
Poll: Are you religious?
- Thread starter Kilroy17
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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.Hammeroj said:
Oh, I should've picked that then... whoops.thelonewolf266 said:
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.
Nice use of Futurama's quote.Imp Emissary said:
I am a raging atheist, mainly because i live in whats known as the "bible belt". So yeah i'll admit that one of my hobbies includes destroying the occasional persons faith. nice way to let off some steam against the largely religious area.
Yup, I'm christian. But not protestant, or catholic. I'm not sure what it's called, or even if it has a name, but I belong to that branch of christianity that don't believe in heaven or hell but still believe in god.
Then what is everyone else working with - and how do you know?Hammeroj said:
I didn't say they didn't have "ties." Religion and rationality have ties; see Aquinas's Five Proofs [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinque_viae]. So do atheism and rationality. The only argument I've been making is that rationality is a tool by which someone determines a conclusion; it's the vehicle that brings you to the destination, not a component of the destination itself.
But you're right, that strays a bit from the topic; I've made my point so that's all I've got to say
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Why are "No" and "Agnostic" separate choices?
I happen to be an agnostic atheist...
I believe that not everything in this world can be understood, but there is no God, as described in any religion...
I happen to be an agnostic atheist...
I believe that not everything in this world can be understood, but there is no God, as described in any religion...
I am an atheist. My mom's family is Catholic, my biological father's is Methodist, and my Stepdad's is Southern Baptist.
I decided a long time ago that if I were to worship, he is going to need to get off his cloud in the sky and actively recruit me. If he, she or it does not do it because "he does not want to," or any other lame excuse, then he, she or it is not worth my time. To that end, I have a 7 part test that I keep in my head at all times. All the deity needs to do is cause everything on the list to happen in a reasonably short amount of time, like 3 months after the first one. If the god or goddess does that, then I will worship him. Otherwise, I will not.
I decided a long time ago that if I were to worship, he is going to need to get off his cloud in the sky and actively recruit me. If he, she or it does not do it because "he does not want to," or any other lame excuse, then he, she or it is not worth my time. To that end, I have a 7 part test that I keep in my head at all times. All the deity needs to do is cause everything on the list to happen in a reasonably short amount of time, like 3 months after the first one. If the god or goddess does that, then I will worship him. Otherwise, I will not.
By having a test for a supposed deity, and demanding that they comply with it, aren't you basically admitting that deity must exist? It has to, in order to decide to fulfill or not fulfill your requests.malestrithe said:
I'd like to believe I am(heh, belief in belief). I acknowledge that not only that there is a GOD(if not, some entity of powerful proportions) but that he must have done this for a reason. I also believe(please don't bunch me in with mega Catholics, Mormons, or Sarah Palin's people who believe the Earth was made in 4,000 years for saying this) that the Big Bang theory is bogus. You can say,"the universe was made by an explosion of energy from an extremely concentrated collection of gases," or whatever, but I still say it's bogus. For the Big Bang to have happen that mean's those gases were always there from whatever beginning there was, and in that case there was no beginning there was just an always.
Call me crazy but the thought of an all powerful loving being of all creation created the universe and all that's in it more logical than an explosion of gasses that shouldn't have been there in the first place. I'm not joking when I say that I believe the Big Bang theory is bogus.
Call me crazy but the thought of an all powerful loving being of all creation created the universe and all that's in it more logical than an explosion of gasses that shouldn't have been there in the first place. I'm not joking when I say that I believe the Big Bang theory is bogus.
Yes.
That is to say, I fully believe there is a God.
However, I'm just not buying half the stuff in the Bible because it's stupid.
Such as how many times it says Homosexuality is wrong. Fuck that.
If it harms another human being in any way, I'd call that a sin, as opposed to not going to church and being accepting of gays.
I follow the good stuff.
'Love thy neighbour' is pretty much the motto I love by.
A lot of Jesus' words, whether you believe he was the son of God or not, were good, I think.
Nearly all the Christians I know (I guess if you had to class me in a specific religion, which I don't like doing, I'd be closest to a Christian by far) have a go at me for saying that I think half the Bible is scare tactics, mainly the Old Testament. They say 'Oh that makes you a non-Christian then'.
Well fine, I was at a huge preach once where the guy said that you shouldn't try and be anyone you're not, cause you aren't fooling God.
Well, that's settled then, I'm me, and I'm not entirely Christian. I still, however, wholeheartedly believe there is a God.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not against anyone who says there isn't. In the way a lot of people's mind works that says they don't believe in God because there isn't enough evidence to prove his existence, my mind works in that I find it hard to not believe in God, because there is no solid evidence to disprove him.
That is to say, I fully believe there is a God.
However, I'm just not buying half the stuff in the Bible because it's stupid.
Such as how many times it says Homosexuality is wrong. Fuck that.
If it harms another human being in any way, I'd call that a sin, as opposed to not going to church and being accepting of gays.
I follow the good stuff.
'Love thy neighbour' is pretty much the motto I love by.
A lot of Jesus' words, whether you believe he was the son of God or not, were good, I think.
Nearly all the Christians I know (I guess if you had to class me in a specific religion, which I don't like doing, I'd be closest to a Christian by far) have a go at me for saying that I think half the Bible is scare tactics, mainly the Old Testament. They say 'Oh that makes you a non-Christian then'.
Well fine, I was at a huge preach once where the guy said that you shouldn't try and be anyone you're not, cause you aren't fooling God.
Well, that's settled then, I'm me, and I'm not entirely Christian. I still, however, wholeheartedly believe there is a God.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not against anyone who says there isn't. In the way a lot of people's mind works that says they don't believe in God because there isn't enough evidence to prove his existence, my mind works in that I find it hard to not believe in God, because there is no solid evidence to disprove him.
I was raised baptist, most of my family is religious and I have great respect for spirituality. That being said, however, I don't believe in a personal God, but I cannot be certain there isn't a superior being/beings that have a greater control over the universe than we do.
I am very much anti anti-theists though, not so much because they are obnoxious, but because of the hypocrisy of not knowing anything about religions and their beliefs aside from what they see on tv, and make fun of their ignorance on topics which aren't even accurate.
I have read the bible, the Torah, and the Quran, and all of them should be read by everyone with an open mind, they are the most influential works ever written and it is, in my opinion, foolish to go through life without seeing why.
I am very much anti anti-theists though, not so much because they are obnoxious, but because of the hypocrisy of not knowing anything about religions and their beliefs aside from what they see on tv, and make fun of their ignorance on topics which aren't even accurate.
I have read the bible, the Torah, and the Quran, and all of them should be read by everyone with an open mind, they are the most influential works ever written and it is, in my opinion, foolish to go through life without seeing why.
Here's a couple of statements to sum up my beliefs.
1. If parents weren't allowed to teach their kids religion until they were about 15 or 16 years old, all organized religions would die out in a matter of about 20 years or so. The only reason religion still exists is because kids are taught this nonsense when they're young.
2. I think saying "I know there is no god" is just as presumptuous as saying "I know there is a god".
3. I am agnostic, to a point. I DO believe in some kind of god, but simply because I don't see how the universe could have been created any other way.
4. I am just as annoyed by cynical, pessimistic atheists as I am by overzealous, smug religious types.
1. If parents weren't allowed to teach their kids religion until they were about 15 or 16 years old, all organized religions would die out in a matter of about 20 years or so. The only reason religion still exists is because kids are taught this nonsense when they're young.
2. I think saying "I know there is no god" is just as presumptuous as saying "I know there is a god".
3. I am agnostic, to a point. I DO believe in some kind of god, but simply because I don't see how the universe could have been created any other way.
4. I am just as annoyed by cynical, pessimistic atheists as I am by overzealous, smug religious types.