What is your religion?

[Susie]

I don't believe in religion, neither do I doubt it, the same thing goes for science, I choose to not bother with anything at all about religion, because I think they're both reasonable, and I don't wanna choose one over the other. Once I'm dead and end up in heaven I'll choose religion.

[Agro]

But that depends on whether or not you think that good points outweigh the bad points. And even then, that doesn't count as evidence or a reason to believe for the sake of it.

 

I couldn't tell if you were religious or not from your comment (which should be applauded, as it's hard to remain resolutely neutral on a standpoint such as religion), but I'd like to cast a non-religious viewpoint on your comment. I'm sure a religious person will do the same.

But my argument wasn't to give them reason to believe in religion.

 

I'm merely suggesting that people take into consideration the good along with the bad, because all too much, people only consider the bad and ignore the good to justify their decisions.

[Tentacruel]

But my argument wasn't to give them reason to believe in religion.

 

I'm merely suggesting that people take into consideration the good along with the bad, because all too much, people only consider the bad and ignore the good to justify their decisions.

People do that with anything, whether it be religion or not.  I suppose you could call that bias.

[Agro]

Why would somebody search for something that doesn't exist? Or it might just be me.

Charity work and great strides in the Arts are examples of good that have come from both things.

 

Not to mention the moral attitudes that have arisen from many religions advocating peace and kindness.

 

Of course, there are people that twisted such ideas to their own use and there are certain terrible things that have arisen, but in most cases, I would point towards religion not being the cause, but the catalyst. Wars based off religious means could just have easily been led off of economic reasons or power grabs.

[L0SS]

But my argument wasn't to give them reason to believe in religion.

 

I'm merely suggesting that people take into consideration the good along with the bad, because all too much, people only consider the bad and ignore the good to justify their decisions.

Fair enough. As a non-religious person, I'm almost certainly biased. But it's the logical, evidential standpoint that comes first for me; the negative aspects of religion only compound my case to not have faith. I see what you're saying though.

[Tourmaline]

Charity work and great strides in the Arts are examples of good that have come from both things.

Not to mention the moral attitudes that have arisen from many religions advocating peace and kindness.

Of course, there are people that twisted such ideas to their own use and there are certain terrible things that have arisen, but in most cases, I would point towards religion not being the cause, but the catalyst. Wars based off religious means could just have easily been led off of economic reasons or power grabs.

Obviously. I even said it myself. It's unfortunate it had to be twisted so negatively when somebody like Black can use it really well.

In terms or a meaning of life, I don't think life has an inherent one while people just make up their own purposes, regardless of reality as a whole.

[Thar]

As for the people that can only say they don't believe in religion because of the bad things, you fail to recollect the good things that have come from it.

 

I'm indifferent to it. The bad things caused by religion are just what I see based on how seriously people take it and how defensive they are against other ideas. The good things I take for granted because most traditional ceremonies like weddings or funerals are too common for me to consider relevant, in my opinion.

 

The day I figured out that faith was a lost cause for me was the day I became atheist.

[L0SS]

Wars based off religious means could just have easily been led off of economic reasons or power grabs.

The same could be said of charity work.

[Agro]

The same could be said of charity work.

Fair point. Religion is just a thing that enables, or attempts to enable, good actions and, depending on the teachings, bad actions.

 

How much it affects each can be argued, sure, but to ignore each side of the argument is what I'm advocating against.

 

 

The good things I take for granted because most traditional ceremonies like weddings or funerals are too common for me to consider relevant, in my opinion.

If something is too common, how is it not relevant?

 

Not trying to argue or anything, just asking.

[Thar]

If something is too common, how is it not relevant?

 

Not trying to argue or anything, just asking.

 

It happens so often and it's the only kind I'm familiar with, so it just passes on as normal for me, not religious.

[Agro]

It happens so often and it's the only kind I'm familiar with, so it just passes on as normal for me, not religious.

There, now that makes more sense.

 

A lesson in word choice, everyone.

[Captain Murphy ☆]

I'm atheist its been that way ever since I first read the whole bible (5th Grade). The other kids didn't like me ever since and I've had a hard time growing up like that, apparently, black atheists aren't common lol. I think my mom believes in "God" and my dad is a Freemason, to get in I think you have to believe in some form of a higher power. I've only been to church like twice in my whole life and that's it. My dad is from Samoa by the way... if anyone knows about Polynesian deities.

[L0SS]

Carl Sagan's words on humanity seem right here.

http://youtu.be/p86BPM1GV8M

[Astolfo]

 

*shot*

[a bad post]

 

*shot*

Neph stahp

In all honesty though religion is a very shaky subject for me

I was raised an Orthodox Christian, and for the first 13 years of my life I was a devout christian. I had noticed at this age though a few things in my church that worried me and shook my faith. First off church customs that I had held for years were changing, and I was then told to believe that they had never existed at all. I have also noticed a very intolerant attitude towards people of the Muslim faith, specifically Turkish. Now I do understand were they are coming from (I'm part Greek, so yeah there's some bad blood there), but to the degrees they were taking it bothered so I converted to Atheism.

 

I was an atheist for about a month. I just didn't agree with the fact that science and only science dictates what happens in the world. Plus the fact that I would just fade away into nothingness after I died, no afterlife, nothing scared me, and still scares me today.

 

I am currently a deist. My faith is that I believe there is some sort of higher power, but not some all knowing perfect God. Really its a whole lot more complex than that, but that would take a while, so this is the short version. 

[Cin]

I have no religion although I was christened as a baby. I do believe there is something after death, I remember praying after each of my grandparents died, that they would be safe.

 

When you study Philosophy at A Level you start giving everything relating to religion extra consideration.

[Suibon]

Roman Catholic.

[Eury]

Pagan/Asatru. 

[chairman ali]

Shi'a Muslim

[swag swag swag swag swag s]

Atheist.

[LeeRiser]

I am a multi religious.. Love all…

[Sleepy]

My family is catholic. I really don't consider myself there, though. To be honest, when I was little, there was a lot of content to memorize. Stories with meaning that us kids couldn't really fully grasp, and prays we were told to learn, and that I said every night before going to sleep. It's almost comical that at some point when I was in Middle School, I stopped taking those for granted and sit down to analyze what I had been saying throughout my lifetime. I had no idea what I had been praying to, or the meaning of some of those words initially. I must not be the only one, how is that a good thing?

 

That said, I DO believe things exist beyond our understanding. The concept of a higher diety doesn't even necessarily need to be supernatural, just much higher than my sense of puny three-dimensional comprehension. Even so, I don't really label myself under a specific religion. I believe most religions have good lessons to teach, even though they are not 100% full of them. Also, many religions have commited horrible acts, conspirations, and have many other negative aspects they do not share in the light. I attribute those to the human people that run those, not to the religions themselves. It is people who get weak and greedy, or fall from their place, or are affected by the way society is at a certain age, biased people. On the core, religions are alright to me though.

 

That's more or less my view.

I actually believe in the possibility of something on top, we are just not high/smart enough to interact or even be able to look up there with our typical limitations, and thinking that something is just resting or that it needs to show itself to a dot of it's creation, is a very egocentric thought.

 

Dunno how to call  myself.

[Madsen]

Awww shiet.

Tough one, for me, honestly.

 

I was born and raised, or rather am being raised, by and in a Muslim family, but one which doesn't actively practice religion. This has evolved into me not feeling so strong about religion. Living in Bosnia and Herzegovina at 14, however, were someone to ask me I'd say Muslim. I can recite many (insert word I'm pulling a blank on about, Sura in bosnian) [prayers?], and go to Islamic classes at school. I shit you not we have class about Islam once a week; but hey, this talks about human values over anything so it's pretty cool. Teacher's amazingly bad. Like, mediocre. I had a 10 minute shout-down with her because she, for a second, condoned what Nazis did in the 2nd World War and said Hitler wasn't that bad because he killed Jews and not Muslims, I shit you not. I had none of it and walked out of class, hopefully getting a new teacher next grade. Anyways, I myself consider myself to be something between Islam and many atheistic break offs; atheist/deist/agnostic. 

 

Religion is a tough one. My simple logic back in the day took me to Deistic beliefs - a God or being created the universe and space setting into motion all that would happen from that point. The Big Bang creating the universe and so on and so forth. But why would he leave it? Pure atheism isn't as sensible to me because it doesn't explain what happened before known events. But from what would God come from? It's all very complicated; unbelievably so. I just tend not to overthink it and just live life.

[ListenToLife]

Awww shiet.

Tough one, for me, honestly.

 

I was born and raised, or rather am being raised, by and in a Muslim family, but one which doesn't actively practice religion. This has evolved into me not feeling so strong about religion. Living in Bosnia and Herzegovina at 14, however, were someone to ask me I'd say Muslim. I can recite many (insert word I'm pulling a blank on about, Sura in bosnian) [prayers?], and go to Islamic classes at school. I shit you not we have class about Islam once a week; but hey, this talks about human values over anything so it's pretty cool. Teacher's amazingly bad. Like, mediocre. I had a 10 minute shout-down with her because she, for a second, condoned what Nazis did in the 2nd World War and said Hitler wasn't that bad because he killed Jews and not Muslims, I shit you not. I had none of it and walked out of class, hopefully getting a new teacher next grade. Anyways, I myself consider myself to be something between Islam and many atheistic break offs; atheist/deist/agnostic. 

 

Religion is a tough one. My simple logic back in the day took me to Deistic beliefs - a God or being created the universe and space setting into motion all that would happen from that point. The Big Bang creating the universe and so on and so forth. But why would he leave it? Pure atheism isn't as sensible to me because it doesn't explain what happened before known events. But from what would God come from? It's all very complicated; unbelievably so. I just tend not to overthink it and just live life.

 

'Pure-atheism' would be Anti-theism, the complete disbelief in a god. Atheism merely says there's no proof of one. It doesn't even attempt to explain what happened before the Big Bang, because there is no evidence to support any theories of pre-big bang existance.

[Aix]

'Pure-atheism' would be Anti-theism, the complete disbelief in a god. Atheism merely says there's no proof of one. It doesn't even attempt to explain what happened before the Big Bang, because there is no evidence to support any theories of pre-big bang existance.

Atheism is to deny the existence of god(s) and the like. Anti-theism is to actively oppose theism. Usually, calling yourself agnostic or nonreligious would put you in the grey area.