Do you ascribe to a certain religion?

[TruckStuff]

This is just a quick informal poll. Not meant to start a flame war or anything. :)

Also, these choices are not meant to be all inclusive. I just hit some high points. Please forgive me if I left out yours.

[welfareloser]

subscribe.



i'll happily worship any trickster god or goddess of fertility, music, or intoxication. kokopelli... loki... you get the idea ;)

i've got a special place in my heart for any with serious style points, too... like thor. dumb as a box of rocks and goes all-out when he dresses in drag.

[Yossarian]

i'm am what most call a hethen. atheist

[Bires]

Many of you guys are in San Diego, right?

Do any of you go to The Rock church? (I have some fam that does)


Oh yeah...Evangelical (that's your "etc" )

[Kim]

I belong to the church of Kim. I am thankful for what I have, help others when ever I can, I treat others the way I want to be treated. I see my god in the Stars at night, on a sunny day in the mountains, and in the laughter of my children.

[welfareloser]

I see my god ... in the laughter of my children.

me too :dodgy: that's what i get for choosing loki and kokopelli...

[Markel]

I consider this poll flawed. You list many religions, then throw in some denominations. You should have just put "Christian" as a choice, and I would gladly vote.

[ArkiStan]

I'm Stanish of the house of indecision.

I enjoy going ro church to listen to the words of "God" for "She" has many beliefs that I believe are great and I should apply to my life. (I usually leave when the youth group notices me and tries to get my phone number.)

I listen with open ears at Buddhist lecture masses (although some may argue that Buddhism is a philosophy and not a religion, nevertheless it's a critical part of Stanism.) for it helps me practice self control. It was particularly helpful when my cholesterol level was getting out of hand.

I no longer seek wisdom from the Amish for my electricity is now included in my rent.

Most of all, I am an atheist when I err, for I believe I am the only one that should be responsible for my actions. This, I must say, is the hardest part of my religion.

[ialsohaveadream]

This is just a quick informal poll. Not meant to start a flame war or anything. :)
Well, sure...Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!
http://www.montypythonpages.com/pictures/spanish_inq.jpg

[TruckStuff]

I consider this poll flawed. You list many religions, then throw in some denominations. You should have just put "Christian" as a choice, and I would gladly vote. Well I can't edit the poll once its posted, but I intentionally listed Catholics and Protestants seprately. If they are the same thing, what did the Reformation accomplish? :shrug:

[molecularfire]

I'm a devout agnotic. I am absolutely sure that I don't know.

[Houdini]

Well I can't edit the poll once its posted, but I intentionally listed Catholics and Protestants seprately. If they are the same thing, what did the Reformation accomplish? :shrug:


Yes, but Catholics are about as Christian as you can get. Original, stocked with other books in the archives, and followers of the gospels. Why separate them?

[Yossarian]

to make people complain about it?

[Nija]

Satanist. I guess I fall under 'other'.

[TruckStuff]

Yes, but Catholics are about as Christian as you can get. Original, stocked with other books in the archives, and followers of the gospels. Why separate them? Because I don't consider Catholics to be Christians (in the evangelical sense), and its my poll? ;)

[oblongmelon]

HEY!.since we Catholics are far better than any other religion-I DEMAND a poll choice all of our own *chases those pesky Episcopalians away with a broom*.. ;)
(yes, this is sarcasm-please no flaming, you'll get that anyway for not being Catholic and all going to hell when you die)

[hapoo]

wow, more than a third of people here don't believe in god. Kinda surprising

[molecularfire]

No... about 1/6 doesn't believe in god. Man, and I thought my math sucked.

[clutchy]

I belong to the church of Kim. I am thankful for what I have, help others when ever I can, I treat others the way I want to be treated. I see my god in the Stars at night, on a sunny day in the mountains, and in the laughter of my children.


alright we have a Sheilaist among the ranks.

http://www.robertbellah.com/lectures_5.htm

be careful it's a dangerous path...


I'm Stanish of the house of indecision.

I enjoy going ro church to listen to the words of "God" for "She" has many beliefs that I believe are great and I should apply to my life. (I usually leave when the youth group notices me and tries to get my phone number.)

I listen with open ears at Buddhist lecture masses (although some may argue that Buddhism is a philosophy and not a religion, nevertheless it's a critical part of Stanism.) for it helps me practice self control. It was particularly helpful when my cholesterol level was getting out of hand.

I no longer seek wisdom from the Amish for my electricity is now included in my rent.

Most of all, I am an atheist when I err, for I believe I am the only one that should be responsible for my actions. This, I must say, is the hardest part of my religion.


and more Sheilaism!!

[welfareloser]

clutchy: knock it off. at least have the class to not insult other people as they are having a pleasant discussion about their religions. yes... calling it "dangerous" is insulting. i know you're trying to help, and that's cool, but what you need to realize is that everybody already knows what someone with your particular set of beliefs is going to have to say about it... and we made our own decisions. so, when the topic at hand is an invitation for others to talk about their religions, which are every bit as important to them as yours is to you, some respect and restraint is in order, despite your certitude.

[InfiniteNothing]

I think Buddhism is neither philosophy nor religion.

[nickel]

i know this will surprise many of you, but. . . i am Catholic. i was raised Catholic and i maintain those beliefs. that makes 7 of us. :)

[welfareloser]

I think Buddhism is neither philosophy nor religion.

it is neither... and both... it is everything ... and nothing... we are all one...

sounds about right ;)

[oblongmelon]

i know this will surprise many of you, but. . . i am Catholic. i was raised Catholic and i maintain those beliefs. that makes 7 of us. :)

peace be with you.. ;)

[zenbooty]

I think Buddhism is neither philosophy nor religion.Actually, its both. Or even better, they are both.

[nickel]

peace be with you.. ;)
and also with you. :shakehand

[hapoo]

No... about 1/6 doesn't believe in god. Man, and I thought my math sucked.

my math doesn't suck, i lumped athiests with agnostics. you know, the heathens as yoss likes to call it :P j/k

[blueindian]

my math doesn't suck, i lumped athiests with agnostics. you know, the heathens as yoss likes to call it :P j/k

athiesm and agnosticism are VERY different.

[cheapie]

my math doesn't suck, i lumped athiests with agnostics. you know, the heathens as yoss likes to call it :P j/k


actually, he called himself a hethen. :hihi:

[LegendKiller]

Agnostic. I believe that most org religions have just altered the real meaning to suit their own agendas.

What is the real meaning? You have to decide that for yourself (IMO).

[molecularfire]

my math doesn't suck, i lumped athiests with agnostics. you know, the heathens as yoss likes to call it :P j/k
I know. Just pointing out that agnostics do believe in god, we just don't know if it's the judeo-christian trinity, the islamic Allah, the buddhist dieties, or the great turtle. An atheist when he dies he'll go to whatever diety exitst and say "you don't exist and I'm not here." An agnostic when he dies, whoever he sees, that's who he's going to be kissing up to.


Although the more and more I think about it... the more I like the idea of worshipping at the house of Kim.

[hapoo]

gotcha.
I was under the impression that beleiving in a non-specific god would be called spirituality and that a person identified as agnostic was unsure about the existance of god.

ag·nos·tic (ăg-nŏs'tĭk)
n.

One who believes that it is impossible to know whether there is a God.
One who is skeptical about the existence of God but does not profess true atheism.
One who is doubtful or noncommittal about something.
:shrug:

[Houdini]

Because I don't consider Catholics to be Christians (in the evangelical sense), and its my poll? ;)

Exactly how are Catholics not Christians? And if they aren't, then how can Christian denominations derived from the teachings and books of "non-Christians" (aka Protestants, etc.) possibly be considered Christian?

[molecularfire]

gotcha.
I was under the impression that beleiving in a non-specific god would be called spirituality and that a person identified as agnostic was unsure about the existance of god.

ag·nos·tic (ăg-nŏs'tĭk)
n.

One who believes that it is impossible to know whether there is a God.
One who is skeptical about the existence of God but does not profess true atheism.
One who is doubtful or noncommittal about something.
:shrug:
Actually, you're right, I explained it badly. Agnostics don't know if there is a god/gods and if there is they don't know who it is. I think there is a god/gods but if asked can't say I know for sure that there is. When I die, if all I do is rot, I'm fine with that. That said, we won't say that we don't believe in god/gods either.

btw... what did you pick for the poll. I kinda got an idea from Cheapie's post that you're either agnostic or atheist but then again... who trusts cheapie. :P

[InfiniteNothing]

it is neither... and both... it is everything ... and nothing... we are all one...

sounds about right ;)

LOL. I think it's also an activity—something to do.

[LegendKiller]

Actually, you're right, I explained it badly. Agnostics don't know if there is a god/gods and if there is they don't know who it is. I think there is a god/gods but if asked can't say I know for sure that there is. When I die, if all I do is rot, I'm fine with that. That said, we won't say that we don't believe in god/gods either.

btw... what did you pick for the poll. I kinda got an idea from Cheapie's post that you're either agnostic or atheist but then again... who trusts cheapie. :P

I think the mis-classification you used would be more for a non-denominational diety, which I mis-classified myself. There is a God, but no religion's God is above any other. This is what I prescribe to, more or less.

[cheapie]

cheapie's post? what did i say?


lk...so you believe that each religion is simply a different interpretation of the same deity?

[jstreet]

I always felt like agnostic was the person who says "I don't believe in God (unless he exists because I want to go to heaven!)"

Reading the definition, perhaps that's not accurate, but I still don't really know which I'm supposed to be. I don't believe in a god because I haven't seen proof of a god. If I saw proof of a god, I'd likely believe in him/her/it.

So I'm not "sure" there is no god, but as with anything I'll stay in the skeptical camp until I see evidence to the contrary.

[LegendKiller]

cheapie's post? what did i say?


lk...so you believe that each religion is simply a different interpretation of the same deity?

this is where I am conflicted myself. In many ways the Christian God is more or less the same as other religion's God (not to open a huge can of worms...but...). The God is an ultimate power that created Earth. You can call Him by a hundred different names and alter your version of beliefs to fit your society, but in the end, it is still one God. Everybody feels ordained to say their God is *the* God, they are right and everybody else is wrong.

Why can't we all be right and be satisified by that?

I personally don't think God is within the Bible or within any church or regular belief system. I think he is in every creation and if you truly wanted to worship him, you just enjoy his creation and acknowledge the greatness of it (Not to sound like some kinda hippie). Not that I think God hates us for killing a deer, but he knows that our surivival is dependant on it.

This is my fundamental issue with religions. My experiences have shown me that most of the time, they are only in it for their own agendas. Whether that is increasing the parish base, preserving their beliefs, or getting people to side with them and not others. It seems they have just ripped apart the meaning to suit their mentality. People are so caught up in the struggle that they just seem bent on controlling others and not living their own life.

The "them or us" attitude has done a lot of harm in history and continues to do so.

[cheapie]

The "them or us" attitude has done a lot of harm in history and continues to do so.

:stupid:


while i understand the desire to think so, why is it that items like finance, laws, market factors, etc., all are exact but items like the nature of God, right and wrong, morality, etc. are defined by each individual?

[InfiniteNothing]

Because there's no indication that any of us is righter than the other. :shrug:

[LegendKiller]

:stupid:


while i understand the desire to think so, why is it that items like finance, laws, market factors, etc., all are exact but items like the nature of God, right and wrong, morality, etc. are defined by each individual?


Certain things can be defined to fit the best of all worlds. Financial markets are no more than a massive glob of individual ideas that eventually find a consensus.

Ask somebody what a stock is worth and you get a million answers. Some say the future benefits of cashflows, others say abnormal earnings. Ask them how to value stocks and you get a million more answers.

Basic laws are created for the benefit of general society. The Republic created laws to not only safeguard the majority, but prevent the majority from ruling the minority. America, in it's original definition, was/is an experiment in self-rule.

Right/wrong are open to interpretation. Many times that interpretation is warped by individual machinations and motivations (money, power...etc). However, for most issues society can come to the consensus that it's bad to shoot somebody for no reason or to steal property.

Common laws are easy and have been around before the Bible or any Judeo-Christian rules.

Morality and other "higher" laws are set by the majority and often times trample the minority. These are the biggest problems for societies because they are open to such vast interpretation. Most religions have created their own "higher" laws, but when somebody develops their own version they try to impose it onto other's.

That imposition is where you get fundamentalism and conflict. They claim to be doing "Gods work" but the only thing they are doing is forwarding their own definition of higher morality.

The sociology study of humans is quite interesting. Blend it with psychology and it gets downright addicting. Too bad people would rather sit on opposite sides of the line and throw rocks at eachother than try to understand.

If they did that I could quit finance and make a good living studying people :)

[hapoo]

btw... what did you pick for the poll. I kinda got an idea from Cheapie's post that you're either agnostic or atheist but then again... who trusts cheapie. :P

I would be the one and only muslim that voted :wavey:

[Yossarian]

i do not like green eggs and ham, i'm am a hethen, i am i am, but i shall not be a heathen, sam i am.

[welfareloser]

i do not like green eggs and ham, i'm am a hethen, i am i am, but i shall not be a heathen, sam i am.

sam i am had a liquid breakfast today, dint he? :hmm: