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More Than 9 Out Of 10 Americans Continue To Believe In God

135

Comments

  • #62
    MagicMarker
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 32,865 ✭✭✭✭MagicMarker


    HisGreatness wrote: »
    IMO as long as people believe in God, everything is fine.

    Look at communist countries, they are atheist and those societies don't turn out well. There is a reason capitalism works.
    OMG you're right!!! Countries full of believers are so much better! I mean, look at America, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Turkey, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, The Congo, Algeria, Libya....

    Oh wait.


  • #63
    mcmoustache
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,236 ✭✭✭mcmoustache


    Well I for one am shocked:eek:. These gypsies coming over here... eating our swans :mad:. I'm going to talk to Joe and then leave the country. It's political correctness gone mad :P.


    Wait. Which AH thread is this? I think I used the wrong template :o.


  • #64
    philologos
    Closed Accounts Posts: 22,479 ✭✭✭✭philologos


    MagicMarker wrote: »
    OMG you're right!!! Countries full of believers are so much better! I mean, look at America, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Turkey, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, The Congo, Algeria, Libya....

    Oh wait.

    Most countries in the world are "full of believers". There aren't many countries which aren't and even then they are a mixed bunch too.

    North Korea anyone? :pac:


  • #65
    Capt'n Midnight
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 99,624 Mod ✭✭✭✭Capt'n Midnight


    HisGreatness wrote: »
    IMO as long as people believe in God, everything is fine.

    Look at communist countries, they are atheist and those societies don't turn out well. There is a reason capitalism works.
    1.5 Billion Muslims can't be wrong, nor can 900 Million Hindus.

    And how is South America getting on ?
    Or Southern Africa ?


  • #66
    Phill Ewinn
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,007 ✭✭✭Phill Ewinn


    Poll is worded oddly. How many people ''believe'' in God. They haven't used the word worship at all. Acknowledging the existance of God without respecting God at the same time it seems.


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  • #67
    ArtSmart
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,610 ✭✭✭ArtSmart


    robinph wrote: »
    "Do you believe in God?" = 92%
    "Do you believe in God or a universal spirit?" = 91%

    :confused:

    How do less people believe in any type god than the number that believe in god?
    it's the word 'universal' ye se..

    1% of Americans believe God is...well... American.


  • #68
    aligator_am
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,598 ✭✭✭aligator_am


    Many of the Founding Fathers were Deists, and Tom Paine in particular had a bone of contention with organised religion, the man was centuries ahead of his time :)

    What I find sickening in American politics is that any candidate basicaly has to swear a hole in a pot that they are Christian (which is ironic seeing as how Obama is a Muslim) even if they've no belief in God.

    I think in the past several decades it's been smashed in to American's heads that someone who doesn't believe in God is a Communist, and higher on their list of no nos is Socialism, it seems to be hated with a passion...

    As far as I know, many Europan countries have Socialist tendancies, and yet most of these haven't hit the wall yet, whereas America is on it's knees, being held hostage by China and waging illegal wars around the globe costing the American tax payer an insane amount of cash.

    America hasn't been a democracy in about 50 years, and as Mussolini put it, the merger of state and corporate powers is known as fascism.


  • #69
    Temptamperu
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,303 ✭✭✭Temptamperu


    the funny part of it is, the pylgrims left europe because of how heavy handed the churches were.

    makes me laugh anyways.


  • #70
    Saila
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,751 ✭✭✭Saila


    Freddie59 wrote: »
    Of course you are.:rolleyes: Never ceases to amaze me the vitriol that comes from (some) non-believers. I have a deep faith. Always have - always will. I don't look down on, or begrudge their (non) beliefs to those who do not believe.

    We take such attempted ridicule with a pinch of salt really.:)

    of course not, you just KNOW that we will burn in hell for our views :rolleyes:


  • #71
    orourkeda
    Closed Accounts Posts: 17,916 ✭✭✭✭orourkeda


    careca11 wrote: »
    70% of americans; also beieved George dubya Bush deserved a second term in office :confused:

    They are the people who are entitled to vote for him after all.


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  • #72
    Mal-Adjusted
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,659 ✭✭✭Mal-Adjusted


    I believe in Harvey Dent :)


  • #73
    Contemplating Aristotle
    Closed Accounts Posts: 64 ✭✭Contemplating Aristotle


    I believe that religion is a business which exploits peoples fear of death, and the grief they feel as a result of the loss of their loved ones through death.


  • #74
    Killer Pigeon
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,125 ✭✭✭Killer Pigeon


    Ghost Buster wrote: »
    Who argues against the existence of a creator?

    Shut up. You're clouding my smugness.


  • #75
    Temptamperu
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,303 ✭✭✭Temptamperu


    Contemplating Aristotle wrote: »
    I believe that religion is a business which exploits peoples fear of death, and the grief they feel as a result of the loss of their loved ones through death.

    It may not of started that way but its the way it went alright.


  • #76
    gargleblaster
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,425 ✭✭✭gargleblaster


    aligator_am wrote: »
    What I find sickening in American politics is that any candidate basicaly has to swear a hole in a pot that they are Christian (which is ironic seeing as how Obama is a Muslim) even if they've no belief in God.


    :pac:

    It's actually Muslin, you know. And he's a soshulist too! :eek:


  • #77
    aligator_am
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,598 ✭✭✭aligator_am


    gargleblaster wrote: »
    :pac:

    It's actually Muslin, you know. And he's a soshulist too! :eek:

    OK, looks like I may have got the spelling wrong, but I'd suggest you contact all the major world powers, and the main news stations while you're at it as I'm pretty sure most of them spell it as Muslim.

    If you believe that Obama is a Socialist then I'm worried, he's actively pushing for an internet kill switch, is dropping "humanitarian" bombs in Libya (while ignoring the genocide in surrounding countries) and broke American law by commiting troops to battle without getting Congress' approval, sounds very much like a dictator to me.


  • #78
    Splendour
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,580 ✭✭✭Splendour


    Gnobe wrote: »
    2011 May 5th - 8th:

    Yes: 92%
    No: 7%
    No Opinion: 1%
    http://www.gallup.com/poll/147887/Americans-Continue-Believe-God.aspx

    Doesn't look like religion is dying out just yet.

    The devil believes in God but that sure doesn't make him a Christian.


  • #79
    Contemplating Aristotle
    Closed Accounts Posts: 64 ✭✭Contemplating Aristotle


    Splendour wrote: »
    The devil believes in God but that sure doesn't make him a Christian.

    It is perhaps one of the greatest ironies of religion, that of the concept of hell and that of the devil. Hell in particular been that of a place where finite crimes are punished infinitely and those involved suffer eternally. A loving god? Another irony is that one who butchers a billion people but confesses their sins can gain entry into heaven, but a good man with minor offences against the purported god being, upon been hit by a vehicle and dying on the spot is sent to suffer in hell forever.

    This cannot be right, surely those who wrote the bible needed more creativity in their quest to tell stories, though abstract, only later to be taken as objective truths. Is it not suspicious that one must encircle their conscious with religious dogma in order to gain entry to a better afterlife, as opposed to their own good doings? All the while, the temples amass wealth from the fearing flocks beneath the wrath of their conceptual and supposedly objective, though subjective teachings with tints of artistic licence emanating from their original constructors.


  • #80
    Terry
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 26,073 ✭✭✭✭Terry


    I'd think that 40% of them believing in creationism is far scarier than their belief in a god.

    http://www.gallup.com/poll/145286/Four-Americans-Believe-Strict-Creationism.aspx

    Let's just call it as it is though.

    The Abrahimc religions have spawned generations of lunatics.
    They're Jewish, Christian and Muslim.

    Our media spins the Christian angle, but all three are as bad as each other.

    It all boils down to people being sheep and not making their own decisons. They are led by stories of mythical beings from birth and are made to fear these deities.
    It's really quite sinister.

    What's funny is that The Grimm Brothers' fairy tales are deemed to be too scary for kids these days, but the stories of some mad creator killing everyone on the planet apart from some dude and his family is looked upon as a great story for kids.

    Don't even get me started on the fact that Adam and Eve only had Two sons and no daughters.


  • #81
    strobe
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,872 ✭✭✭strobe


    philologos wrote: »

    North Korea anyone? :pac:

    The country with ~100% faith in the theistic Dear Leader?

    It's a bit of a stretch to try and use North Korea's religiosity as an argument against religion. I mean I know the faith based religion they practice could be attributed to most of their problems, but...

    But, in reality it could be argued that the religion of the Dear Leader (pbuh) has just been used by people to gain power, people who didn't really express the true teachings of the religion.

    I thought you were better than this man. Using North Korea as an argument against religion is a cheap shot.

    For shame...


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  • #82
    philologos
    Closed Accounts Posts: 22,479 ✭✭✭✭philologos


    Typical atheistic excuse of claiming something else to be a religion. The fact is they don't believe in a god. I guess I should also remind you that one can be an atheist and still believe in the paranormal, spiritualism and other things. One could say that it could be better believing in God / or gods than believing in the great leader which is what atheism produced in this case.

    I thought MagicMarker would be better than that, and I gladly stooped to his level as a rhetorical device :pac:


  • #83
    MagicMarker
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 32,865 ✭✭✭✭MagicMarker


    philologos wrote: »
    Typical atheistic excuse of claiming something else to be a religion. The fact is they don't believe in a god. I guess I should also remind you that one can be an atheist and still believe in the paranormal, spiritualism and other things. One could say that it could be better believing in God / or gods than believing in the great leader which is what atheism produced in this case.

    I thought MagicMarker would be better than that, and I gladly stooped to his level as a rhetorical device :pac:
    :confused:


  • #84
    Seachmall
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,041 ✭✭✭Seachmall


    Freddie59 wrote: »
    Of course you are.:rolleyes: Never ceases to amaze me the vitriol that comes from (some) non-believers. I have a deep faith. Always have - always will. I don't look down on, or begrudge their (non) beliefs to those who do not believe.

    We take such attempted ridicule with a pinch of salt really.:)

    My comment was for comedic effect. I really have no problem with anyone's beliefs, however I do have issues with anyone who argues "There is a god" or "There isn't a god".

    It's impossible for us to know either way, both are unprovable claims, both are irrational.

    Believe what you want, preach what you know.


  • #85
    Matthew23
    Closed Accounts Posts: 250 ✭✭Matthew23


    I ready something that sad no scientist proved there is no god so maybe it makes more sense to believe in him than alot of the other stuff out their today! I must say I do beleve in god myself.


  • #86
    Seachmall
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,041 ✭✭✭Seachmall


    Matthew23 wrote: »
    I ready something that sad no scientist proved there is no god

    The issue there is that it's not on scientists (or anyone) to disprove the existence of god, the burden of proof is on those who claim his existence is true/knowable/etc. (e.g. those who want to teach Creation in schools).

    Of course the simple fact that we can't disprove god's existence make's it somewhat pointless to even look at God in a scientific manner.

    God and personal belief is not an issue for science, it's an issue for each individual to figure out on their own.


  • #87
    Matthew23
    Closed Accounts Posts: 250 ✭✭Matthew23


    Seachmall wrote: »
    The issue there is that it's not on scientists (or anyone) to disprove the existence of god, the burden of proof is on those who claim his existence is true/knowable/etc. (e.g. those who want to teach Creation in schools).

    Of course the simple fact that we can't disprove god's existence make's it somewhat pointless to even look at God in a scientific manner.

    God and personal belief is not an issue for science, it's an issue for each individual to figure out on their own.

    yeah I know what you mean but Im just saying that you can prove that there are a lot of things, like species of animals, you can discover them and study them, but there are lots which we havent seen yet, but we know they are probably there somewhere. I think we havent found that god is impossible so it is ok to believe in it.


  • #88
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 4,630 ✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    Matthew23 wrote: »
    yeah I know what you mean but Im just saying that you can prove that there are a lot of things, like species of animals, you can discover them and study them, but there are lots which we havent seen yet, but we know they are probably there somewhere. I think we havent found that god is impossible so it is ok to believe in it.

    You haven't found that an infinite number of beings or objects (Russell's Teapot, the Flying Spaghetti Monster, etc.) are impossible. Is it ok to believe in them, too?

    Believing in something just because it hasn't been proven to not exist is a little silly, to say the least.


  • #89
    Seachmall
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,041 ✭✭✭Seachmall


    gvn wrote: »
    You haven't found that an infinite number of beings or objects (Russell's Teapot, the Flying Spaghetti Monster, etc.) are impossible. Is it ok to believe in them, too?
    Yes. Beliefs don't have to be rational. I believe the sun will rise tomorrow but can't prove or disprove it. It is irrational to believe it but I still do. Similarly people buy lotto tickets because they believe they could win, in reality the lottery has bad equity value and so is an irrational financial decision but people do it because they like believing all their financial worries could disappear in the fall of a ball.

    Some people strive to find the truth and limit their irrational beliefs to a minimum, others like the enjoyment or comfort they get from irrational beliefs. For most people those beliefs are harmless and criticizing them does nothing but create hostility, it's the people who attempt to push their beliefs on others that need to be criticized and kicked in the arse.


  • #90
    Craebear
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 458 ✭✭Craebear


    Don't something along the lines of 40-50% of Americans believe humans lived side by side with dinosaurs in a world less than 10000 years old?

    We are not dealing with a very intelligent populace here, which would explain why religion is still prominent.


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  • #91
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 4,630 ✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    Seachmall wrote: »
    Yes. Beliefs don't have to be rational. I believe the sun will rise tomorrow but can't prove or disprove it. It is irrational to believe it but I still do. Similarly people buy lotto tickets because they believe they could win, in reality the lottery has bad equity value and so is an irrational financial decision but people do it because they like believing all their financial worries could disappear in the fall of a ball.

    Some people strive to find the truth and limit their irrational beliefs to a minimum, others like the enjoyment or comfort they get from irrational beliefs. For most people those beliefs are harmless and criticizing them does nothing but create hostility, it's the people who attempt to push their beliefs on others that need to be criticized and kicked in the arse.

    I agree with most of what you've said. But, you're arguing against a point I'm not trying to make. In the conclusion of my post I said:
    gvn wrote:
    Believing in something just because it hasn't been proven to not exist is a little silly, to say the least.

    That was my point. It's silly, to say the very least, to believe in something just because, and only just because, it hasn't been shown to be false.


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