The Furry Forums
Furry Chat => General => Topic started by: Paradox on July 16, 2015, 09:06:59 PM
-
Just curious! Also wanted to try out making a poll >.>
I've grouped/split denominations based on expected number of furs within the groups, not based on global size or importance, as well as from honest ignorance of denominations.
I'm sure this has been done before, but I didn't see one too recently! Anyway, stay civil!
P.S. Considered adding "Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster", but didn't want to add such totally unnecessary options XD
-
well to be honest im undenominational christian
-
I'm an atheist.
-
I believe in angels, but I'm not technically a Christian or anything. I don't believe Jesus was divine and whatnot.
-
"well to be honest im undenominational christian"
Dammit! I was so thorough! I guess not thorough enough. =P
"I believe in angels, but I'm not technically a Christian or anything. I don't believe Jesus was divine and whatnot."
Perhaps "deist"?
-
I dont see jedi so im going with other other
-
Don't know what's real, I'm confused as hell but I think maybe Christian or atheist, eh...
-
I believe in my own thing. It's apparently pretty close/similar to Deism, but I'm still enough of a snowflake to go with other other.
-
my religion is that I don't care..... I cannot believe that their is a higher power, nor do I believe that there is...... Is that making sense......
-
Agnostic atheist!
-
same as you red locus.
-
Athiest.
I used to be fairly Stupid and confrontational about religion, but I have mellowed out now, and just don't care unless your hurting someone.
-
Atheist bus i accidentally clicked other, lol. If i absolutely HAD to pick a religion/belief stance/whatever it would be Humanist. To quote Wikipedia:
Secular Humanism posits that human beings are capable of being ethical and moral without religion or a god. It does not, however, assume that humans are either inherently evil or innately good, nor does it present humans as being superior to nature. Rather, the humanist life stance emphasizes the unique responsibility facing humanity and the ethical consequences of human decisions. Fundamental to the concept of secular humanism is the strongly held viewpoint that ideology—be it religious or political—must be thoroughly examined by each individual and not simply accepted or rejected on faith. Along with this, an essential part of secular humanism is a continually adapting search for truth, primarily through science and philosophy. Many Humanists derive their moral codes from a philosophy of utilitarianism, ethical naturalism, or evolutionary ethics, and some, such as Sam Harris, advocate a science of morality.
-
All good responses! :3
Atheist bus i accidentally clicked other, lol. If i absolutely HAD to pick a religion/belief stance/whatever it would be Humanist.
I think I allowed changing your vote? Maybe? XD I'm definitely a humanist myself! However, since it's a flavor of atheism I didn't include it.
Athiest.
I used to be fairly Stupid and confrontational about religion, but I have mellowed out now, and just don't care unless your hurting someone.
I must admit that I'm still a bit confrontational about it at times. It's not like "belief" is a stand-alone concept; it effects everything a person does! But, I'd better stop before I start a flame war on my own post XD
my religion is that I don't care..... I cannot believe that their is a higher power, nor do I believe that there is...... Is that making sense......
Believe there should have been a "not" in there or something. If my assumptions are correct, you're saying you kinda believe there is something but also can't believe in it? I'd recommended looking agnostic or deist views, as those may fit you fairly well =)
I dont see jedi so im going with other other
NICE XD
Hmm, thinking about it now... Are "Therian" and "Otherkin" considered religious viewpoints? I should have looked into that before creating this poll, considering the forum. XD
-
My religion? My religion is life. I live it and I do what I can to make myself and those around me, human or otherwise, feel safe, loved and accepted. I don't follow the word of anything but positive morality. All religions are accepted and heeded by me, since they do all have some things to teach us, as do all forms of information on Earth. Every story has a lesson, and in all this infinity and paradox, anything could be real if you believe strongly enough.
I consider myself agnostic but feel there's a deeper explanation.
-
My religion? My religion is life. I live it and I do what I can to make myself and those around me, human or otherwise, feel safe, loved and accepted. I don't follow the word of anything but positive morality. All religions are accepted and heeded by me, since they do all have some things to teach us, as do all forms of information on Earth. Every story has a lesson, and in all this infinity and paradox, anything could be real if you believe strongly enough.
I consider myself agnostic but feel there's a deeper explanation.
Wow. Well, I'm not even sure how I could possibly fit that into a category (though I'm sure someone could).
-
Branch Davidian!
But seriously, I guess I'd call myself agnostic but that's because I don't know what the hell is going on regarding life, existence, etc. and I don't think I'll ever find a satisfactory answer.
-
i am a skeptic so i am agnostic but i cant think of a eventuality whir someone proves god exists so pretty much atheist :)
-
Welp I'm nothing I suppose or I guess agnostic?? I really can just choose I don't know if there's a God or not. So meh, just can't tell my grandpa since he's really religious and would kill me if I even said 'oh my god' :/
And besides my whole life my family, mostly my mother has been pushing the religious thing towards me, not like it's bad but how she had grown up and decided to raise me. It also just feels odd believing or worshiping something that might not even be real :S
-
you saying that reminds me because i go to a catholic school whenever i say h my god the teachers look at me and got don't say the lords name in vain i just end up sighing and face palming on the inside tis funny
-
Atheist. Why? Lack of impirical data. Also, watch some Darkmatter 2525 videos on youtube. I rely on the morals I was taught as a child, and the the ethics my society considers "correct." I don't feel I need religion to determine right from wrong, or be decent to other people.
-
[stuff] I rely on the morals I was taught as a child, and the the ethics my society considers "correct." I don't feel I need religion to determine right from wrong, or be decent to other people.
TBCH I feel someone who does the right thing because its the right thing to do, is a MUCH better person than someone who does the right thing because god told them to.
-
Atheist. Why? Lack of impirical data. Also, watch some Darkmatter 2525 videos on youtube. I rely on the morals I was taught as a child, and the the ethics my society considers "correct." I don't feel I need religion to determine right from wrong, or be decent to other people.
you are getting the wrong idea personally i think that religion was made a long time ago as a early attempt to explain whir we came from
and i agree with angder
-
I think a lot of Millenials feel the same way. Unfortunately, I grew up in Texas, which is currently attempting to remove Thomas Jefferson from their history text books because he was a Deist. Personally, I think it's fine for people to have religious beliefs, but there's plenty of harmful behaviors encouraged by certain groups.
-
I feel like I'm at school because I am learning about religions......
Not happy ;)
-
I think a lot of Millenials feel the same way. Unfortunately, I grew up in Texas, which is currently attempting to remove Thomas Jefferson from their history text books because he was a Deist. Personally, I think it's fine for people to have religious beliefs, but there's plenty of harmful behaviors encouraged by certain groups.
i lie in the UK so i don't know much about america so if you start to go on about things in your curriculum when it is to do with america the odds are i wont know much about it
i also agree that it is fine for people to have religions
i also agree that people use religion to harmful things one example that everyone will know is IS in Syria
but i have no problem with religion
-
I dont see jedi so im going with other other
You are awesome XD
-
I'm Atheist Agnostic.
Basically saying, at the current moment, one cannot prove nor disprove god, so in that regard you are agnostic. But it's also good to make a choice about what you believe, do you only believe in things that have evidence for them, or do you only believe in things that do not have evidence against them? I take the former approach, and thus in that regard I'm atheist.
So agnostic atheist.
-
I would say I'm an Atheist, pretty much by Anoni's definition, however I simply have no need for a belief in any deity to explain my existence or give it purpose.
Interestingly enough though, I'm somewhat spiritual in this regard.
-
Atheist. But I'm not sure it can be classified as a religion.
Atheism is not a religion.
its an absence of religious belief where Theism is the religious belief of or in a deity.
-
that is true
-
I'm Dianic Wicca
-
i dont know what that is :S
-
i dont know what that is :S
It's a specific branch of Wiccan, more female based and we tend to worship a goddess :)
-
ok thanks :)
i dont think we have ever met as well you are the 2nd new person on hear i have met nice to meet you
-
i dont know what that is :S
It's a specific branch of Wiccan, more female based and we tend to worship a goddess :)
I knew that including Wicca was a good call! My ex girlfriend is Wiccan; also a b***h, but yeah. XD
Atheist. But I'm not sure it can be classified as a religion.
I needed a catchy title... The poll description is a bit more accurate, though! No, atheism is not a religion nor belief system, since by definition it is the lack of belief. You can get into saying "you believe in the facts you learn" and, while that's an interesting topic thoroughly considered in philosophy since before ancient greece, such a view would apply to everyone, and is thus useless in the context of atheism being a religion. If atheism is a religion, "off" is a TV channel; hard vacuum is a type of air; clear is a color.
Woops, started to ramble/rant! Anyway, uh: correct. XD
I feel like I'm at school because I am learning about religions......
Not happy ;)
But learning is awesome! Sure, school blows, but knowledge is literally power. Maybe something simple, like having control of a situation because you know more about religions than the other person, or maybe something practical like knowing how to repair a laptop, or even something awesome like knowing how to biologically change someone's species; let me know if you crack that one! ;P
LEARNING F**KING ROCKS!!!!!!!1!!!!!!ONE!!!
-
Technically Atheism is a philosophy. But seeing as religious books of all kinds are put in the "philosophy" section the library downtown, I'm guessing religion is considered a grouping of philosophies.
-
Technically Atheism is a philosophy. But seeing as religious books of all kinds are put in the "philosophy" section the library downtown, I'm guessing religion is considered a grouping of philosophies.
That's fair. I mean, a philosophy can be just about anything, like hukuna matata! :3
-
Atheism! Because I literally can't bring myself to see the idea of a deity as logical, so I assume there isn't one. I once had an argument about how Atheism isn't a religion and this has reminded me of it. It baffles me why some people just can't see that it isn't one. Or am I wrong and it weirdly is in some paradoxical way?
-
Atheism! Because I literally can't bring myself to see the idea of a deity as logical, so I assume there isn't one. I once had an argument about how Atheism isn't a religion and this has reminded me of it. It baffles me why some people just can't see that it isn't one. Or am I wrong and it weirdly is in some paradoxical way?
Not in my way! =P
Occam's razor.
-
I a mult religion.I believe in the reason behind mult type of religion from old to now and other country as well.
-
Former Atheist, now Buddhist.
Atheism made my life boring and a bit bland really. I'm much happier now
-
I was Christian. I have drifted from that recently, and while I know I am not an atheist I don't know what direction I am going in or what I will ultimately call myself. It is pretty confusing to me, actually. I don't really even know what to read, who to consult, or where to begin.
-
Former Atheist, now Buddhist.
Atheism made my life boring and a bit bland really. I'm much happier now
I'm considering learning more about Buddhism and Taoism, as I feel that the philosophical (though not spiritual) aspects might make me happier than I currently am with Atheism alone. Thanks for the input!
I was Christian. I have drifted from that recently, and while I know I am not an atheist I don't know what direction I am going in or what I will ultimately call myself. It is pretty confusing to me, actually. I don't really even know what to read, who to consult, or where to begin.
I suggest reading both articles that support AND articles that oppose what you think you believe, and then see what makes sense to you afterwards. That's what I did (and do) to figure out what I believe. The internet is the easiest source of information, but not the best; books are a bit better. Still, simply googling "argument for Christianity" and "argument against Christianity" will bring up some thought provoking articles. I wouldn't suggest watching YouTube videos if you're really confused: both sides get pretty venomous in them...
Just keep in mind that there's more than "Christian" or "Pagan": there's deism, agnosticism, Taoism, and a zillion actual religions. Plus, these are all just labels; it's not what you call yourself that matters, but your beliefs.
An easy place to start is just googling stuff like "deism", "agnosticism", and "atheism", or go to a philosophy site, such as this:
http://www.allaboutphilosophy.org (http://www.allaboutphilosophy.org) (unknown bias)
Good luck on your existential journey! Mind the angst! =P
-
if i was going to choose a religion id be a Buddhist but i am atheist so i understand why you chose Buddhism
-
I suggest reading both articles that support AND articles that oppose what you think you believe, and then see what makes sense to you afterwards. That's what I did (and do) to figure out what I believe. The internet is the easiest source of information, but not the best; books are a bit better. Still, simply googling "argument for Christianity" and "argument against Christianity" will bring up some thought provoking articles. I wouldn't suggest watching YouTube videos if you're really confused: both sides get pretty venomous in them...
Just keep in mind that there's more than "Christian" or "Pagan": there's deism, agnosticism, Taoism, and a zillion actual religions. Plus, these are all just labels; it's not what you call yourself that matters, but your beliefs.
An easy place to start is just googling stuff like "deism", "agnosticism", and "atheism", or go to a philosophy site, such as this:
http://www.allaboutphilosophy.org (http://www.allaboutphilosophy.org) (unknown bias)
Good luck on your existential journey! Mind the angst! =P
Thank you. Truth be told I don't know if an organized religion is for me, though I am not entirely closed off. I am pretty knowledgable in religion in general which makes my trying to find something perplexing given that nothing seems to "fit." Quakers are pretty cool, actually, but not quite right sadly, for me at least.
-
if i was going to choose a religion id be a Buddhist but i am atheist so i understand why you chose Buddhism
I think Buddhism teaches you a lot about better ways to live well and tolerate others. Technically, its more like a way of thinking rather than a religion as it has no god or worshiping of idols.
-
See buddhism is an example of an atheistic religion, further clarifying that atheism is not a religion xD
-
California Spiritualist. I'll go with whatever, I see the sensibilities in many religions
-
This has been an awesome, peaceable, and informative thread! =D It has exceeded my expectations! :3
-
ATHEIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIST *trying to opera sing it* I don't really believe that we have evidence to support that there is a god but that doesn't mean I think that one doesn't exist or some other form of afterlife I just saying I don't know but what I do know is I don't trust churches. ^_^
-
i used to think atheist but i am to scared to think that life just ends, besides i hope atheist and agnostic belief becomes to big and start affecting countries that are 'in trouble'. Religion is the only thing that can unite a single species, and if there is no belief, there is only living, then the world would be seriously messed up...
After growing up a Christian (forced) for so bloody long i personally despise Christianity, but not the general believers just those who have major influence and use that influence to try to force their beliefs on others, and will not stop bloody going to my house and try to convert me to their Christian denomination. An example, yesterday (friday) my school had a holiday so teachers could get "re-educated" in what it means for someone to be " Married". Two weeks ago, my year had the same talk and i was SO BLOODY PISSED i had to be watched by my freinds because i wanted to cave in my principles and the teachers who are the main supporters head in......
( imagine me gasping for air after that spiel)
-
"Religion is the only thing that can unite a single species, and if there is no belief, there is only living, then the world would be seriously messed up..."
I very much disagree. People fight each other and do horrible things to each other in spite of religion. And sometimes because of it. I don't see how limiting the choices to only a single religion could help.
Although speaking of one religion uniting the world, there is one thing in particular I like about Islam (Muslims)
Apparently, once everyone on the planet is either converted to Islam (or killed) Heaven and Earth will merge, creating a perfect paradise where the devout living and their ancestors will spend eternity in bliss.
I like this scenario much more than the Christian Armageddon, in which everyone dies and the planet gets destroyed.
Post Merge: August 01, 2015, 06:27:53 PM
Also, what about schisms within a single religion? Just amongst Christianity a wide number of variants exist (Protestant, Baptist, Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Seventh Day Adventists, etc.)
What happens when some portion of the population begins to dissent? This has happened over and over and over throughout history.
-
I was raised a Christian in the Bible Belt. My mother is a gospel singer so we have a lot of denominations that we can call our own. However, growing up, I started seeing how a good portion of these people we encountered were, and I started to see a pattern.
Either way, when I was a little older I started believing in All Path's to God. So many religions share the same basic structure, same basic stories, so on so on. So I think so long as you're a good person and y'know, don't hurt anyone, you're likely heavenbound.
-
I'm just waiting on humanity to create a self-modifying AI which gets exponentially more intelligent, to become our benevolent "god"!
Or wipe us out, depending on the programming. XD
-
I'm just waiting on humanity to create a self-modifying AI which gets exponentially more intelligent, to become our benevolent "god"!
Or wipe us out, depending on the programming. XD
That reminds me of a quote from the AI Morpheus in the game Deus Ex.
"You will soon have your god, and you will make it with your own hands."
I always thought that was especially profound given how we are starting to wrestle with questions like if we can build AI, and if so what it would look like.
-
So I'm more confused than ever.
I don't follow any particular religion. Was raised Catholic, but in a very accepting and open-minded home, fortunately enough. I've already turned away from churches, because of how much their message has been corrupted and twisted by the greed, selfishness and cruelty inherent in man.
Anyway, I find aspects of some religions appealing, but others push me away. For example, I like Christianity's emphasis on charity and helping those in need. But concepts such as eternal salvation/damnation just bother me way too much. For eternal salvation, yeah you're in paradise, yeah you're in peace, but you're there forever. Eventually you'll run out of things to do, say, or think. After a long enough time, boredom would turn heaven into hell. As for hell, I think it's unnecessarily cruel to have a person suffer eternally with no hope of ever getting out. Yeah some truly horrible people deserve punishment, but to have the punishment last forever and ever seems rather disproportionate, even for someone like Hitler. Especially coming from someone who is said to be as compassionate and merciful as the Abrahamic God.
The idea of no afterlife at all, that this life is all we get does not feel right to me either. Life, from what I've seen, is way too boring, harsh, unfriendly, cruel and full of bullshit to be worth much of anything. (Don't worry I won't commit suicide. I may hate my life but it's all I have so I'm playing it out to its bitter conclusion). You may stand being alive but that's you.
The Buddhist/Hindu idea of reincarnation really appeals to me. The fact that you get a chance each time you live until you get it right and learn to appreciate the beauty of life (which for the life of me I can't see) seems very fair.
But the idea of anything supernatural fills me with doubt, because since it's beyond the natural realm we inhabit, it is untouchable. The supernatural can't be proven, tested, identified and that bothers me.
Guess I'll find out when cancer kills me.
I have a migraine now.
-
I'm just waiting on humanity to create a self-modifying AI which gets exponentially more intelligent, to become our benevolent "god"!
Or wipe us out, depending on the programming. XD
That reminds me of a quote from the AI Morpheus in the game Deus Ex.
"You will soon have your god, and you will make it with your own hands."
I always thought that was especially profound given how we are starting to wrestle with questions like if we can build AI, and if so what it would look like.
Sadly I never played it! May have to rent/pirate it XD
Honestly, I was introduced to this idea by a My Little Pony fanfic featuring CelestAI, which starts out just running an MMORPG.
So I'm more confused than ever.
I don't follow any particular religion. Was raised Catholic, but in a very accepting and open-minded home, fortunately enough. I've already turned away from churches, because of how much their message has been corrupted and twisted by the greed, selfishness and cruelty inherent in man.
Anyway, I find aspects of some religions appealing, but others push me away. For example, I like Christianity's emphasis on charity and helping those in need. But concepts such as eternal salvation/damnation just bother me way too much. For eternal salvation, yeah you're in paradise, yeah you're in peace, but you're there forever. Eventually you'll run out of things to do, say, or think. After a long enough time, boredom would turn heaven into hell. As for hell, I think it's unnecessarily cruel to have a person suffer eternally with no hope of ever getting out. Yeah some truly horrible people deserve punishment, but to have the punishment last forever and ever seems rather disproportionate, even for someone like Hitler. Especially coming from someone who is said to be as compassionate and merciful as the Abrahamic God.
The idea of no afterlife at all, that this life is all we get does not feel right to me either. Life, from what I've seen, is way too boring, harsh, unfriendly, cruel and full of bullshit to be worth much of anything. (Don't worry I won't commit suicide. I may hate my life but it's all I have so I'm playing it out to its bitter conclusion). You may stand being alive but that's you.
The Buddhist/Hindu idea of reincarnation really appeals to me. The fact that you get a chance each time you live until you get it right and learn to appreciate the beauty of life (which for the life of me I can't see) seems very fair.
But the idea of anything supernatural fills me with doubt, because since it's beyond the natural realm we inhabit, it is untouchable. The supernatural can't be proven, tested, identified and that bothers me.
Guess I'll find out when cancer kills me.
I have a migraine now.
Existential angst sucks pretty bad, huh? XD
I agree with most of your views! I definitely agree that eternity of heaven wouldn't work, and seriously: eternal torment is NEVER called for! As you alluded to, eventually, even Hitler will have paid his dues; should he burn for a year or two? Maybe. But who can say he ahould burn for a thousand years? Or a MILLION? Or a hundred trillion?! Eventually it's too much.
Personally I rather enjoy not believing in an afterlife or anything. I mean, I can't ever experience being dead, so it's not like it's bad; I simply don't want to miss stuff, like space travel or the longevity escape velocity.
I've been suicidal before... I got better by a combination of starting my own business, getting professional help, and letting loose more [removed content]! Use this advice as necessary, just don't use it as a crutch.
Personally I feel that everything will eventually be explained by science. If it's "supernatural" then it's just not been explained -yet.
-
Paradox, Deus Ex is a brilliant game and one of the very best I have ever played, if not the best of all. Sadly, it is quite old (I think it came out in the year 2000), but it should be widely available and pretty cheap. It is absolutely worth a look if you can stand old graphics and old gameplay for the sake of excellent writing and surprisingly deep philosophy for a game.
-
Paradox, Deus Ex is a brilliant game and one of the very best I have ever played, if not the best of all. Sadly, it is quite old (I think it came out in the year 2000), but it should be widely available and pretty cheap. It is absolutely worth a look if you can stand old graphics and old gameplay for the sake of excellent writing and surprisingly deep philosophy for a game.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution is pretty great too and is kinda philosophical. I like the focus on the question of if it's right to augment people with machinery. Can't wait for the next one, so hyped. >.> ..."I never asked for this". Anyway this is kinda getting off topic so let's just steer back onto the right track.
OT: If I was forced to choose a religion I'd say...I don't know. Maybe Satanism? Not the theistic one the real one that was called satanism basically to troll Christians
-
I think I am leaning towards some weird combination of new age spirituality blended with non traditional monotheism myself. I feel pretty lost but I know I am making my way somewhere.
-
I'm happy to see that most people are open to other ideas; blind faith really bothers me. I think that's why I respect Buddhism: they tell you that you've got to find the truth on your own!
I got better by a combination of starting my own business, getting professional help, and letting loose more [removed content]!
Woops, can't talk about recreational substances, apparently XD My bad!
-
Personally I feel that everything will eventually be explained by science. If it's "supernatural" then it's just not been explained -yet.
You raise a really good point. Maybe many years from now we'll be able to explain all this supposedly supernatural stuff, kinda like how thousands of years ago phenomena we now understand were thought of as supernatural (lightning, volcanic eruptions, epidemics, etc.)
-
Personally I feel that everything will eventually be explained by science. If it's "supernatural" then it's just not been explained -yet.
You raise a really good point. Maybe many years from now we'll be able to explain all this supposedly supernatural stuff, kinda like how thousands of years ago phenomena we now understand were thought of as supernatural (lightning, volcanic eruptions, epidemics, etc.)
Exactly! A couple rhousand years ago we thought lightning was God's wrath, rainbows were signs, alcohol was good for children, and lots of other silly things XD In a few thousand years in the future, most of the stuff we do will probably seem pretty stupid, too XD
I mean, imagine if we discovered that magic is real. Pretty crazy and supernatural, man! But a couple hundred years later, science will have explained how it works and it'll just be another branch of science. Just like medicine went from spirit healing and potions to scientific drugs, alchemy turned into chemistry, and animal/plant husbandry turned into genetics!
-
Personally I feel that everything will eventually be explained by science. If it's "supernatural" then it's just not been explained -yet.
You raise a really good point. Maybe many years from now we'll be able to explain all this supposedly supernatural stuff, kinda like how thousands of years ago phenomena we now understand were thought of as supernatural (lightning, volcanic eruptions, epidemics, etc.)
Exactly! A couple rhousand years ago we thought lightning was God's wrath, rainbows were signs, alcohol was good for children, and lots of other silly things XD In a few thousand years in the future, most of the stuff we do will probably seem pretty stupid, too XD
I mean, imagine if we discovered that magic is real. Pretty crazy and supernatural, man! But a couple hundred years later, science will have explained how it works and it'll just be another branch of science. Just like medicine went from spirit healing and potions to scientific drugs, alchemy turned into chemistry, and animal/plant husbandry turned into genetics!
Though to be fair the whole "let's drink wine instead of water" thing was possibly because back then people didn't know about germ theory. They just knew drinking water from a stream made them crap out their intestines and drinking wine from a bottle didn't. So they drank wine.
-
Personally I feel that everything will eventually be explained by science. If it's "supernatural" then it's just not been explained -yet.
You raise a really good point. Maybe many years from now we'll be able to explain all this supposedly supernatural stuff, kinda like how thousands of years ago phenomena we now understand were thought of as supernatural (lightning, volcanic eruptions, epidemics, etc.)
Exactly! A couple rhousand years ago we thought lightning was God's wrath, rainbows were signs, alcohol was good for children, and lots of other silly things XD In a few thousand years in the future, most of the stuff we do will probably seem pretty stupid, too XD
I mean, imagine if we discovered that magic is real. Pretty crazy and supernatural, man! But a couple hundred years later, science will have explained how it works and it'll just be another branch of science. Just like medicine went from spirit healing and potions to scientific drugs, alchemy turned into chemistry, and animal/plant husbandry turned into genetics!
Though to be fair the whole "let's drink wine instead of water" thing was possibly because back then people didn't know about germ theory. They just knew drinking water from a stream made them crap out their intestines and drinking wine from a bottle didn't. So they drank wine.
Exactly! They did what seemed to work, and in this instance they were mainly right, but in hindsight, they look stupid for not knowing to boil water, and for getting their kids drunk XD
My point is not that such practices always fail, but that everything will be proven to work via science, and that many things we do now will look stupid in the future.
For example: chemotherapy seems to work, but it's brutal on the patient, and I expect will seem barbaric, much as blood-letting and drilling holes in the skull do to us.
Another example, which is nebulous because I too am ignorant, is toxic substances: I would lay money that some if not many substances we come into regular contact with will be found to be highly poisonous or similarly unhealthy. Prior examples include asbestos construction, lead plumbing, radioactive drinks (seriously), cocaine everything, and mercury.
Superstitious beliefs are similarly easy to fall prey to because they seem to work! I always pressed the stopwalk buttons at intersections, but recently found out that most are dummy buttons that do nothing; but it SEEMED like it was making it go faster! XD Historical examples of superstition that seemed to work include, well, everything anyone ever did, basically: praying/sacrificing for good harvests (and then justifying the outcome afterwards), virgin sacrifices to volcanoes when the rumbles, etc.
The sneaky thing about superstition is that you're inclined to justify the result regardless of what it is. For example, when I was a kid, I really wanted to be a wizard and do magic. To that end, I bought magic books and read how to do magic online. After a failed attempt, I'd just say that "I did it wrong" or "It's more subtle than I thought" or "it has a delay", etc. What I really meant is "there's no evidence this works, but I really really want it to so it must." XD
I think I may have gotten off topic... Sorry XD
-
Personally I feel that everything will eventually be explained by science. If it's "supernatural" then it's just not been explained -yet.
You raise a really good point. Maybe many years from now we'll be able to explain all this supposedly supernatural stuff, kinda like how thousands of years ago phenomena we now understand were thought of as supernatural (lightning, volcanic eruptions, epidemics, etc.)
Exactly! A couple rhousand years ago we thought lightning was God's wrath, rainbows were signs, alcohol was good for children, and lots of other silly things XD In a few thousand years in the future, most of the stuff we do will probably seem pretty stupid, too XD
I mean, imagine if we discovered that magic is real. Pretty crazy and supernatural, man! But a couple hundred years later, science will have explained how it works and it'll just be another branch of science. Just like medicine went from spirit healing and potions to scientific drugs, alchemy turned into chemistry, and animal/plant husbandry turned into genetics!
Though to be fair the whole "let's drink wine instead of water" thing was possibly because back then people didn't know about germ theory. They just knew drinking water from a stream made them crap out their intestines and drinking wine from a bottle didn't. So they drank wine.
Exactly! They did what seemed to work, and in this instance they were mainly right, but in hindsight, they look stupid for not knowing to boil water, and for getting their kids drunk XD
My point is not that such practices always fail, but that everything will be proven to work via science, and that many things we do now will look stupid in the future.
For example: chemotherapy seems to work, but it's brutal on the patient, and I expect will seem barbaric, much as blood-letting and drilling holes in the skull do to us.
Another example, which is nebulous because I too am ignorant, is toxic substances: I would lay money that some if not many substances we come into regular contact with will be found to be highly poisonous or similarly unhealthy. Prior examples include asbestos construction, lead plumbing, radioactive drinks (seriously), cocaine everything, and mercury.
Superstitious beliefs are similarly easy to fall prey to because they seem to work! I always pressed the stopwalk buttons at intersections, but recently found out that most are dummy buttons that do nothing; but it SEEMED like it was making it go faster! XD Historical examples of superstition that seemed to work include, well, everything anyone ever did, basically: praying/sacrificing for good harvests (and then justifying the outcome afterwards), virgin sacrifices to volcanoes when the rumbles, etc.
The sneaky thing about superstition is that you're inclined to justify the result regardless of what it is. For example, when I was a kid, I really wanted to be a wizard and do magic. To that end, I bought magic books and read how to do magic online. After a failed attempt, I'd just say that "I did it wrong" or "It's more subtle than I thought" or "it has a delay", etc. What I really meant is "there's no evidence this works, but I really really want it to so it must." XD
I think I may have gotten off topic... Sorry XD
Although Asians DID figure out that boiling water made it safe. Though they most likely had no idea why. Which is why most Asians nowadays can't hold their liquor (they don't have the necessary enzymes needed to metabolize alcohol).
And yeah I agree with you on superstitions. All people have a tendency to see patterns where there are none and we usually don't seek out explanations other than the first thing that seems to fit based on experiences.
We've derailed this thread long enough. Back on topic.
-
Wow! I did not know that! I'll have to look it up to be sure, but it sounds reasonable!
But its my post!! But you're right: back to religious stuff! XD
-
There so much quoting happening I don't even know what's going on anymore. D:
-
There so much quoting happening I don't even know what's going on anymore. D:
Quoted. XD
Yeah, sorry! It's just so difficult to separate just the parts I want (on mobile, at least) so I just quote the entire post XD QUOTEPOCALYPSE!
-
Personally I feel that everything will eventually be explained by science. If it's "supernatural" then it's just not been explained -yet.
You raise a really good point. Maybe many years from now we'll be able to explain all this supposedly supernatural stuff, kinda like how thousands of years ago phenomena we now understand were thought of as supernatural (lightning, volcanic eruptions, epidemics, etc.)
Exactly! A couple rhousand years ago we thought lightning was God's wrath, rainbows were signs, alcohol was good for children, and lots of other silly things XD In a few thousand years in the future, most of the stuff we do will probably seem pretty stupid, too XD
I mean, imagine if we discovered that magic is real. Pretty crazy and supernatural, man! But a couple hundred years later, science will have explained how it works and it'll just be another branch of science. Just like medicine went from spirit healing and potions to scientific drugs, alchemy turned into chemistry, and animal/plant husbandry turned into genetics!
Though to be fair the whole "let's drink wine instead of water" thing was possibly because back then people didn't know about germ theory. They just knew drinking water from a stream made them crap out their intestines and drinking wine from a bottle didn't. So they drank wine.
Exactly! They did what seemed to work, and in this instance they were mainly right, but in hindsight, they look stupid for not knowing to boil water, and for getting their kids drunk XD
My point is not that such practices always fail, but that everything will be proven to work via science, and that many things we do now will look stupid in the future.
For example: chemotherapy seems to work, but it's brutal on the patient, and I expect will seem barbaric, much as blood-letting and drilling holes in the skull do to us.
Another example, which is nebulous because I too am ignorant, is toxic substances: I would lay money that some if not many substances we come into regular contact with will be found to be highly poisonous or similarly unhealthy. Prior examples include asbestos construction, lead plumbing, radioactive drinks (seriously), cocaine everything, and mercury.
Superstitious beliefs are similarly easy to fall prey to because they seem to work! I always pressed the stopwalk buttons at intersections, but recently found out that most are dummy buttons that do nothing; but it SEEMED like it was making it go faster! XD Historical examples of superstition that seemed to work include, well, everything anyone ever did, basically: praying/sacrificing for good harvests (and then justifying the outcome afterwards), virgin sacrifices to volcanoes when the rumbles, etc.
The sneaky thing about superstition is that you're inclined to justify the result regardless of what it is. For example, when I was a kid, I really wanted to be a wizard and do magic. To that end, I bought magic books and read how to do magic online. After a failed attempt, I'd just say that "I did it wrong" or "It's more subtle than I thought" or "it has a delay", etc. What I really meant is "there's no evidence this works, but I really really want it to so it must." XD
I think I may have gotten off topic... Sorry XD
Although Asians DID figure out that boiling water made it safe. Though they most likely had no idea why. Which is why most Asians nowadays can't hold their liquor (they don't have the necessary enzymes needed to metabolize alcohol).
And yeah I agree with you on superstitions. All people have a tendency to see patterns where there are none and we usually don't seek out explanations other than the first thing that seems to fit based on experiences.
We've derailed this thread long enough. Back on topic.
Nooo!
I wanna say this really well fits my religious beliefs. (or lack thereof?)
-
Nooo!
I wanna say this really well fits my religious beliefs. (or lack thereof?)
"I'm going to allow this." XD
Yay! See? We dragons know whats going on =P Or at least all share the same delusions, which TECHNICALLY means that it's not considered a delusion!
From the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, defining "delusions":
“A false belief based on incorrect inference about external reality that is firmly sustained despite what almost everyone else believes and despite what constitutes incontrovertible and obvious proof or evidence to the contrary. The belief is not one ordinarily accepted by other members of the person’s culture or subculture (e.g. it is not an article of religious faith). "
Which personally I think is silly; the number of people who believe something has no bearing on it's validity!
But, um, yes, got off topic... THE CONE NIPPLE PEOPLE WILL RULE THIS WORLD!! Rick and Morty, anyone? XD
-
I'm an ecclectic pagan. It's nice, because I can choose bits and pieces of different religions and customize the experience so it's just for me. :) It makes it a lot more personal.
-
I'm an ecclectic pagan. It's nice, because I can choose bits and pieces of different religions and customize the experience so it's just for me. :) It makes it a lot more personal.
Huh! That's fascinating! Thanks for sharing! =D
(Woops, autocorrect made that "don't")
-
Norse Pagan. I was "awakened" in 2013 when I decided my previous religion wasn't for me. I love the values of Norse Paganism and have always lived by them even before I converted.
-
Deism! Hehe
-
Something interesting, I don't know if you guys know or not, apparently according to Orthodox Jews, rainbows are an ill omen, very bad news.
According to their mythos, rainbows are God's bow and arrow; If you see one (a rainbow), it means some very serious stuff is about to go down. x_x
-
Hmmm - son of two Southern Babtist parents; Figuring out what I believe now.
Some(lengthy)thoughts on the subject:
First, I don't really think the 'just take the good from every religion' position is really viable. Consider by way of example, the family of 'Orthodox' Christian faiths - that is, those that profess the appostles' creed, claim scriptural inerrency, the trinity, etc. Each of them - to the extent that they hold fast to their profession - share an understanding of man and the Devine that provides a specific HISTORY of man( creation, the fall, Babel ), a specific PERSONAL IDENTITY( fallen men/women, redeemed by grace to the relationship with the almighty for which we were created), a specific HUMAN IDENTITY( fallen, sinful, cut off from the Devine for whom we were created to relate with, willing victims of our own natures and helpless to redeem ourselves from that state without an outside intervention), and a complete NARRATIVE of where all of the above were, are, and will stand, on both the mortal and eternal side of things, for pictures big and personal - and each INTERDEPENDANT on the others. Boiled down even further, one could say that it's all about a, uniquely understood, RELATIONSHIP between God, nature and man.
THIS is why young earthers place such importance on something as 'stupid' as creationism, for example. Not because they're pedantic deeks who go all in on a few debatable verses of some old text; It's because their fundamental understanding of everything, essentially, revolves around a relationship, which is centered on an Incarnation, death and resurrection. Which was to redeem us from a fallen state. Which seems pointless without a fall FROM something. Which was a previously 'good' created state and order. Add to that the naming of death as 'the final enemy', a great commission to go into all the '[size=0pt]KOSMOS[/size]', and preach the good news to 'every creature', along with a few even less ambiguous passages, and you see where this is going.
Also consider the importance of 'culpability' in a just punishment. Implying manifest 'just cause' to at least suspect design. Which implies rational evidence. Which hits at the root of what 'science' is.
The intransigence of those same groups on sexual relationships? Ditto. The marriage is ALSO understood to reflect the image of God in us, together, from which one may argue that consciously acting AGAINST that reflection is to injure oneself, distancing one's awareness of the one to whom we must be reconciled and were meant to relate at an intimate level. Bad for the individual, and cumulatively bad for society in general.
My point is, take away one part of the structure, the rest goes too; And if the the identity and relationship are abandoned, then what more exists to offer, except what is already common( the 'golden rule', etc.). So why bother 'taking' anything from it in at all?
Also, quick note( because OWW, my fingers): Look at ancient 'high' civilizations from Babylon to Egypt to even CHINA'S age of the legendary kingdoms, and the trend of religious development is actually the reverse of what is commonly inferred: From fewer(or one)major God/s, to many lesser god/s/esses. One of many interesting facts that keep me wondering about the 'predictive power' of the common secular views of our history.
-
What? Not only does it mention Paganism, but also Wicca?? This is a first for me and it's awesome!
I converted to Wicca about two years ago and I've since been beginning my spiritual path as I enter into the intimidating world of adulthood. I'm a solitary practitioner because organized religion is not for me [not like I've ever been a part of it; I was raised nonreligious].
Anyways, I'm more spiritual, per say, than religious, and I tend to incorporate teachings from several religious that I believe in.
-
Forum screwed up my cut/paste from WPS in my last post, so - let's try this again: :/
Hmmm - son of two Southern Babtist parents; Figuring out what I believe now.
Some(lengthy)thoughts on the subject:
First, I don't really think the 'just take the good from every religion' position is really viable. Consider by way of example, the family of 'Orthodox' Christian faiths - that is, those that profess the appostles' creed, claim scriptural inerrency, the trinity, etc. Each of them - to the extent that they hold fast to their profession - share an understanding of man and the Devine that provides a specific HISTORY of man( creation, the fall, Babel ), a specific PERSONAL IDENTITY( fallen men/women, redeemed by grace to the relationship with the almighty for which we were created), a specific HUMAN IDENTITY( fallen, sinful, cut off from the Devine for whom we were created to relate with, willing victims of our own natures and helpless to redeem ourselves from that state without an outside intervention), and a complete NARRATIVE of where all of the above were, are, and will stand, on both the mortal and eternal side of things, for pictures big and personal - and each INTERDEPENDANT on the others. Boiled down even further, one could say that it's all about a, uniquely understood, RELATIONSHIP between God, nature and man.
THIS is why young earthers place such importance on something as 'stupid' as creationism, for example. Not because they're pedantic deeks who go all in on a few debatable verses of some old text; It's because their fundamental understanding of everything, essentially, revolves around a relationship, which is centered on an Incarnation, death and resurrection. Which was to redeem us from a fallen state. Which seems pointless without a fall FROM something. Which was a previously 'good' created state and order. Add to that the naming of death as 'the final enemy', a great commission to go into all the 'KOSMOS', and preach the good news to 'every creature', along with a few even less ambiguous passages, and you see where this is going.
Also consider the importance of 'culpability' in a just punishment. Implying manifest 'just cause' to at least suspect design. Which implies rational evidence. Which hits at the root of what 'science' is.
The intransigence of those same groups on sexual relationships? Ditto. The marriage is ALSO understood to reflect the image of God in us, together, from which one may argue that consciously acting AGAINST that reflection is to injure oneself, distancing one's awareness of the one to whom we must be reconciled and were meant to relate at an intimate level. Bad for the individual, and cumulatively bad for society in general.
My point is, take away one part of the structure, the rest goes too; And if the the identity and relationship are abandoned, then what more exists to offer, except what is already common( the 'golden rule', etc.). So why bother 'taking' anything from it in at all?
Also, quick note( because OWW, my fingers): Look at ancient 'high' civilizations from Babylon to Egypt to even CHINA'S age of the legendary kingdoms, and the trend of religious development is actually the reverse of what is commonly inferred: From fewer(or one)major God/s, to many lesser god/s/esses. One of many interesting facts that keep me wondering about the 'predictive power' of the common secular views of our history.
-
I fixed your post (Hope you don't mind, you can always turn it back XD If you want to copy something you can copy it into a plain text editor like notepad before, then copy it to TFF so it appears like a normal post)
What I find interesting is how people say "I believe in X, Y and Z, because it makes it more personal" or "it's my personal belief". It's interesting cause religion is sort of meant to represent "truth" or a belief in a particular truth, and believing in a personal truth, in my opinion, sort of counteracts the idea that religion is the ultimate truth. If you believe in a personal religion, does that mean you believe that the universe really revolves that way? Why did you find the answers and no one else?
-
It's interesting cause religion is sort of meant to represent "truth" or a belief in a particular truth, and believing in a personal truth, in my opinion, sort of counteracts the idea that religion is the ultimate truth. If you believe in a personal religion, does that mean you believe that the universe really revolves that way? Why did you find the answers and no one else?
I believe the things I do so I can sleep at night.
-
It's interesting cause religion is sort of meant to represent "truth" or a belief in a particular truth, and believing in a personal truth, in my opinion, sort of counteracts the idea that religion is the ultimate truth.
There is no truth XP
-
It's interesting cause religion is sort of meant to represent "truth" or a belief in a particular truth, and believing in a personal truth, in my opinion, sort of counteracts the idea that religion is the ultimate truth.
There is no truth XP
That's a whole other can of worms right there xD On that I personally believe there is a truth, cause we generally "see" the same thing so something must be there, but at the same time it's impossible to prove that something IS the truth and thus it doesn't really make sense to talk about knowing the truth.
But religion is generally a belief in some form of truth, that if you believe in the Christian Religions then you believe that god is the truth of the universe and what really happens, if you believe in wiccan or voodoo than you believe that is how the universe truly runs, it's a believe on the universe and how the universe works based on the super-natural. And so that's where the personal thing becomes confusing xD
-
It's interesting cause religion is sort of meant to represent "truth" or a belief in a particular truth, and believing in a personal truth, in my opinion, sort of counteracts the idea that religion is the ultimate truth.
There is no truth XP
That's a whole other can of worms right there xD On that I personally believe there is a truth, cause we generally "see" the same thing so something must be there, but at the same time it's impossible to prove that something IS the truth and thus it doesn't really make sense to talk about knowing the truth.
But religion is generally a belief in some form of truth, that if you believe in the Christian Religions then you believe that god is the truth of the universe and what really happens, if you believe in wiccan or voodoo than you believe that is how the universe truly runs, it's a believe on the universe and how the universe works based on the super-natural. And so that's where the personal thing becomes confusing xD
Really, it's only the "extremists" of most religions that actually, truly believe in their religion. Everyone else just uses it as a title and/or crutch.
After all, most Christians aren't stoning unruly children (Deuteronomy 21:18-21), and most Muslims are not actively trying to murder unbelievers (al-baqarah, 2:191), which both are sins/transgressions, meaning you don't get to go to Heaven if you fail to do so! Never understood such half-belief, myself: if religion is true, you need to drop everything and do everything it prescribes, because even if you suffer extreme agony all of this life, it's nothing compared to what "god" will do to you afterwards if you don't follow it.
Luckily, though, most theists don't follow all the rules, or we'd be back to the dark ages, or under Sharia Law.
-
My family on my mother's side is Wicca, which I why I kind of follow it. :3
-
i got lost in the Vatican about 2 weeks ago XD
-
Paradox wrote:
[Really, it's only the "extremists" of most religions that actually, truly believe in their religion. Everyone else just uses it as a title and/or crutch.]
Otherwise known as the 'no true Scotsman' fallacy. With an added dose of 'elephant hurling'. I'm sure there are plenty of religious folks - from Christian to trans-humanist and all points in between - who hold their views sincerely. I'd say pretty much equal to the percentage of sincere people in general, for the simple reason that EVERYBODY has, consciously or not, a set of philosophical beliefs in the issues with which 'religion' concerns itself, and that to which we give pride of precedence of our time, energy and ambition is our god, for all practical purpose.
As for 'extremists' - a few come to mind; The Amish. The Mennonites. Oh! And the man who inspired the film 'Machine Gun Preacher'. Not exactly blights on the face of humanity.
Paradox wrote:
[After all, most Christians aren't stoning unruly children (Deuteronomy 21:18-21), and most Muslims are not actively trying to murder unbelievers (al-baqarah, 2:191), which both are sins/transgressions, meaning you don't get to go to Heaven if you fail to do so!]
Possibly because 'most Christians' who choose to be as informed as possible about their faith, understand things like 'context' and authorial intent. These sections of the Bible are related as historical accounts, of God's working out his relationship with 'Man' through one group of people, in a certain manner, through a certain culture, at a specific time in history. He was their sovereign ruler and - as with other emperors of the time - lawgiver( Hence the two tablets of the Ten Commandments, a treaty of fealty - one copy for the people, one for the ruler ). And yes, the specific, formal process of dealing with an older adolescent( remember, at that time people bore more responsibility, and had more expected of them, far younger than today ), drunken, violent toward their own family, and refusing all counsel and censure, would fall under that purview. And, uh, what's heaven got to do with it again?
Btw, the Mosaic law as recorded limited punishments to NO MORE THAN an eye for an eye, unlike other cultures in the are at that time, held men liable to the same punishments as women for sexual immorality and in all other matters of the law - save that a woman could withdraw from a 'rashly made' vow, while a man could not - and, despite the chauvinism which so strongly worked to undermine it in Israel - as so many other places - permits, and the Bible records women as attaining, access to every station in life to which one might aspire; Judge, Queen( In a time of war! ), prophetess - all are recorded with approval in the Bible. Women could even join the Nazarites( of which Samson was a member ). Only the priesthood and, apparently, Biblical authorship seem gender exclusive, which has somewhat specific implications about what 'spiritual headship' was and was not intended to mean. So why does the old Judaic law get such a bad rap?
Paradox wrote:
[If religion is true, you need to drop everything and do everything it prescribes, because even if you suffer extreme agony all of this life, it's nothing compared to what "god" will do to you afterwards if you don't follow it.]
Can't speak to others, but that's NOT the God of ye olde, organized Christianity: WE - humanity - are the cause, willing victims of our own fallen natures, rebels against what we know of 'His' truth. And, depending on your reading, many, perhaps most, theologians would argue that WE are the source of the torments of Hell; Our fallen natures, spinning out into eternity, fully cut off from the ONE relationship and source for which it was our entire purpose and design to relate, locking the door to Hell from the inside( Beg for death, yes - but never a thought to repentance and to serve in heaven ).
Yeah - Christianity is a bit didactic on some points; Absolute hope 'in Christ Jesus', absolute nihilism apart from him( and restraint of the 'common grace' of moral law 'written on the hearts' of all people. ).
Paradox wrote:
[Luckily, though, most theists don't follow all the rules, or we'd be back to the dark ages, or under Sharia Law.]
I could write something putting the faith of my parents( which is what I comment on knowledgeably) in context regards that statement, again - but as a general point, consider the question of weather an entirely 'neutral' politic is either possible or desirable. Can we expect to avoid grappling with what constitutes a 'human life', with all the rights and protections thereof? Should we truly expect to be of one accord pertaining the meaning of marriage? Even the laws of a republic will be in some part determined by the sum of philosophies and personal motivations of the voting public; And so long as some minority differs from the majority on matters of import and universal scope, I fear the beliefs of some will intrude on the lives of others. It is what it is - life.
PS: Sorry for the mini-lesson in hermeneutics, but these kind of statements show up all the time in comment sections and editorials; And - meaning no offense to Paradox - it's quite frustrating. I couldn't skip an opportunity to provide a little correction! :-/
-
I'm currently Athiest, however I was raised as a Christan.
-
I'm a Christian.
-
I'm an atheist, but I still celebrate Christmas and Easter and everything. The rest of my family aren't Christian, but I'm the only one who doesn't believe in the possibility of any deity. 0:)
-
I was raised in an Irish-Italian family, so you could imagine i was Catholic. I however am an Atheist. My family is all cheistian, whether it be baptist, mormon, catholic, whatever.
-
I could write something putting the faith of my parents( which is what I comment on knowledgeably) in context regards that statement, again - but as a general point, consider the question of weather an entirely 'neutral' politic is either possible or desirable. Can we expect to avoid grappling with what constitutes a 'human life', with all the rights and protections thereof? Should we truly expect to be of one accord pertaining the meaning of marriage? Even the laws of a republic will be in some part determined by the sum of philosophies and personal motivations of the voting public; And so long as some minority differs from the majority on matters of import and universal scope, I fear the beliefs of some will intrude on the lives of others. It is what it is - life.
PS: Sorry for the mini-lesson in hermeneutics, but these kind of statements show up all the time in comment sections and editorials; And - meaning no offense to Paradox - it's quite frustrating. I couldn't skip an opportunity to provide a little correction! :-/
Nah man, no offense taken!
Huh, though I missed a huge breakdown of my earlier posts by... somebody! Hehe, oh well. XD
-
Atheist. Technically an agnostic atheist because I do not think non-existence can be "proved". However I think the various deities and other supernatural accounts of the world are incompatible with the actual world. So I class myself as a strong atheist or hard atheist because the lack of evidence is as thorough a disproof as is possible by inductive reasoning.
It isn't what I chose to believe, nor how I was raised nor what gives me comfort.
As for whether atheism is a religion, well, it's actually a bit tricky to pin down a definition of religion with any consensus, so for simplicity I lump them together. Though the joke that atheism is to religion as bald is to hair colour I find the clearest analogy.
Nice to see this thread playing nice, I tend to not talk about religion on TFF because it can be such an emotional subject, so well done everyfur! ^_^
-
Religion, gender, sexuality, all are very delicate topics. So its good to see we're all mature enough to respect other peoples' views and beliefs. Its actually interesting hearing from the other sides of the fence, ya know? Different perspectives.
-
Religion, gender, sexuality, all are very delicate topics. So its good to see we're all mature enough to respect other peoples' views and beliefs. Its actually interesting hearing from the other sides of the fence, ya know? Different perspectives.
It's a refreshing break from pretty much the rest of the internets.
-
Religion, gender, sexuality, all are very delicate topics. So its good to see we're all mature enough to respect other peoples' views and beliefs. Its actually interesting hearing from the other sides of the fence, ya know? Different perspectives.
I like to consider this a nice neutral zone, if you will. I like to believe everyone on here will try to be respectful and understanding of your opinion even if it clashes with their beliefs.
-
At this rate we could even talk about gun control and health care ;)
-
So been thinking about my beliefs and I have to say that while I like to think that there is a Creator, that there is a superior and benevolent being watching over us, there is no way of finding out for sure whether s/he exists or not, and there is now way of totally disproving his/her existence. So I guess that makes me agnostic leaning towards theist.
-
I believed in the Christian god as a child, then became an atheist, and I'm now Wiccan. I have to hide it from my mother though because her Christian fiance told her that Wicca is "wrong" and "not a real religion" but nonetheless I love it ^~^
-
Brain is fake.
Brain is just a connector between your soul and your assigned body.
Brain imitates/pretends that it's doing the thinking and it does it so well, looking so naturally, that it makes you and others think that soul doesn't exist.
-
I once had a lot of fun Googling are athiests bad, and why?
I then spent the next ten minutes laughing my head off.