The religious divide...part 2

JangoFett

Again, no arguments here, just to see the diversity

galwayrush

Religion always causes division .;)

shenanigans1982

Still Muslim.....Boom!

javaboy

I edited the atheist and agnostic options to cut out the usual pedantic bullsh1t about the definition of each word. Hope you don't mind.

jester77

Realist

Mena

Bah, wanted to say Jedi but had to go with "religion... lol :pac: "

JangoFett

javaboy wrote: »

I edited the atheist and agnostic options to cut out the usual pedantic bullsh1t about the definition of each word. Hope you don't mind.

Nah man, not at all, I want to avoid a flame war

fryup

but you didn't give an option for the different christain religions - such as the various protestant religions > anglicans, presbyterians, methodists etc

giggsy664

I demand an "Atari is God" option.

This is AH after all

JangoFett

There isn't enough poll options for the amount of christian divides
Each of the others have their own sub divisions.

This is a broad ranging one to try catch as many people as possible

javaboy

fryup wrote: »

but you didn't give an option for the different christain religions - such as the various protestant religions > anglicans, presbyterians, methodists etc

It's Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael tbh. A disagreement over whether the bread contains a particular ingredient or not that goes back for yonks and people vote for one side or the other based on their parents' preference. :rolleyes: All just different flavours of vanilla really.

football

Caoimhín

The flying Spaghetti Monster.

philologos

fryup wrote: »

but you didn't give an option for the different christain religions - such as the various protestant religions > anglicans, presbyterians, methodists etc

Single religion, multiple denominations surely?

5318008!

Where's the Scientology option?

People waste time trying to explain the workings of the world with the flawed processes of reason and science. Instead they should be channeling their energy and living spiritually.

JangoFett

Scientology falls under "other"

I'll keep my personal opinion on it out of this thread, but it's under "other"

Steyr

Christian Scientist:pac:

entropi

5318008! wrote: »

Where's the Scientology option?

This is a poll about religions, not cults;)

Anyhoo, voted there is no god, since i'm a non practicing, non believing catholic.

pljudge321

5318008! wrote: »

Where's the Scientology option?

People waste time trying to explain the workings of the world with the flawed processes of reason and science. Instead they should be channeling their energy and living spiritually.

It's actually hard to tell if your being sarcastic or not.

kraggy

I'd love to know what belief those who fall under "other" have.

I can't think of any other besides Bahai.

partyatmygaff

Voted Christian

thelordofcheese

kraggy wrote: »

I'd love to know what belief those who fall under "other" have.

I can't think of any other besides Bahai.

Apathetic Agnostics.

We don't know and we don't care.

i've linked the youtube clip before that shows the size of earth in comparison to the gigantic stars.. billions of times bigger.

not even god would be arsed with all the extra effort just to give us a pretty nighttime sky.

raah!

Not all theists/deists are part of a religion. Maybe if you had those two options you'd get a better look... or maybe not.

Biggins

5318008! wrote: »

Where's the Scientology option?

Your being sarcastic aren't you?

Its a religion based poll - not a poll for direct, money raking in cults that hires police, soldiers and detectives as well as having its own full time huge 20 story high investigation unit (in Clearwater, Florida, USA). Staffed also by hundreds if not thousands of lawyers/solicitors worldwide!

Stercus Accidit

raah! wrote: »

Not all theists/deists are part of a religion. Maybe if you had those two options you'd get a better look... or maybe not.

That would be agnosticism, but the poll options were edited to be ambiguous.


Atheism - do not believe there is a god, fair enough description.

Agnostic - believe there could be bordering on there is a higher power, but doesn't subscribe to a religion in particular, or believe in traditional bearded jolly loving deities.

If they were edited to avoid confusion, I don't think it has been a success.

javaboy

Stercus Accidit wrote: »

That would be agnosticism, but the poll options were edited to be ambiguous.


Atheism - do not believe there is a god, fair enough description.

Agnostic - believe there could be bordering on there is a higher power, but doesn't subscribe to a religion in particular, or believe in traditional bearded jolly loving deities.

If they were edited to avoid confusion, I don't think it has been a success.

For starters, your definition of agnostic is wrong. The person you describe could be an agnostic, but not all agnostics match the description you gave.

The problem is that many people who might identify themselves as agnostic or atheist might not know exactly what the word means or what it can mean. I think the way I edited the poll makes it much easier for people to decide "What is the correct option for me?".

There is always the "Other" option.

vibe666

Master of Nothing wrote: »

Anyhoo, voted there is no god, since i'm a non practicing, non believing catholic.

you and half the country. :pac:

Aodan83

kraggy wrote: »

I'd love to know what belief those who fall under "other" have.

I can't think of any other besides Bahai.

Pastafarianism. Also known as the church of the flying spaghetti monster, as previously mentioned.

Holsten

I believe there is no God.

Boom, baby.

Kinetic^

I choose Jedi but I'm pretty sure I'm going to convert to the darkside, much more fun.

Aodan83

While I am writing this there are 6 Jedis in that poll.
There are less Buddhists(2), Jews, Muslims(2), Hindus and Taoists if you add them all together. Just thought I'd throw that out there.
Although, I am one of those jedis (even though I only voted Jedi because I hardly consider myself Catholic, and I'm using the star wars skin thingy!!)

mud

Humanist, oh yeah.

God knows what god has to do with religion!*




It's to do with power!

pablomakaveli

The OP forgot Zoroastrianism. Freddie Mercury is gonna be pissed.

rainbow kirby

No Pastafarian option?

rainbow kirby

rainbow kirby wrote: »

No Pastafarian option?

That's with the rainbow spaghetti knitting circle

poindexter

Mena wrote: »

Bah, wanted to say Jedi but had to go with "religion... lol :pac: "

http://www.jedichurch.org/

i'm a christian but am thinking of taking the force with me and joining up with the Jedi

grenache

A bit silly and pointless giving the 'Christian' option, 95% of the population is Christian! Should have been broken down into Roman Catholic, Church of Ireland, Methodist, Presbyterian, etc

I'm a lapsed Catholic for what its worth.

seanybiker

grenache wrote: »

I'm a lapsed Catholic for what its worth.

Sorry for my ignorance but what is a lapsed catholic?

watna

Agnostic - but was a Methodist. I just only go to church on Christmas day now because I like the service. This year I was in NZ and the service was in four languages, English, Samoan, Tongan and Fijian. Lots of Methodists in them there Pacific Islands. It was the best Christmas service I've been to.

BlitzKrieg

agnostic (well rationalist) closest I have gotten to anyone putting my thinking into words without alot of alcohol and slurring over a bar table was this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1N5zBgzHvHU&feature=channel_page I consider myself open to learning about faiths, but I expect all faiths to allow me to rationally discuss them and not chase me away if I ask uncomfortable questions. Equally I would not embrace Atheism without understanding the process, declaring atheism and supporting notions such as evolution without understanding how evolution works is the same as embracing christianity or other faiths without knowing their principles. I have a basic grasp of evolution, and because its only basic I cannot in good concious go around parading it as the answer if I dont fully understand it, I accept my own limitations, I will strive to understand it when I can, but for the time being I take the rational route and stay agnostic.

I considered other faiths briefly during college, but judaism only allows a convert go so far before being politely told no further, scientology p*ssed me off, Islam was difficult to comprehend with the mixed singles being created by the political climate and I kept misunderstanding Buddhism because I kept having basterdised versions of it thrown at me via hollywood.

before that I was Lyons Christian which in simple terms meant that I accepted the christian belief structure (freedoms, commandments, love thy neighbour etc) but the interpetation of the central text (the bible) was left to my own interpetation rather then dictated to me by some established order (the church) I held that belief for many years but it fell apart when I considered that as the central piece of one's faith the bible is a flawed doctrine purely because of history. Therefore my viewpoint flipped when originally I had a dislike of the structure but not the message (the church not the bible) I now felt that the message itself is flawed by time and has cause the collapse of the structure.

Before that I was Catholic but growing up the catholic church did little to nothing to embrace me or convince me beyond religion class at a christian brothers school so my childhood had no attachment to the institute but had an understanding

And thats my forey with religion in a short number of years, because it was a short number of years I expect Agnotism to be the rational choice, I rather understand what I am proclaiming as truth before I do so.

vibe666

grenache wrote: »

I'm a lapsed Catholic for what its worth.

much like most Irish Catholics under 40 I'd imagine. :pac:

won't make any difference come the apocalypse though, you'll be burning in hell with the rest of us heathens.

well, unless you happen to be walking past a church when it happens and you make it to confession before the very end.

Joey the lips

What does this poll tell you???? That the overwhelming majority of people are not religious. I find that amazing on 2 grounds.

1. I wonder how many of them believe in the occult or gools!

2. Why do we continue to analyise religious beliefs like"God" topic when its clear the poster majority have no belief so cannot comment. Its the equivilent of the majority talking about nuclear physics. We all now what it involves but would just fcuk up the world when we try to analyise a reaction

No doubt I will have a disagrement but try to explain why people who clearly have no religion should be able to comment on a bible they have clearly never been reading.

javaboy

Joey the lips wrote: »

No doubt I will have a disagrement but try to explain why people who clearly have no religion should be able to comment on a bible they have clearly never been reading.

I've seen countless examples on Boards alone of atheists knowing more about the Bible or some aspect of a religion than the follower themselves. Just recently some non-Catholics explained the difference between the virgin birth and the immaculate conception to a believer.

Just because someone doesn't follow Christianity, doesn't mean they haven't read the Bible. And just because they follow Christianity, doesn't mean they have read the Bible.

philologos

Sam Vimes: Being an atheist really isn't as simple as saying you have no answers (that would be an agnostic). Atheists go one step further and profess the belief that God doesn't exist. Whether we like this or not, this is one step further than what you are suggesting.

Current Objective Stance: "God may exist, or may not exist".
Atheist: I believe that God does not exist
Theist: I believe God exists.

vibe666

Joey the lips wrote: »

No doubt I will have a disagrement but try to explain why people who clearly have no religion should be able to comment on a bible they have clearly never been reading.

the pope and priests tell Catholics how you can and can't have sex. by your own rationale, since they don't do it (well, some of them) and no nothing about it, they should not be able to tell you how you should do it. :rolleyes:

Jakkass wrote: »

Sam Vimes: Being an atheist really isn't as simple as saying you have no answers (that would be an agnostic). Atheists go one step further and profess the belief that God doesn't exist. Whether we like this or not, this is one step further than what you are suggesting.

Current Objective Stance: "God may exist, or may not exist".
Atheist: I believe that God does not exist
Theist: I believe God exists.

lets not start this again, it's been done to death and it never gets us anywhere and just ends up spoiling otherwise interesting threads.

philologos

javaboy wrote: »

I've seen countless examples on Boards alone of atheists knowing more about the Bible or some aspect of a religion than the follower themselves. Just recently some non-Catholics explained the difference between the virgin birth and the immaculate conception to a believer.

I'd easily concede that many atheists have a great knowledge of the Bible and that has helped a lot in discussions we've had between the Christianity forum and the A&A section. However it isn't knowledege that is ultimately going to count in the end.

javaboy wrote: »

Just because someone doesn't follow Christianity, doesn't mean they haven't read the Bible. And just because they follow Christianity, doesn't mean they have read the Bible.

Yes, again I'd easily concede this point too. However, it's highly ignorant to sign yourself up to something that you don't know anything about. I'd actually openly encourage people who are considering Christianity to read the Bible, and to seek truth. Although, I will say this, once you read the Bible once you aren't going to remember much of the main concepts, it's only through reading multiple times that the ideas tend to form a part of your Christian lifestyle. So if these people haven't read the Bible they are at a serious loss in their faith. This is probably the main reason why I think the churches in Ireland need to promote Biblical knowledge at confirmation stage so that these people know what they are committing themselves to.

Dave!

Jakkass wrote: »

However it isn't knowledege that is ultimately going to count in the end.

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

thelordofcheese

Jakkass wrote: »

However it isn't knowledege that is ultimately going to count in the end.

it's guns right? Lots of guns.

Sam Vimes

Jakkass wrote: »

Sam Vimes: Being an atheist really isn't as simple as saying you have no answers (that would be an agnostic). Atheists go one step further and profess the belief that God doesn't exist. Whether we like this or not, this is one step further than what you are suggesting.

Current Objective Stance: "God may exist, or may not exist".
Atheist: I believe that God does not exist
Theist: I believe God exists.

I deleted my post so you look like you're talking to yourself

But anyway, we've had this conversation before and despite it being explained you insisted you knew more about atheist beliefs than the atheists you were talking to. Short version: atheists don't say they have the answers, they just say you don't have them. I don't have to know everything to dismiss your theory, just like I don't have to know what causes earthquakes to dismiss someone who says they're caused by caterpillars because, regardless of what does cause them I know it's not caterpillars. You could say I'm an a-caterpillarist. Dismissing the christian god as described in the bible does not automatically translate to believing that the universe was entirely naturally created and popped out of nothing. Nobody can say that with any certainty because we just don't know. Your view of atheists is an overly simplistic one that you like because it makes it easier to dismiss them

Edit: also you say that atheists profess the belief that god doesn't exist but I don't profess any belief. Having a lack of belief in something is not a belief in itself. There are an infinite number of things that I lack belief in