The Faith & Religion mega Thread

Kudos ... this will give you more time to study science and the
Bible and find out the Truth.

Originally Posted by Bruce Hill Kudos ... this will give you more time to study science and the Bible and find out the Truth.

Haha.. or change more diapers since the second kid arrived last month!

Congratulations Drew and the Missus!!!

Thanks Bruce.

An interesting poll, I seem to have missed it. I'm atheist, and I never knew so many other atheists actually existed. I was sure 'firm believer' would come out as 99.9 % and atheist would be 0.001 %. Oh well, guess I was wrong.

In some twisted way, I'm rather glad the firm believers are outnumbered by atheists, even though I myself voted agnostic. I do have some Christian friends, but the exception is that they never badger me on my beliefs, and we agree to leave it where it stands. What I can't stand is the religious few who are so convinced that they have to go to the trouble of trying to convince you by almost any means necessary, either by 'promises' of a good afterlife, or by threats that I would go to hell, and also being judged by how bad of a person I am because I don't really observe such religious practices.

These are the very people that turn me away from religion.

Originally Posted by H_TeXMeX_H An interesting poll, I seem to have missed it. I'm atheist, and I never knew so many other atheists actually existed. I was sure 'firm believer' would come out as 99.9 % and atheist would be 0.001 %. Oh well, guess I was wrong.

It depends on where you are. Since this is an international forum with most members probably between 15 and 40 I wasn't too surprised:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_atheism

Also - don't get this wrong, this is just the statistics - the number of atheists goes up the higher the education is. I assume that on a board like this the overall educational level will be higher than average.

You always have to doubt how these statistics are made. If they'd ask me "how often do you go to church" the answer would seem to indicate that I'm religious. Even on paper I am a roman catholic, just because my parents thought it was a good idea to dip me in holy water and I never cared to unsubscribe... - nothing could be further from the trouth. We just have some beautyful churches around here. Then it's questionable if they really made the people feel like it's an anonymous poll. I could imagine that some people are reluctant to talk about their conviction to a stranger over the phone.

I saw, recently, an article on an atheist blog about some statistics from a poll somewhere in the US. It showed that there are a huge number of "christians". However, it also showed that a big number of those people didn't believe in God. Very odd.

Depending on how you phrase your questions and answers, you can show the Pope to be an atheist or Dawkins to be a believer

Originally Posted by oskar It depends on where you are. Since this is an international forum with most members probably between 15 and 40 I wasn't too surprised: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_atheism Also - don't get this wrong, this is just the statistics - the number of atheists goes up the higher the education is. I assume that on a board like this the overall educational level will be higher than average.

Thanks for the link, those are some very interesting maps of distribution.

Typical of me to think the subject was how religiously fanatic supporter of Linux
we are. I like the Open Source idea and Linux very much. But I am not smart enough
to be able to do Command Line things. Took me years to get used to doing GUI in Windows.

But I am very religious about Open Source. Maybe not fanatic but caring and concerned.

God I think is a kind of misplaced attributing. God most likely is an inner process
like when the body produce the "I" within us. Babies don't have an "I" from day one.

It comes in levels of being aware of that they become social persons in a relation
to other humans.

God in same way is a cultural construct that emerge as a way to relate culturally
to a tradition on how to express togetherness and it is a shame that they make use
of myths that are so narrow and poorly constructed as the main religions.

Main religions are a bit like computer software. Vulnerable to cracking the codes.
Used for political abuse and indoctrination of young minds. Yes to grown ups too.

So I am a kind of religious atheist.

I'm an atypical atheist: 63, left school at 15 (Secondary Modern, the predecessor of Comprehensives, for those who failed their 11+). Went to church as a child - Church Of England. Converted to atheism in my early teens, never have and never will waver.

I'm pretty much the same as you BrianL - except I'm 36 and left school at 16 Still went to a secondary modern though.

This thread seems to have no end.

To use a Pastafarian analogy, it is like pulling on the end of a piece of spaghetti, and pulling, and pulling, and more and more spaghetti comes off of the plate, and there is no end in sight.

Sort of like that famous scene from Lady and the Tramp, where they are both chomping down on the same piece of spaghetti from opposite ends...

Again I say unto all of you (As I said unto all of you early in this interminable thread), that thou shouldst merely recognize that no one will convince anyone of anything, and therefore you should give in to Our Noodly Master (the Flying Spaghetti Monster), dress in appropriately worshipful Pirate Garb, and take Communion (a nice large plate of spaghetti, with a delightful sauce and some wonderful meatballs) at your favorite church (that would be an italian restaurant).

Ramen!

What about the heretics who believe in The Flying Lasagne Monster?

Originally Posted by brianL Converted to atheism in my early teens, never have and never will waver.

i know you said your not religious Brain, but do you feel spiritual in anyway?