What religion are you?

No-one's Jewish?

Kernel

Wasn't there something posted by Trojan about not posting in AH for more publicity? Why not post this in the religion / spirituality forum? Since it's clearly just for baiting and flame wars in this environment?

CerebralCortex

Zynks wrote:

I believe life starts and ends here, with only one shot at it, and I am comfortable enough with it not to need religion to give me a false sense of security.

On the other hand, I do believe in making my best effort to leave a better world for my kids.

I've heard this said alot, its kind of infuriating (but I'm not angry this time I can understand and appreciate your point) that people think they know what is best for their kids they are just going to DIE too.

It seems life is a never ending meaningless circle of suffering, that is if you think about it too much.

CerebralCortex

Agnostisism should have 2 categories:-

Agnostic/1 = hopes there is a god but doesn't know and believes you can't know.
Agnostic/2 = really is closer to Atheist but believes that it is as yet impossible to prove that he/she/whatever definitively and finally does not exist.

What do you think?
Am I talking the smack that smells like my crack?

Devion

Tar.Aldarion wrote:

choose life

Gotcha

Sarunas

Non-practicing Catholic; tho ideas of Buddhism appeal to me.

Tar.Aldarion

Devion wrote:

Gotcha

ah another soul saved off to bed

the_syco

Catholic till I get laid. Then I'll look into Nordic/Viking religion.

Sleepy

Kernel wrote:

Wasn't there something posted by Trojan about not posting in AH for more publicity? Why not post this in the religion / spirituality forum? Since it's clearly just for baiting and flame wars in this environment?

Nope, it's not for posted purely for "baiting and flame wars". Besides from my few looks at the religion/spirituality forum it's not the most tolerant of those not involved in one of the judeo-christian religions.

Piste

CerebralCortex wrote:

Agnostisism should have 2 categories:-

Agnostic/1 = hopes there is a god but doesn't know and believes you can't know.
Agnostic/2 = really is closer to Atheist but believes that it is as yet impossible to prove that he/she/whatever definitively and finally does not exist.

I like that idea of splitting Agnosticism into two categories. Me, I'm in category 2.

NotMe

The Atheist wrote:

If we were to be real about the whole thing we can only all be agnostic.

Atheists can't prove there is no god, and religious folk can't prove there is.
Agnostism is the only one that recognises the fact that we really can't know.

Ah but it's not about proof, it's about belief. Religious folk BELIEVE there is a god. Athiests BELIEVE there isn't. Agnostics are undecided.

Nevyn

Sleepy wrote:

Nope, it's not for posted purely for "baiting and flame wars". Besides from my few looks at the religion/spirituality forum it's not the most tolerant of those not involved in one of the judeo-christian religions.

Buddism and paganism are not one of the judeo-christin religions and they have thier own space with the the religion/spirituality. The spirituality forum it's self is for all types, forms and shapes of spirituality dicussions, talk about them and compare and contrast them and personal beliefs in a postitive manner.

If it was all judeo-christian religions I sure as hell would not be a mod of two of the sections there.

Le Rack

well Im atheist/wiccan if that makes any sense...

boneless

I'm a born again atheist.

Did you hear 'bout the dyslexic, insomniac agnostic?

He lies awake all night wondering if ther is a dog up in heaven.

Nevyn

Le Rack wrote:

well Im atheist/wiccan if that makes any sense...

ah not me it doesnt, how can you be wiccan and not believe in the God and Goddess.

I can understand some one being pagan and not having a god but seeing the divine in nature but atheist/wiccan ?

Gambler

Raised as a Bahaí but have gone the Agnostic route.

[Edit]I should clarify "my" interpretation of Agnostic.

I do believe in something, just not in any religions or "named groupings of like minded individuals" (Pagans, I'm looking at you here )

I know what I believe and that's my religion, anyone else want to join?
[/Edit]

Zombienosh

I hate all organised religion, and dont believe in any god etc.

CerebralCortex

Le Rack wrote:

well Im atheist/wiccan if that makes any sense...

How did you pull that of?

CerebralCortex

AlcoholicA wrote:

I hate all organised religion, and dont believe in any god etc.

Hate's a strong word for such a person as mod.

Zombienosh

CerebralCortex wrote:

Hate's a strong word for such a person as mod.

well I feel strongly about the matter.

seamus

Poll edited to include Paganism, and the catch-all category for those of us who believe whatever the hell we want to.

Sleepy

Cheers Seamus

Dades

What the heck is Paganism anyway?
Sounds more like a club than a religion.

Don't get me wrong - I'm all for clubs. But not those that marquarade as religions.

Scientology, anyone?

Talliesin

The Atheist wrote:

What the heck is Paganism anyway?

Read the stickies on the Paganism board.

The Atheist wrote:

Sounds more like a club than a religion.

Oh, I can think of a few people I'd blackball if it was.

Talliesin

Le Rack wrote:

well Im atheist/wiccan if that makes any sense...

Eh, no.
Though I know some Pagans don't believe the Gods have any existence outside of the collective minds of humananity, which I suppose is either Theist or Atheist depending on how you look at it.

Tha Gopher

Im an extremely lazy catholic. Only at mass for christenings, weddings, funerals etc etc. In all fairness I think god would accept this more than people who go to mass even though they havent a clue whats going on, who are only there to look good for whatever neighbour or family members

Given the age of your typical boards member im suprised mass attendance is nearing 20%

Have a question for the people who claim Islam. How much do you follow the rules? Alot of Irish have this view that all muslims are 100% non drinking non doing whatever people, which IMO is only a half truth. I know one guy who drinks etc when he doesnt have to go back to his parents gaff, but its strictly coke and lucozade when he does have to go home. Another guy, he woulda been born muslim, has muslim first and second names, but his dad isnt around and his irish mother is a loon, so he pays little attention to all that, been drinking and drugs since I can remember, basically like most Irish lads id pal about with. However, alot of the recent adult immigrants seem to be stricter on it, Ive yet to see a pile of drunken Pakistanis down the pub (though ive been talking once or twice to some very drunk Sudanese doctors , seein as I know people in the local hospital)

Another thing, why do Bosnian muslims seem to be less strict on various rules than others? I know 3 birds from there, they drink, they dont wear veils, they have boyfriends etc etc basically all the things that I dont know of any girl from a Pakistani, Arab or African muslim household be allowed do, and AFAIK their parents have no problem with it. How come some muslim areas just didnt adopt it as heavy?

Calibos

I know what I believe and that's my religion, anyone else want to join?

This reminded me of certain people.

We all know how christians for instance often pick and choose which parts of the bible they take literally and what parts they see as merely metaphors etc and which church rules are eternal and which rules can be ignored because they were merely of their time and do not apply now.

What I find even stranger than that are people who do not believe lock stock and barrel in any particular religion but pick and choose the bits they like from all the religions and mold their own believe system around them. "Right well I like the sound of re-incarnation so I'll have a bit of that from hinduism....oh, nirvana sounds good, I'll have a bit of that from Buddism....well the dalai lama seems like a nice guy, I think I'll have a bit of that prayer wheel lark etc"

Do these people really believe in this conglomeration of various bits of beliefs. Do they really believe that they have stumbled upon the exact combination of beliefs from the various religions that God wants them to live their lives by. Is that not a bit conceited to think that you (I'm not refering to the poster of the quote, he just said something that reminded me of other people) are one of the few people in the world to have stumbled across the perfect combination of beliefs?

solas

I polled non practising christian, but your reference to eclecticticism (did I just make up a new word?) would be more appropriate, that's why I felt the need for a spirituality board.

seamus

Calibos wrote:

Do these people really believe in this conglomeration of various bits of beliefs. Do they really believe that they have stumbled upon the exact combination of beliefs from the various religions that God wants them to live their lives by. Is that not a bit conceited to think that you (I'm not refering to the poster of the quote, he just said something that reminded me of other people) are one of the few people in the world to have stumbled across the perfect combination of beliefs?

Do you not think it's disgustingly conceited for anyone, no matter what religion they are, to think that they've stumbled upon the perfect belief?

As far as I'm concerned, I'm happy to live by a set of morals that I feel comfortable with, and that I would be happy if other people persued. Whether they do or not is none of my business, which ironically is part of the moral guideline.

A religion should only be a moral framework, nothing more. It should not have any reference to political, financial or economic concerns.

Personally, I believe that the only truth is "Do unto others as you would have done unto you". I can't see for the life of me, how anyone, of any religion, anywhere, could possibly refute this as being the best way to live.
But does living by this, make me a Christian? Not necessarily. I don't believe he was "The Son of God", or otherwise anything but another human being. I believe that the mass, the communion, if it in fact played out like is put out in the Bible, is the ultimate expression of Jesus's humanity - he, like the rest of us, wanted to live forever. He still had, and still acted upon, an ego.
I do believe in Karma, something which would also disqualify me from the Christian ideal.

So in summary, I do pull a few different bits from a few different religions, but that doesn't mean that I don't believe them.

Talliesin

Calibos wrote:

Do these people really believe in this conglomeration of various bits of beliefs.

To varying degrees yes.

I do think there can be a danger with ecleticism where what you're really doing is picking the bits that are least challenging to yourself so that you arrive at the comfortable conclusion that you're doing things right without being challenged.

However, I would certainly not say that this is what all such people are doing, I can think of some people who are ecletic (mainly ecletic Pagan Witches other types of ecletic Pagans rather than those who cast their nets wider, after all in the circles I move in I'm going to meet more such people than those who work mainly with Eastern systems) who are very definitely living their path.

Calibos wrote:

Do they really believe that they have stumbled upon the exact combination of beliefs from the various religions that God wants them to live their lives by.

When done with sincerity it's more a matter of actively seeking the combination that they should live by (whether that is a matter of the will of some deity or deities would of course depend on just what that combination is).

Calibos wrote:

Is that not a bit conceited to think that you (I'm not refering to the poster of the quote, he just said something that reminded me of other people) are one of the few people in the world to have stumbled across the perfect combination of beliefs?

How does it follow that there are few people who have done so?