NSC Demographics: RELIGION

[Tom Bombadil]

Sorry but that's not correct.

The world is full of grey areas, not everything is black and white.
You could say your favourite band in the world is the best band in the world. Does it make it true? To you it does. To billions of other people it's a lie.

The thing is, NOBODY knows the absolute truth.

Anyone who claims they do is the deluded one.

Thats not what the pope says

 

[goldstone]

Why not? Scientology followers believe a lot of utter nonsense, persecute those who don't share or attack their beliefs and prey upon the fears of the weak and/or sick in order to make money and gain influence. Sounds like any other religion to me.

Well said that man!

Personally I'm a member of the atheist religion.

 

[Grassman]

Why not? Scientology followers believe a lot of utter nonsense, persecute those who don't share or attack their beliefs and prey upon the fears of the weak and/or sick in order to make money and gain influence. Sounds like any other religion to me.

Could not agree more. Scientology is certainly no more absurd than the Mormon faith, no more absurd than Christianity and definately no more absurd than most of the ideas Islam
was based on.

 

[drew]

How do you explain martyrs who would rather die than deny their beliefs?[/QUOTE

Balls there goes my crappy thought!

Not so crappy really. All you need to do is rephrase it in that religion is for people that can't face the fact that death is the end and take comfort from the fact there is an afterlife.

 

[ATFC Seagull]

Thats not what the pope says

Actually thats not true. On his visit to this country, his most talked about subject was faith. Faith means believing in something that you cannot prove. Atheism is a faith, for example.

 

[1066familyman]

True enough but logically there is no tangible of the existence of any higher authority which is my problem with religion, forget about all the negative issues that have been discussed here time and time again.

This is the crux of why so many people who don't believe in any higher authority struggle to grasp the concept because they perhaps can't fully grasp how central and essential faith is to the whole process ?

Faith is basically the assured belief in those things not yet realised. By definition then, it's a concept that can't offer proof as such any more than the concept of hope can.

It's worth noting that every single human society since time began has held some sort of concept of God. Even in our own times when a scientific view of the world appears to be in the ascendancy, the vast majority of the world's peoples still have and hold faith in the concept of God, in it's many and varied forms. Of course, this numbers game doesn't mean that those of faith must be right, but then proving who's right or who's wrong is not really the point

 

[bhaexpress]

This is the crux of why so many people who don't believe in any higher authority struggle to grasp the concept because they perhaps can't fully grasp how central and essential faith is to the whole process ?

Faith is basically the assured belief in those things not yet realised. By definition then, it's a concept that can't offer proof as such any more than the concept of hope can.

It's worth noting that every single human society since time began has held some sort of concept of God. Even in our own times when a scientific view of the world appears to be in the ascendancy, the vast majority of the world's peoples still have and hold faith in the concept of God, in it's many and varied forms. Of course, this numbers game doesn't mean that those of faith must be right, but then proving who's right or who's wrong is not really the point

For 'Faith' read 'Superstition' and 'Indoctrination'. The whole concept of religion has no basis in fact and the fact that some people trust in it means that they just hope it'll make things batter for them. When you see the problems that so many highly religious countries have it does make you wonder how they can think that way. People are better educated now and prefer facts not theories.

 

[ATFC Seagull]

For 'Faith' read 'Superstition' and 'Indoctrination'. The whole concept of religion has no basis in fact and the fact that some people trust in it means that they just hope it'll make things batter for them. When you see the problems that so many highly religious countries have it does make you wonder how they can think that way. People are better educated now and prefer facts not theories.

Is it any more a proven fact that the universe was created by pure chance and that there is nothing beyond proven science than that there is some sort of divine being? No. Where science is proven, fair enough, but it has NOT disproven the concept of a God.

 

[1066familyman]

For 'Faith' read 'Superstition' and 'Indoctrination'. The whole concept of religion has no basis in fact and the fact that some people trust in it means that they just hope it'll make things batter for them. When you see the problems that so many highly religious countries have it does make you wonder how they can think that way. People are better educated now and prefer facts not theories.

And people of faith get accussed of being narrow minded and condescending.

 

[Spanish Seagulls]

Mostly Heathens then. The wrath of something will be upon you all.

 

[Ninja Elephant]

I believe the Devil dug a passage way and kicked a gold stone into Hove.

 

[fatbadger]

Unitarian and Humanist.

 

[1066familyman]

Unitarian and Humanist.

If I was in the business of attaching labels to myself, Unitarian is the one I'd attach, even though that would sort of be missing the point

 

[fatbadger]

If I was in the business of attaching labels to myself, Unitarian is the one I'd attach, even though that would sort of be missing the point

We all attach labels to ourselves ("Brighton fan"), so there's nothing to fear there! Unitarians tend not to worry about these things - and often self-identify with two belief communities (unitarian and humanist, for example). The point not to be missed is that one should be equally respectful of the labels others attach to themselves.

 

[beorhthelm]

Would have been better to have seperate choices for atheist and agnostic.

agnostic would be covered by "other".

Yep. Atheism & 'None' are not the same thing.

yes they are, atheism is the non-belief in a god or gods. if you have no belief in any religion you are by definition atheist.

Where's the Darwinism option?

not a religion, its a theory for biological (and social) processes.

The world is full of grey areas, not everything is black and white.
You could say your favourite band in the world is the best band in the world. Does it make it true? To you it does. To billions of other people it's a lie.

The thing is, NOBODY knows the absolute truth.

Anyone who claims they do is the deluded one.

funny, if i didnt know your position i'd have thought that was a good critique against religion and especially the papal church.

As far as I am concerned, there are two precepts to being religious. First, you have to believe there is some ultruistic being/force that listens to and responds to prayers. The second relates to you believing that death is not the end.

From my perspective, there could well be a god in what any name you want to call him but he is far from altruistic. eg, why do babies who are without sin suffer at the hands of the others. And why, if there is a God, does he let innocent people die as a result of natural disasters? Now, so called religious practioners will always argue that whilst they suffer on earth, their reward will be in heaven. Unfortunately, as I don't believe in the safety net that is so called heaven then as far as I am concerned, this god, if he exists, is merely a bullying thug who picks on those that can't defend themselves.

but thats a critique that makes the point much better, and as far as i'm aware the problem of evil has not been satisfactorily answered since Epicurus raised it 2300 odd years ago.

 

[bhaexpress]

And people of faith get accussed of being narrow minded and condescending.

As a relapsed Catholic (I really have seen the light) I am speaking from personal experience and I don't consider that condescending. However you are right about religious people being both narrow minded and condescending. I could add in sad and delusional but that too is just a personal opinion based on my own experience. I have to say that one thing I approve of in America is the fact that they will not allow religion in schools. Odd thing is that despite this they are one of the worst places in the World for religious intolerance.

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

Now would be an opportune moment to link to one of those shitty "Brighton is my religion. Withdean Stadium is my church" t-shirts available on ebay

 

[Dandyman]

Actually thats not true. On his visit to this country, his most talked about subject was faith. Faith means believing in something that you cannot prove. Atheism is a faith, for example.

No, it's just not believing in a god. That is no more a matter of faith than refusing to believe anything that there is no evidence for.

 

[Mackenzie]

Jedi according to the last census

May the force be with you.

 

[ATFC Seagull]

No, it's just not believing in a god. That is no more a matter of faith than refusing to believe anything that there is no evidence for.

Atheism is the affirmation that there IS no god. Which can't be proven.