What DO You Believe?

[Meshakhad]

Thought I might try to get a sense of the actual religious breakdown. I get the impression that most people here are atheist or agnostic, with a signficant minority of Wiccans and Pagans.

If you can, please elaborate somewhat on your beliefs. Which denomination are you? How observant are you?

I am Jewish. I tell people I'm Conservative, but I don't identify with the Conservative movement. I'm also Sephardic. I believe that the Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy) is the word of G-d, although not necessarily literal. I believe that G-d created the universe in the Big Bang roughly 14 billion years ago, and that He established the laws of science and set things up so that humans would evolve, because He's just that good.

In my personal life, I keep mostly kosher - I do not eat pork, shrimp, shellfish, or crab, though I do eat meat that has not been prepared in a kosher manner. I do not eat meat and milk products in the same dish, but I don't care if the utensils were in contact with both. I do not keep the Sabbath, or attend synagogue regularly. I always keep my head covered, except when it is impractical. I normally wear a skullcap, as baseball caps look out-of-place at night, or if I'm supposed to be dressed at all formally.

My own cardinal sin is forcing my beliefs on others. I might become more observant when I get out of the house, but I will not force my family to alter their behavior to accomodate my beliefs, given that my mom is Reform and my dad is Catholic. I do not take my religious beliefs into account when I vote, as I oppose theocracy. I actually consider intelligent design to be blasphemous.

OK, enough about me. Your turn.

[MaybeNever]

Atheist. No great surprises here, really. I'm one of those secular humanist liberal atheists that Fox News commentators work themselves into a great froth denouncing. I do my best to keep the atheist sabbath, which to my mind should be every day and the appropriate ceremony should be sex or fine foods, or sex and fine foods, but never sex with fine foods as this ruins both. Provided people don't try to legislate their faith or otherwise supplant valid science with mystic woo I have no problem co-existing with religion, although as we've seen there are plenty of people out there who would consider this view as persecution, not co-existence.

[devilschaplain2]

'Nother atheist here.

[Sigmaleph]

Lifelong atheist. I've had occasional pantheistic leanings depending on what you choose to call a god, but in general I find the existence of some cosmic sentient entity responsible in part or in whole for some aspect of the universe to be absurdly unlikely.

[Magnizeal]

Atheist, but I do find myself wanting to ritualistically worship one of the gods from a video game or cartoon. Which would consist of me giving small sacrifices and swearing on his name instead of Biblegod's, all while being quite sure that he doesn't exist. ^^; Yeah.

[shadowpanther]

Atheist here.

Magnizeal, I'm actually doing that with The Immortal God-Emperor of Mankind. Shame there's no evangelical theist movements at my uni or I'd set a branch of the Imperial Creed up for purposes of trolling.

[happycheeze]

I put atheist, but the fancy version is Agnostic Atheist. I don't believe any gods exists, nor do I claim to know if they do or don't.

This video might help

[driewerf]

I 've been baptised Roman Catholic, but I 'm an atheist. Moreover I'm a marxist.

[John E]

I picked agnostic, because that's how I usually identify, and it's the one term that best describes my feelings on the matter. In truth though, my beliefs are more complex. There are many god concepts that I'm not only atheist towards, but strongly atheistic towards (as in specifically believing that they do not exist), a biblical literalist version of the Christian god, for example. There are other god concepts I'm a soft atheist towards (as in having a lack of belief as opposed to a belief of lack). Many abstract and spiritual god concepts fall into this category. And then there are a few god concepts that actually sound kinda plausible to me, but I just don't know one way or the other. A deist god concept fall into this last category.

I also find certain elements of gnostic philosophy appealing. No idea if it's true though.

[Alyra]

I consider myself mostly atheist.

[musicalbookworm]

I chose Wicca in the poll, but that isn't entirely acurate. Wicca appeals to me most as a symbolic way of honoring whatever is out there. I currently sing int he choir of a mainline protestant church, maninly because a friend who is the organist asked me to. I like the people and it is the most laid back church here in this Bible bangers paradice. If there was a UU church in this town, I would attend it.

On a completely rational and intellectual level, I know that there is absolutely no proof for my beliefs. Emotionally, I believe there is something "out there" and that there is some kind of spiritual plane outside of what we know. I feel this when I sing or am out in nature. I have had a few encounters with "ghosts." I do not know the nature of the spiritual plane or what happens to us after we die. I believe soemthing of us continues, but I am not sure how. I am not troubled by uncertainty. I'll find out when I need to know. At the same time, I do not understand how people can be upset by the notion that you are finished when you die. Afterall, you won't actually be aware that you no longer exist.

As long as people do not try to deny science or force their beliefs on me, I could care less what you believe. I do believe that if religion is to have any positive impact on humanity, the emphasis should be on love and compassion. (What can I say, I love Ubi Caritas and Matthew 25)

At the same time, I have little patience for Bible bangers and the more a live among them, the less patience I have.

[Smurfette Principle]

I chose Deist. I believe there is a God, though the exact nature of that God is not for us to know. I don't think He concerns himself with answering every prayer or casting down fire and brimstone on whoever He dislikes. My God started the Universe going with the Big Bang, then let it evolve as it pleased. It's fine to believe in scientific fact, because science does not disprove God.

I am skeptical of anyone claiming to know what God truly wants or says, and I think that anyone who does bad things in the name of God is completely missing the point of the Bible. I think the Bible is largely metaphorical, but there are some very clear verses that say, specifically, "be nice to people." Since this should be the standard mode of people anyway, I hold this as the overall point of the Bible, and therefore the point of Christianity. So I give to charity and think gay people should be allowed to marry, and as long as people of other faiths are similarly kind to people, I won't argue with them or try to convert them.

I don't know what happens when we die. Personally, I hope there's a Heaven, a Purgatory, and a Hell, and it's sorted by good deeds, thoughts, and actions, not by who believed in what.

[Old Viking]

Atheist. Capital "A."

[Vypernight]

Buddhist and an agnostic.

[SimSim]

I voted atheist in the poll, even though I'm technically an agnostic atheist, but closer to just plain atheist. The god of the Abrahamic religions doesn't exist, and couldn't exist. But the idea of a pantheist god I find to ultimately be unknowable. Although I highly doubt it exists. Plus being a skeptic I'd need evidence of it.

I'm a very live and let live person, so long as you aren't denying science or trying to push your views on others I'm not going to give a rats ass what you believe.