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Agnostic, Religious or Atheist

What are your beliefs???

  • Faithful (any religion/theism/deism will do)

    Votes: 122 36.6%
  • Agnostic (uncertainty; either in principle or in practice)

    Votes: 95 28.5%
  • Atheist (dont believe in any theism/deism)

    Votes: 116 34.8%

  • Total voters
    333
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Zevn

Lost in Translation
I'm religious, but I'm open to scientific ideas like evolution and such. I believe religion and science can coexist and view them as complementary revelations of God.

† I am a Christian and proud of it! Copy and paste this if you are too.†

Lust
Gluttony
Greed
Pride
Sloth
Wrath
Envy

>.>

Just a fun observation.
 

The Dragon Queen

Well-Known Member
-_- Oh boy, here we go...

Pride to the extent is bad. It depends on what we base our pride on. I should probably say I am honored to be a Christian.
 

Gelatino95

Not a tool
What is the line between pride and self-esteem? Surely Christianity doesn't encourage people to think poorly of themselves in order to avoid being prideful?
 

Adrexus

Do it the bird way!
What is the line between pride and self-esteem? Surely Christianity doesn't encourage people to think poorly of themselves in order to avoid being prideful?

I don't think it encourages poor self-esteem. It has to do with not thinking too highly of yourself and keeping a realistic self image. It also has to do with how the christian sees himself in relation to God and his position on earth. In the Bible it describes how Satan wanted to be like God, he was the most beautiful of the angels and he became ful of himself, and because of this he was kicked out of heaven. The reason I've heard why pride is a sin is because all the talents, attributes, and possessions are endowed by God unto man. So in this scenario it would be foolish for man to boast in something that he did not earn.
 

JDavidC

Well-Known Member
I don't think you have to abandon your faith because of logical fallacies in the Bible.

Keep in mind that it was written or transcribed by men, and that while it may be close to the word of God, it isn't necessarily to the letter.
Indeed, even though God may have inspired people to write it, they are still fallible. Furthermore, there's the whole issue of translating it and so on. It may have been edited so many times, not to mention all the cultural changes, that a lot of what is written may not mean what it appears to mean. You really need to consider when and where events are happening in the Bible when trying to figure out what is happening/being said, and why. Also, given the nature of someone who knows everything, it's only natural that God's actions are strange, when he would know all the rules (and all the exceptions) to how to do things. This means I end up giving him the benefit of the doubt on a lot of things.

Two things I find fatally contradictory (as they stand) are these: Eternal punishment/destruction. This is one thing I cannot give God a pass on, it's the one thing definitely does not fit his description. Claiming homosexuality as a sin is the other thing (given that some people are born this way, and denying it is to deny your own nature). An alternative proposed to the latter is not acting in a way opposed to your own sexual orientation. This makes far more sense.

As for people who don't agree with me, there are a lot of other things that make sense as they stand. e.g. Teachings involving love, dealing with people gently. They work very well. Finally, there is 1 Thessalonians 5:21 'Test everything. Hold on to that which is good.'. There are other statements that indicate the importance of being skeptical, rather than simply believing anything. I apply what I quoted to the Bible, and try to search for accurate translations of things that don't make sense to try to find out what was originally there. I find it sad, that the teachings in the Bible that actually encourage people to be skeptical, rational, and to think for themselves, seem to have been swept under the carpet instead of being preached and used by a great deal of Christians when they are defending their faith.

Regarding pride - It can lead to illogical thinking that makes you think you are better than you really are at doing something, and you would possibly continue thinking like this because it makes you feel good, up to the point of lying to yourself and insane troll logic, again because it makes you feel good. Without some skepticism, and realising that just because something feels nice, it doesn't mean there are no downsides to worry about.
 
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Zevn

Lost in Translation
Indeed, even though God may have inspired people to write it, they are still fallible. Furthermore, there's the whole issue of translating it and so on. It may have been edited so many times, not to mention all the cultural changes, that a lot of what is written may not mean what it appears to mean. You really need to consider when and where events are happening in the Bible when trying to figure out what is happening/being said, and why. Also, given the nature of someone who knows everything, it's only natural that God's actions are strange, when he would know all the rules (and all the exceptions) to how to do things. This means I end up giving him the benefit of the doubt on a lot of things.

Two things I find fatally contradictory (as they stand) are these: Eternal punishment/destruction. This is one thing I cannot give God a pass on, it's the one thing definitely does not fit his description. Claiming homosexuality as a sin is the other thing (given that some people are born this way, and denying it is to deny your own nature). An alternative proposed to the latter is not acting in a way opposed to your own sexual orientation. This makes far more sense.

As for people who don't agree with me, there are a lot of other things that make sense as they stand. e.g. Teachings involving love, dealing with people gently. They work very well. Finally, there is 1 Thessalonians 5:21 'Test everything. Hold on to that which is good.'. There are other statements that indicate the importance of being skeptical, rather than simply believing anything. I apply what I quoted to the Bible, and try to search for accurate translations of things that don't make sense to try to find out what was originally there. I find it sad, that the teachings in the Bible that actually encourage people to be skeptical, rational, and to think for themselves, seem to have been swept under the carpet instead of being preached and used by a great deal of Christians when they are defending their faith.

Regarding pride - It can lead to illogical thinking that makes you think you are better than you really are at doing something, and you would possibly continue thinking like this because it makes you feel good, up to the point of lying to yourself and insane troll logic, again because it makes you feel good. Without some skepticism, and realising that just because something feels nice, it doesn't mean there are no downsides to worry about.

If there is a God, and he/she/it was trying to communicate with the people of Earth ~2k years ago, to be able to get through to them at all would require careful wording and presentation. It is my opinion that because of these possibilities it should be taken with a grain of salt.

I do not believe there is a God, but I cannot deny the possibility because there is no way to know... yet.
 

GhostAnime

Searching for her...
In what way is it a form of faith?
 

Auraninja

Eh, ragazzo!
Atheism is a form of faith, so this poll is moot.
I thought that it was the lack of a religious faith, but not mutually exclusive to any kind of philosophy.

In other news, Psychic Politoed now compares his religion to silly putty. It is a morph that takes the shape of whatever presses on it. The strongest force is that of science, but the silly putty is not science itself.
 

Grei

not the color
I personally hate religion, and religious people, and people who support religion, and people who support religious people
 

Malanu

Est sularus oth mith
In what way is it a form of faith?
A faith in self maybe. You worship no higher power, so you put faith in your own ability to do the right thing.

Grei said:
I personally hate religion, and religious people, and people who support religion, and people who support religious people
That's a lot of hate Grei!
 

Diz~

Combat Specialist
I already have my own belief and that is me being my own god of my own consciousness.
 

Schade

Metallic Wonder
I personally hate religion, and religious people, and people who support religion, and people who support religious people

Geez.. That's harsh. Why do you hateit so?
 

FlyShyGuy

Neo-Geodude
I think religion has played an important part in the development of mankind throughout history. We shape our morals and values according to religion.

I personally consider myself an atheist (I personally don't believe there's a god or any kind of diety out there), but I can understand how and why people do believe in a god.
 

GhostAnime

Searching for her...
Malanu said:
A faith in self maybe. You worship no higher power, so you put faith in your own ability to do the right thing.
Not in the same way someone would have faith in a deity.
 

Rensch

Well-Known Member
Atheist. There are so many religions and denominations, yet they all fail miseraby at making any sense whatsoever. If this whole universe needs a designer in all its improbability and complexity, like so many claim, then why does the designer not demand a designer of his own? The designer must be at least as equally complex and improbable as his own creation. If god is infinitely powerful, he must be infinitely complex and therefor infinitely improbable himself. Therefor, there is most likely not a god and there most certainly is no reason to believe any religion can claim to be true. Religion is a superstition that some people feel the need to make others, and themselves, believe in. I prefer to believe in what we can observe in reality, without following any dogmas or rules that result in confirmation bias. Religion in particular is very good at that. If you want to have the right to be, say, a devout catholic, I will passionately defend you. If you think freedom of religion also means shoving your own religious beliefs down my throat, then I will fight back. That's my main humanistic principle.
 
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