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@mostlyharmless -- Stand out in any Stanley lately?
I don't understand your question at all. Stanley? As in Laurel and Hardy? As in the american tool manufacturer? Or is this some new idiomatic expression? Do enlighten me.
I'm just curious about the gross distribution of faith or non-faith on a forum like this.
I wasn't quite sure how to divide the list. This could easily grow out of proportion, so I decided to put the 'firm believer' on top. Whether it's Polytheism, Monotheism, or some kind of New Age thing. I know some of you don't like to be mashed together, but it is more about the state of mind than the actual religion that I'm interested in.
My thread, my rules
For the simple sake of returning to the original question asked waaaaaay back in the time of 2007, and for anyone who would be interested to know in the current era of 2010, I'd like to answer that I am indeed a firm believer...
Hmm, I haven't head of Deist before, and what I read (First few lines in wikipedia :P) it actually seems plausible (To me). If string theory is correct (A pretty big IF, since string theory isn't even a scientific theory yet), then in theory we could create some universe hidden in a dimension we cant observe (If I have read the popular science correctly). And if that is correct, we can't exclude our own universe from being someones scientific experiment and hidden in some dimension they can't observe.
(Take this with a grain of salt, as particle physics isn't my thing. Particle physicists are welcome to pull me back on firm atheist ground ).
But IF these assumptions is correct, I couldn't exclude being a Deist until I have read more about it. If we were to make a universe in a scientific experiment, we obviously couldn't change the laws of physics inside that universe, so we wouldn't be almighty, we would just be the creator. I'm not sure if that counts as being God.
apparently religion remains a topic to lots of people and ain't going to disappear anytime soon..
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dinithion
Hmm, I haven't head of Deist before, and what I read (First few lines in wikipedia :P) it actually seems plausible (To me). If string theory is correct (A pretty big IF, since string theory isn't even a scientific theory yet), then in theory we could create some universe hidden in a dimension we cant observe (If I have read the popular science correctly). And if that is correct, we can't exclude our own universe from being someones scientific experiment and hidden in some dimension they can't observe.
(Take this with a grain of salt, as particle physics isn't my thing. Particle physicists are welcome to pull me back on firm atheist ground ).
But IF these assumptions is correct, I couldn't exclude being a Deist until I have read more about it. If we were to make a universe in a scientific experiment, we obviously couldn't change the laws of physics inside that universe, so we wouldn't be almighty, we would just be the creator. I'm not sure if that counts as being God.
well , in regards to string theory as a possible justification for deism my response as a rationalist and atheist is that faith or the lack thereof can only be assessed through epistemology (i.e the nature of knowledge) rather than knowledge itself.
my point of contention here is that , EVEN if some geek initiates a "universe" in the context of string or M theory he/she still would not qualify to be a god , as the definition of such a thing would require at least one if not all of the 3 OMNI's (that's onmipotence , omniscience and omnibenevolence ).
obviously a lab coat version of god , doesn't have any of these features , instead it would be more accurate to think of he/she as just another cause in the infinite chain of causality that is the multiverse .
IF however it can be empirically or theoretically shown that the "initiator" could manipulate the initiated universe then we could talk about god or gods...
btw , everybody who's interested in the subject of religion should watch this GREAT GREAT video by ProfMTH The shifting sands of evidence
I still believe religion is a mental illness. As far back as history goes, man has been murdering man in the name of their god. It would be nice to think that if religion could be outlawed, man would be better off. I think, perhaps it is our nature to kill one-another and to do so in the name of a god is just an excuse. We would use the purple team to kill the green team or vice-versa.
All I know is that I mentally kill myself over this kind of bull$#!7* every day. I have no idea what you'd call my beliefs...
* = I have this nagging feeling that someone is going to try to crush my hopes/beliefs with a 10-ton weight after having posted that link. I'm very (very) sensitive about that topic, so I would appreciate it if no one brought it up again here. When I use the red/bold text, I mean it. Seriously, if anyone posts more of that thread's related bullcrap here, they go immediately on my ignore list. The way I see it, this is a thread for describing your religiousness/spirituality/atheism/whatever, not for debating it.
EDIT: Ah, I see the majority of voters are atheist...thanks guys, for making me feel "special". Honestly, I don't see a choice in that poll which best fits my beliefs. Even if I did, though, I would still feel quite small.
Interesting, I haven't checked this poll in a while and it seems that Atheists and Agnostics are winning ... I would never have believed it. I thought these were quite rare, I mean I never met another Atheist in real life ...
Distribution: Fedora on servers, Debian on PPC Mac, custom source-built for desktops
Posts: 174
Rep:
Well, since it seems most linux users are geeks, and geeks lean towards the left, and liberals are more likely to be atheist, this makes sense. Republican geek and proud.
I still believe religion is a mental illness. As far back as history goes, man has been murdering man in the name of their god. It would be nice to think that if religion could be outlawed, man would be better off. I think, perhaps it is our nature to kill one-another and to do so in the name of a god is just an excuse. We would use the purple team to kill the green team or vice-versa.
well as for outlawing religion , i don't think that would be a good idea..
however , i do get very pissed at parents who brainwash their kids into religious dogma or doctrines in general , i'd therefore support an amendment to human rights that make it amoral and criminal to preach religion to children as they are incapable to distinguish between the lies of man (scripture) and the truth and rational of the physical world.
Quote:
All I know is that I mentally kill myself over this kind of bull$#!7* every day. I have no idea what you'd call my beliefs...
WELL i'm soon going to announce the world's first thinking computer and i'm going to call it the "TERMINATOR" buahahahahahahaha
nah i'm just kidding .....Please don't put me on your ignore list it's a joke
anyways , i'm not quite sure what you're so sensitive about it , is it the thought of having artificial intelligence in the future ?
personally speaking , i find that totally irrelevant as every living creature already is indeed a machine and has always been , the only difference to computers is that animals such as the homo sapiens use proteins and biochemistry instead of solid state semi-conductors ..
btw , i guess you should describe yourself as a spiritualist ...
as for me , i'm also (aside from being an atheist) an empirical skeptic , only positive demonstrable empirical evidence could convince me of the existence of a soul or afterlife....etc
Quote:
Originally Posted by H_TeXMeX_H;
Interesting, I haven't checked this poll in a while and it seems that Atheists and Agnostics are winning ... I would never have believed it. I thought these were quite rare, I mean I never met another Atheist in real life ...
well personally , i've met some atheists "comrades" in my real life actually it turned out they were much closer than expected , only thanx to religion and its tyrannical oppression did they not appear to me at first glance...
looks like most atheists were/are in hiding...
Quote:
Originally Posted by bendib;
Well, since it seems most linux users are geeks, and geeks lean towards the left, and liberals are more likely to be atheist, this makes sense. Republican geek and proud.
well according to statistics done on academics and intellectuals , the rate of religiousness is inversely proportional to the level of degrees and education the higher the degree the lower the rate of faith if present at all...
i guess , this is because the more you learn the better you're capable to see right through the bullshit that religion throws on the table.
apparently , any intellectual whether a professor or a geek without a degree does exhibit this characteristic.
In the US, at least, you are unlikely to meet a fellow since discrimination against atheists is alive and well and, seemingly, not illegal. There are anecdotes about people losing their jobs when their religious boss discovers their lack of belief. The FFRF and other groups are combating this whenever they learn of it, but unfortunately the US seems to want to go backwards a few hundred years and start to forget science and go with superstition. A bit like certain groups in the Middle East, in fact. Odd that, eh?
In the US, at least, you are unlikely to meet a fellow since discrimination against atheists is alive and well and, seemingly, not illegal. There are anecdotes about people losing their jobs when their religious boss discovers their lack of belief. The FFRF and other groups are combating this whenever they learn of it, but unfortunately the US seems to want to go backwards a few hundred years and start to forget science and go with superstition. A bit like certain groups in the Middle East, in fact. Odd that, eh?
Thats funny since I thought nobody can be fired for their beliefs, sexual orientation, etc. A lot of good that so-called company statement does when apparently your beliefs or lack-there-of is somehow a basis to get yourself fired.
So we are going backwards? Great, then I can't wait until we get back to witch trials and burnings! Loads of fun that will be. Of course anyone with a hint of intelligence will be branded a witch/wizard, tried, convicted and executed, which will purge the remaining few in this country, turning it into a western version of Afghanistan.
Have you listened to your elected representatives/people trying for election? When you do, substitute "Allah/Mohammed" for "God/Jesus" and change "Bible" for "Koran" and see if there is any real difference in the rhetoric between the firebrands of the Middle East and the firebrands of Middle America.
In the US, at least, you are unlikely to meet a fellow since discrimination against atheists is alive and well and, seemingly, not illegal. There are anecdotes about people losing their jobs when their religious boss discovers their lack of belief. The FFRF and other groups are combating this whenever they learn of it, but unfortunately the US seems to want to go backwards a few hundred years and start to forget science and go with superstition. A bit like certain groups in the Middle East, in fact. Odd that, eh?
Pity. I never hide my beliefs, but I seldom talk, so ... I guess it might be the same thing. I mean if someone asks me what religion I am, I will say Atheist and never ever ever lie about this, I would never say that I am religious, that would be the greatest insult to me.
I mean, imagine that you would have to hide what you believe in, would you ? I wouldn't. Maybe only if my life would be in danger.
Last edited by H_TeXMeX_H; 07-11-2010 at 10:36 AM.
Have you listened to your elected representatives/people trying for election? When you do, substitute "Allah/Mohammed" for "God/Jesus" and change "Bible" for "Koran" and see if there is any real difference in the rhetoric between the firebrands of the Middle East and the firebrands of Middle America.
There was a Daily Show ep three/four days ago, (I don't remember which day, but it was last week) and the spotlight of course was on Fox. All the pundits were up in arms about not only a Mosque being built in Tennessee, but the potential threat from Sharia law, but then Jon Stewart and his team of WIN, rolled clips of the same pundits, comparing the laws that we have, being based on the 10 Commandments, and Christian/Judeo values, etc, blatantly contradicting themselves (as they always do).
If you do have access to The Daily Show eps (on www.dailyshow.com), I suggest you take a look. Sometimes I wonder if the morons on Fox have any concept of what reality they are in?
We can watch "The Daily Show Global Edition" on More4 (a freeview channel) here (Monday, 8.30 PM). It's highlights of the week, no idea whether it's up to date or what, I've never watched it
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