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| Poll: What are you? |
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| Christian |
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24% |
[37] |
| Muslim |
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1% |
[2] |
| Buddhist |
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1% |
[2] |
| Atheist |
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49% |
[74] |
| Deist |
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0% |
[0] |
| Jew |
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1% |
[2] |
| Hindu |
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0% |
[0] |
| Jainist |
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0% |
[1] |
| Zoroastrian |
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1% |
[2] |
| Scientologist |
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0% |
[1] |
| Shintoist |
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0% |
[0] |
| Taoist |
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0% |
[0] |
| Confucian |
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1% |
[2] |
| Wiccan |
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0% |
[0] |
| Other (please specify) |
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10% |
[15] |
| Don't care (aka apatheist) |
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7% |
[11] |
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| Total Votes : 149 |
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| Author |
Message |
Norman Bates
Gender: Male
Age: 51
Location: Paris, France
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- #11
- Posted: 06/02/2013 07:14
- Post subject:
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| swedenman wrote: | | It sounds like you're saying that religion might make people feel better about their lives, which certainly can't be denied, but to me that's very much distinct from saying that it makes life better for them, or that it improves life for mankind as a whole. Did I misinterpret you? |
No, you're right. It probably doesn't improve life for mankind as a whole, from an atheist's viewpoint. Mind you, it throws millions of people into apathetic acceptance of their 'fate', which, in a way, upholds the whole socio-economic system our modern societies are based on. So, in a way, it makes everybody's lives easier. I can see I'm not very clear, I'll elaborate later if I can, it's a bit difficult to stay focused right now.
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Norman Bates
Gender: Male
Age: 51
Location: Paris, France
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- #12
- Posted: 06/02/2013 07:21
- Post subject:
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EDIT (of sorts): I may have found a formula that explains what I mean better : believing doesn't make anybody's life better, it makes it easier to accept. Hope that clears what I was struggling to say.
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Defago
Your Most Favorite User
Gender: Male
Age: 31
Location: Lima
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- #13
- Posted: 06/02/2013 08:20
- Post subject:
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Well, religion (or the "faith") does have an evolutionary explanation, which was that people who believe without doubt what their elders said tended to survive more than people who didn't listen when the tribe elder said not to eat a certain mushroom. Nowadays, though, I think it's lost its usefulness and whatever positive "peace-of-mind" effect is cancelled by the lack of curious thought it entails.
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Guest
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- #14
- Posted: 06/02/2013 08:57
- Post subject:
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| Defago wrote: | | Well, religion (or the "faith") does have an evolutionary explanation, which was that people who believe without doubt what their elders said tended to survive more than people who didn't listen when the tribe elder said not to eat a certain mushroom. Nowadays, though, I think it's lost its usefulness and whatever positive "peace-of-mind" effect is cancelled by the lack of curious thought it entails. |
See, there was a time when religion was useful. There was a time when we had no other way of understanding the way the sun rises and sets, or the way the tide goes in and the tide goes out (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wb3AFMe2OQY), and back then religion was by far the best explanation based on what they knew and understood. But we're to a point where we should have outgrown these superstitions. It's genuinely heartbreaking every time I hear a story about some kid dying because his parents believe in praying but not in modern medicine (which happens way too often; then again, the fact that it happens at all means it's happening way too often). For fuck's sake, Bill Nye made the mistake of mentioning in a lecture he gave in some Texas town that the moon doesn't produce any discernible amount of light on its own and several people in the audience stormed out angrily, shouting "We believe in God!" on the way out (for those not familiar with the Bible, they were taking issue with this because of a passage in Genesis which states that God made two lights, the stronger (the sun) to rule the day and the weaker (the moon) to rule the night). And the worst part of it is that there are people with PhDs who believe the Earth is 6000 years old. It transcends education, and we're to a point in our history of scientific discovery that these superstitions are not only ludicrous and unnecessary, but that they are actively harming civilization. Now, if you want to go to church on Sundays and pray to a God I don't believe in, then feel free. But I get pretty fucking uptight when I hear constantly about government officials trying to get schools to teach that man and dinosaur walked the Earth together, or that Darwin was a racist, or that evolution can't explain gravity (this is true, actually, but it's the stupidest fucking thing I've ever heard and I've heard countless creationists say it in an attempt to discredit evolution). And that's only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the perpetual encroachment upon free society committed almost daily by religious organizations.
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L Lawliet
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- #15
- Posted: 06/02/2013 09:14
- Post subject:
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When I get level 8 I will post my top 50 religions chart.
_________________
She's dead, wrapped in plastic.
Justice is not a frivolous thing, Simpson. It has little if anything to do with a disobedient whale.
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Puncture Repair
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- #16
- Posted: 06/02/2013 09:27
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I believe the possibility of a god is as possible as there not being one - however from what I've learnt and experienced in life, I currently lean towards god not existing. I'm more than willing to give any religion some of my time, and very willing to be convinced that a god does exist.
Atheism can come with snobbery (as can any religion), and I wouldn't want to be a part of that, so I label myself as an Agnostic Atheist.
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Norman Bates
Gender: Male
Age: 51
Location: Paris, France
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- #17
- Posted: 06/02/2013 09:46
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| Puncture Repair wrote: | | I label myself as an Agnostic Atheist. |
Does this mean you're positive agnoticism doesn't exist or doubting whether atheism does?
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Puncture Repair
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- #18
- Posted: 06/02/2013 09:52
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| Norman Bates wrote: | | Does this mean you're positive agnoticism doesn't exist or doubting whether atheism does? |
The latter, I think.
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Cymro2011
The Beatles were objectively average
Gender: Male
Age: 28
Location: In a deep, dark bubblegum graveyard
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- #19
- Posted: 06/02/2013 10:32
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There is only one real religion. Jedism.
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Puncture Repair
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- #20
- Posted: 06/02/2013 10:40
- Post subject:
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| Cymro2011 wrote: | | There is only one real religion. Jedism. |
In the eyes of the Government I'm a Jedi, because my Mum thought it would be funny to put that on the census.
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