Sciforums religion survey 2014

What do you believe? (Select all that apply.)

  • I don't believe in God now, and I never did.

    Votes: 12 26.1%

  • I don't believe in God now, but I used to.

    Votes: 15 32.6%

  • I believe in God now, but in the past I did not.

    Votes: 4 8.7%

  • I believe in God now, and always have.

    Votes: 5 10.9%

  • I have no opinion on God/do not wish to select one of the above options.

    Votes: 6 13.0%

  • I don't believe in God, but I believe there is a higher power, life force or similar.

    Votes: 4 8.7%

  • I don't regard myself as religious, but I am a spiritual person.

    Votes: 7 15.2%

  • I believe that human beings have a soul or life force which remains after the death of the body.

    Votes: 5 10.9%

  • I believe in reincarnation.

    Votes: 4 8.7%

  • I describe myself as a follower of a recognised religion.

    Votes: 3 6.5%
  • Total voters
    46
  • Poll closed .
davewhite04 said:
You never did lose your patronising way of words, but I guess you won't change.

You're missing the point. If Jesus, or say we call him Frank, didn't exist then why did thousands of people get killed in horrific ways back then and to this day, the book contains wisdom and a message that we should all try to love one another. Why would someone just make all this up? What would they have to gain? The fact of the matter is the Dead Sea Scrolls contains New Testament papyrus along with other extremely interesting things that at least date the New Testament 100AD.

My question, who wrote the New Testament? and Why? Because they have made one hell of a difference to modern civilisation and at least deserve a pat on the back. And no, I don't want to talk about religious wars as those were so far away from the message written in the book, human beings used carefully out of context scripture to cause wars, PEOPLE did it.
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Let's call "Frank" Mohammed, people got killed in horrific ways back then and to this day. Jim Jones and his Kool Aid drinkers believed as well.
 
davewhite04 said:
Every breath you make every step you take is based on faith, in your case simply subconscious faith, that you will remember to press the crossing button so that you cross the road safely. Everything we do is faith based.

Once you understand that there is indeed someone more intelligent than you, it is a start. Once you believe in something much bigger then anything you could imagine then anything becomes possible.

I argue with God quite a bit, but He never lets me down.
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You have faith for you beliefs. Many of us have evidence that we base our beliefs on. You are just trying to use the word faith to mean belief.

You can use whatever word you want to but the difference between thinking that the crossing button is going to work and think that God is going to stop traffic for you is there there is much evidence for one and none for the other.
 
davewhite04 said:
Many Saints were beheaded or crucified to get us the message from Jesus, those at the very least have to be admired and not scoffed, so yes, we need to ban religion and promote true free thinking(something you are not capable of because of your belief system holding you back).
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I do not see any merit in admiring anyone who sacrificed themselves trying to convince others that their fantasy of the supernatural is true.

No we do not need to ban religion. Society does not develop by restricting it. If religion is bad then education is needed to explain the issue so that all can make valued judgments.

What does free thinking mean? If you mean being able to consider many alternatives then isn't your single minded view of your belief the opposite of free thinking? I am not against the idea of the existence of a god if someone can show how one is possible and what evidence there is. I'd also consider parallel universes, bubble universes, infinite universes, alien influences, etc, etc. To me there are no restrictions on what I would consider, but I would not go to the point of being convinced of a particular hypothesis without some factual indicators. To me this is fact based open mindedness - free thinking with merit. You on the other hand represent the epitome of closed mindedness - you have closed your mind to all other alternatives other than your particular god concept. You do indeed represent someone who has their belief system holding them back - you only have the single minded perspective of your beliefs.

And what do you think my "belief system" is? The only sovereign I allow to rule is reason.
 
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davewhite04 said:
Now your tactic is to discredit me using your intellect as usual.
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Please don't take it that way. It is a common mistake made by many - i.e. the distinct meanings of the term "faith". Over my some 15 years here the topic has come up countless times. Please take it as useful information and move on, I don't mean to belittle you.

Every step I take I recognise that I without God I might as well be a zombie, I mean is there a point to life?

Maybe you have questioned this.
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Yes of course. And no there is no point to life. The value and meaning you place on your own life is entirely up to you. If you see no value then feel free to end it (and no I am not encouraging suicide), as many do. But most people have a sense of survival otherwise our species would have died out eons ago. We constantly strive to stay alive and the idea that at some point we might cease to exist is a primary reason religions were invented - they give that false hope that the real ugliness and finality of death is instead a magical wonderful gateway to an endless paradise - that is the real evil of religious indoctrination - false hope. This is the fundamental principle of Christianity - the bible states -> Jesus said believe in me and you shall have everlasting life. This is the entirety of Christianity - that single false promise to cheat death. Everything else is just the dogma and rules that must be followed to achieve the goal of immortality.

But the real value of life is life itself and you are entirely free to do with it whatever you wish. The alternative to life is cessation of existence - something that is not attractive. I would like to extend my life for as long as I can - life is good. I see no reason to attribute my existence to any magical beings, or feel that I must fulfill some unique purpose to justify my existence. Life is simply life - it is a phenomenal experience, and entirely priceless - enjoy it while it lasts.

Once you realize that life has no hidden meaning or purpose then religions cease to have any attraction and you can experience freedom to follow your own desires, be they good or bad.
 
Cris said:
I do not see any merit in admiring anyone who sacrificed themselves trying to convince others that their fantasy of the supernatural is true.

No we do not need to ban religion. Society does not develop by restricting it. If religion is bad then education is needed to explain the issue so that all can make valued judgments.

What does free thinking mean? If you mean being able to consider many alternatives then isn't your single minded view of your belief the opposite of free thinking? I am not against the idea of the existence of a god if someone can show how one is possible and what evidence there is. I'd also consider parallel universes, bubble universes, infinite universes, alien influences, etc, etc. To me there are no restrictions on what I would consider, but I would not go to the point of being convinced of a particular hypothesis without some factual indicators. To me this is fact based open mindedness - free thinking with merit. You on the other hand represent the epitome of closed mindedness - you have closed your mind to all other alternatives other than your particular god concept. You do indeed represent someone who has their belief system holding them back - you only have the single minded perspective of your beliefs.

And what do you think my "belief system" is? The only sovereign I allow to rule is reason.
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What have I closed my mind to Cris?

The only person here with a closed mind is you, and you continue to post like a very bitter old man, why not try being civil, break the mold. This place is the same, all non believers acting like pricks who completely disrespect fellow humans based on people's belief. What would the world be like if it was full of these pointless atheists if their closed minds?
 
davewhite04 said:
What have I closed my mind to Cris?

The only person here with a closed mind is you, and you continue to post like a very bitter old man, why not try being civil, break the mold. This place is the same, all non believers acting like pricks who completely disrespect fellow humans based on people's belief. What would the world be like if it was full of these pointless atheists if their closed minds?
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It is not a personal attack - think it through. You have chosen a specific religious belief and as a result are rejecting everything else that conflicts with that single position. To be accurate you are single minded in your perspective. It also accurately means you are closed minded to any alternatives other than your own.

What you seem to be saying by calling me closed minded is that I won't follow your single minded position. But I will follow your position if you can demonstrate any factual basis for it. Otherwise I am entirely open to any and all rational positions. How is that being closed minded?

As for being civil - have you considered it for yourself rather than throw accusations and ad hominem at everyone.
 
Cris said:
What you seem to be saying by calling me closed minded is that I won't follow your single minded position. But I will follow your position if you can demonstrate any factual basis for it. Otherwise I am entirely open to any and all rational positions. How is that being closed minded?
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Ditto.
 
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