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Forums - General Discussion - What are your religious beliefs? (or non-beliefs)

 

What's your status?

Buddhist 1 0.66%
 
Christian 31 20.53%
 
Muslim 18 11.92%
 
Hindu 2 1.32%
 
Sikh 2 1.32%
 
Rastafarian 0 0%
 
Pastarian 1 0.66%
 
Jewish 1 0.66%
 
Atheist/Agnostic/Freethinker 85 56.29%
 
Other (please say below) 10 6.62%
 
Total:151
kopstudent89 said:
miz1q2w3e said:
huaxiong90 said:
miz1q2w3e said:
huaxiong90 said:

Raised a Muslim, became an agnostic/skeptic from 12 to 17, and I'm now a more devout Muslim.

And for anyone wondering, as I said before, on the topic of evolution I believe in theistic evolution, and I also support the big bang theory.

What made you change you mind? (skeptic ---> devout)


Quite a number of things, but two important ones of them are:

- Witnessing an exorcism that has no logical or scientific explanation (sure, I've come across some interesting theories, but I have yet to see anything that truly matches what I saw).

- Doing my own research on history, science, and their relation with Islam.

I don't think I'm gonna get to see something like that lol

But I think I might do my own in-deapth research someday (graduating this year yay) - - - I know a real lot about Islam already, just not enough to make a final judgement - - - The stuff I do know really makes a weak argument for it but I haven't really explored it all so it's not fair to judge just yet

Thanks for answering by the way :)

I would say i was exactly the same. Became agnostic (which I'm glad I did) around 3 years ago, but came back to being a devout muslim. As for the reasons why I came back, it's because i did lots of research and read lots of books related to the existence of God (the atheistic point of view). In the end I was at least confident that I don't agree in the atheistic view. That was around a year ago. Ever since then i've been agnostic/Muslim but inclining towards Islam more.


Judging by your sig, you aren't a very good muslim... 



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Andrespetmonkey said:
Jumpin said:

The poll has agnostic and atheism listed as the same thing. This is not true at all.

An Atheist is one who asserts that no God exists,

An Agnostic is one who doesn't assert that a God or Gods exist, and doesn't assert that they don't exist either.

These are two very differing viewpoints.


Also, there is a gigantic variety among Christian beliefs. Without getting into too much detail, while Liberal Christians and Conservative Christian denominations use the same scriptures, their beliefs are very different.

The Liberal camp takes the bible and take the beliefs as metaphorical. Some believe that there was never a human Jesus, and that he was wholey a spiritual being written about by the early mystics who experienced Jesus and the word of God (the logos). They also believe that much of the imagery (born of a virgin), including his titles (saviour, the son of God, Lord etc...) were part of the political rebellion of the time since these were all myths and titles associated with the Roman Emperors* Julius Caesar and Octavian Augustus.

The Conservative camp believes the bible is historical fact, and that not only was Jesus historical, but that he was born of a virgin, rose from the dead, and performed miracles.

These are two different religions that happen to use the same scripture. I would guess Liberal Christian thought is more prevelant in Europe, and Conservative Christian thought more so in the US.



* Many contemporary historians like to incorrectly place Augustus as the first Roman Emperor, but the historians of the Roman Empire (such as Plutarch and Suetonius) always placed Julius Caesar at the first of that Imperial line, and also consider Sulla to have been an Emperor. To the Romans, the title "Imperator" was "Emperor", but to many contemporary historians they require both "Imperator" and "Princeps" - although title Princeps is really not important, and it is often heavily overstated by certain camps of contemporary historians. It was more or less just a title of dignity. Many Emperors did not even include the title "Princeps" in their list of titles; including most Emperors after the reign of Diocletian, including Constantine.

Firstly, an Atheist is not someone who asserts that no god exists, an Atheist is  "A person who lacks belief in a god or gods" 
An atheist may lack a belief in a god or gods, but that doesn't mean they are someone who asserts that no gods exist.

Secondly, They aren't listed as the same thing, they are listed together. I know the difference. 
You do realise this is just a quick simple poll? I know the variety among different religions, expecially islam and christianity, but like I said, this poll is just quick and simple. I listed agnostics and atheists together as they are both not theists, and have largely the same point of view in general. (key words = largely and in general)

Sorry you went into so much detail lol, I already know.

Jumpin is actually correct. An atheist does claim that God does not exist. The statement "a person who lacks belief in a god or gods" is more resonant with an agnostic. Granted, an atheist would also accept this statement as true, but they go a step further and argue that God does not exist. At the very least, an atheist has to belief that God does not exist. On the other hand, an agnostic does not believe in the existence or non-existence of God.



GameOver22 said:
Andrespetmonkey said:
Jumpin said:

The poll has agnostic and atheism listed as the same thing. This is not true at all.

An Atheist is one who asserts that no God exists,

An Agnostic is one who doesn't assert that a God or Gods exist, and doesn't assert that they don't exist either.

These are two very differing viewpoints.


Also, there is a gigantic variety among Christian beliefs. Without getting into too much detail, while Liberal Christians and Conservative Christian denominations use the same scriptures, their beliefs are very different.

The Liberal camp takes the bible and take the beliefs as metaphorical. Some believe that there was never a human Jesus, and that he was wholey a spiritual being written about by the early mystics who experienced Jesus and the word of God (the logos). They also believe that much of the imagery (born of a virgin), including his titles (saviour, the son of God, Lord etc...) were part of the political rebellion of the time since these were all myths and titles associated with the Roman Emperors* Julius Caesar and Octavian Augustus.

The Conservative camp believes the bible is historical fact, and that not only was Jesus historical, but that he was born of a virgin, rose from the dead, and performed miracles.

These are two different religions that happen to use the same scripture. I would guess Liberal Christian thought is more prevelant in Europe, and Conservative Christian thought more so in the US.



* Many contemporary historians like to incorrectly place Augustus as the first Roman Emperor, but the historians of the Roman Empire (such as Plutarch and Suetonius) always placed Julius Caesar at the first of that Imperial line, and also consider Sulla to have been an Emperor. To the Romans, the title "Imperator" was "Emperor", but to many contemporary historians they require both "Imperator" and "Princeps" - although title Princeps is really not important, and it is often heavily overstated by certain camps of contemporary historians. It was more or less just a title of dignity. Many Emperors did not even include the title "Princeps" in their list of titles; including most Emperors after the reign of Diocletian, including Constantine.

Firstly, an Atheist is not someone who asserts that no god exists, an Atheist is  "A person who lacks belief in a god or gods" 
An atheist may lack a belief in a god or gods, but that doesn't mean they are someone who asserts that no gods exist.

Secondly, They aren't listed as the same thing, they are listed together. I know the difference. 
You do realise this is just a quick simple poll? I know the variety among different religions, expecially islam and christianity, but like I said, this poll is just quick and simple. I listed agnostics and atheists together as they are both not theists, and have largely the same point of view in general. (key words = largely and in general)

Sorry you went into so much detail lol, I already know.

Jumpin is actually correct. An atheist does claim that God does not exist. The statement "a person who lacks belief in a god or gods" is more resonant with an agnostic. Granted, an atheist would also accept this statement as true, but they go a step further and argue that God does not exist. At the very least, an atheist has to belief that God does not exist. On the other hand, an agnostic does not believe in the existence or non-existence of God.

Agnostics don't have a belief either way.
Atheists, like myself, can say I do not know if there is a god, but I lack a belief in a god(s). It's not contradictory.
Being atheist does not mean I think, for sure, god doesn't exist. It means I lack a belief in any.

Atheist: person who denies or disbelieves the existence of a supremebeing or beings.

I only disbelieve, I don't deny the existance of a supremebeing, I think it' a possibility, I just have no reason to believe it, therefore I disbelieve.





kopstudent89 said:
miz1q2w3e said:
kopstudent89 said:
miz1q2w3e said:

I don't think I'm gonna get to see something like that lol

But I think I might do my own in-deapth research someday (graduating this year yay) - - - I know a real lot about Islam already, just not enough to make a final judgement - - - The stuff I do know really makes a weak argument for it but I haven't really explored it all so it's not fair to judge just yet

Thanks for answering by the way :)

I would say i was exactly the same. Became agnostic (which I'm glad I did) around 3 years ago, but came back to being a devout muslim. As for the reasons why I came back, it's because i did lots of research and read lots of books related to the existence of God (the atheistic point of view). In the end I was at least confident that I don't agree in the atheistic view. That was around a year ago. Ever since then i've been agnostic/Muslim but inclining towards Islam more.

I'd hardly call you "devout" if you're not even sure you have true faith

A person who is a devout believer in a religion mean they are totally committed and devoted to that belief. I know lots of devoted religious people and they have 100% faith in God/prophets/holy books...etc.

People like that don't care that there is no "evidence" of God 's existance, they have faith that he does. I don't think this is a point against them because honestly, if I had 100% faith in God as the holy books...etc describe, it would make sense for there to no evidence

I used to be neutral (most people are born that way) but I noticed multiple fallacies in the teachings of christianity and islam. The stuff I know about them is pretty unconvincing at best and outright false at worst, I haven't researched them 100% yet so I still give them the benifit of the doubt.

Here's hoping we're both sitisfied with our respective beliefs someday!


Yes hopefully! True i wouldn't say i'm 100% devout, but i consider myself more of a believer than those who are "blind" believers.. i'm probably now 80% muslim/20% agnostic (whatever that means :P). But well I was lucky to have really insightful religious people close to me, ando not just the closed minded ones. People who actually talk sense and not just tell you by the power of the bible/qur'an. I'm lucky i would gladly admit it


What do think of Hadeeth?



Player1x3 said:
Jay520 said:
Player1x3 said:
miz1q2w3e said:
huaxiong90 said:

Raised a Muslim, became an agnostic/skeptic from 12 to 17, and I'm now a more devout Muslim.

And for anyone wondering, as I said before, on the topic of evolution I believe in theistic evolution, and I also support the big bang theory.

What made you change you mind? (skeptic ---> devout)


Common sense and maturity would be my guess



Your post contrast sharply with your signature


Sig on the videogames internet forum really tells a lot about people.... :(



Just noting a contrast that I thought was pretty funny.

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Andrespetmonkey said:
GameOver22 said:
Andrespetmonkey said:
Jumpin said:

The poll has agnostic and atheism listed as the same thing. This is not true at all.

An Atheist is one who asserts that no God exists,

An Agnostic is one who doesn't assert that a God or Gods exist, and doesn't assert that they don't exist either.

These are two very differing viewpoints.


Also, there is a gigantic variety among Christian beliefs. Without getting into too much detail, while Liberal Christians and Conservative Christian denominations use the same scriptures, their beliefs are very different.

The Liberal camp takes the bible and take the beliefs as metaphorical. Some believe that there was never a human Jesus, and that he was wholey a spiritual being written about by the early mystics who experienced Jesus and the word of God (the logos). They also believe that much of the imagery (born of a virgin), including his titles (saviour, the son of God, Lord etc...) were part of the political rebellion of the time since these were all myths and titles associated with the Roman Emperors* Julius Caesar and Octavian Augustus.

The Conservative camp believes the bible is historical fact, and that not only was Jesus historical, but that he was born of a virgin, rose from the dead, and performed miracles.

These are two different religions that happen to use the same scripture. I would guess Liberal Christian thought is more prevelant in Europe, and Conservative Christian thought more so in the US.



* Many contemporary historians like to incorrectly place Augustus as the first Roman Emperor, but the historians of the Roman Empire (such as Plutarch and Suetonius) always placed Julius Caesar at the first of that Imperial line, and also consider Sulla to have been an Emperor. To the Romans, the title "Imperator" was "Emperor", but to many contemporary historians they require both "Imperator" and "Princeps" - although title Princeps is really not important, and it is often heavily overstated by certain camps of contemporary historians. It was more or less just a title of dignity. Many Emperors did not even include the title "Princeps" in their list of titles; including most Emperors after the reign of Diocletian, including Constantine.

Firstly, an Atheist is not someone who asserts that no god exists, an Atheist is  "A person who lacks belief in a god or gods" 
An atheist may lack a belief in a god or gods, but that doesn't mean they are someone who asserts that no gods exist.

Secondly, They aren't listed as the same thing, they are listed together. I know the difference. 
You do realise this is just a quick simple poll? I know the variety among different religions, expecially islam and christianity, but like I said, this poll is just quick and simple. I listed agnostics and atheists together as they are both not theists, and have largely the same point of view in general. (key words = largely and in general)

Sorry you went into so much detail lol, I already know.

Jumpin is actually correct. An atheist does claim that God does not exist. The statement "a person who lacks belief in a god or gods" is more resonant with an agnostic. Granted, an atheist would also accept this statement as true, but they go a step further and argue that God does not exist. At the very least, an atheist has to belief that God does not exist. On the other hand, an agnostic does not believe in the existence or non-existence of God.

Agnostics don't have a belief either way.
Atheists, like myself, can say I do not know if there is a god, but I lack a belief in a god(s). It's not contradictory.
Being atheist does not mean I think, for sure, god doesn't exist. It means I lack a belief in any.

Atheist: person who denies or disbelieves the existence of a supremebeing or beings.

I only disbelieve, I don't deny the existance of a supremebeing, I think it' a possibility, I just have no reason to believe it, therefore I disbelieve.



If that is what you think, you are an agnostic. To put another way, these are the statements each side will make:

1. Theist- I believe God exists.

2. Atheist- I believe God does not exists.

3. Agnostic- I do not believe God exists, and I do not believe God does not exists.

When it comes to these types of distinctions, pulling definitions off of dictionary.com is not the best method because they tend to be very vague in their meanings. If you want to understand what the terms mean, I would suggest picking up a book on the philosophy of religion (The God Dialogues is a good intro at a decent price). Standford Encyclopedia of Philosophy also has some good articles on the subject (Atheism and Agnostocism).

Really, what people know has no relevance to the distinction between the three categoroes. What matters is what people believe. Someone can be an atheist without knowing God does not exist. They just have to believe God does not exist. Knowledge is generally considered to be true, justified beliefs. In the case I just mentioned, someone might belief that God does not exist and might feel justified in this belief because of some argument, but there could still be a question of whether this belief corresponds with reality (whether its true). In this case, there could be belief without knowledge.



Andrespetmonkey said:
kopstudent89 said:
miz1q2w3e said:
huaxiong90 said:
miz1q2w3e said:
huaxiong90 said:

Raised a Muslim, became an agnostic/skeptic from 12 to 17, and I'm now a more devout Muslim.

And for anyone wondering, as I said before, on the topic of evolution I believe in theistic evolution, and I also support the big bang theory.

What made you change you mind? (skeptic ---> devout)


Quite a number of things, but two important ones of them are:

- Witnessing an exorcism that has no logical or scientific explanation (sure, I've come across some interesting theories, but I have yet to see anything that truly matches what I saw).

- Doing my own research on history, science, and their relation with Islam.

I don't think I'm gonna get to see something like that lol

But I think I might do my own in-deapth research someday (graduating this year yay) - - - I know a real lot about Islam already, just not enough to make a final judgement - - - The stuff I do know really makes a weak argument for it but I haven't really explored it all so it's not fair to judge just yet

Thanks for answering by the way :)

I would say i was exactly the same. Became agnostic (which I'm glad I did) around 3 years ago, but came back to being a devout muslim. As for the reasons why I came back, it's because i did lots of research and read lots of books related to the existence of God (the atheistic point of view). In the end I was at least confident that I don't agree in the atheistic view. That was around a year ago. Ever since then i've been agnostic/Muslim but inclining towards Islam more.


Judging by your sig, you aren't a very good muslim... 

jajaja... we are human you know XD



GameOver22 said:
Andrespetmonkey said:
GameOver22 said:
Andrespetmonkey said:
Jumpin said:

The poll has agnostic and atheism listed as the same thing. This is not true at all.

An Atheist is one who asserts that no God exists,

An Agnostic is one who doesn't assert that a God or Gods exist, and doesn't assert that they don't exist either.

These are two very differing viewpoints.


Also, there is a gigantic variety among Christian beliefs. Without getting into too much detail, while Liberal Christians and Conservative Christian denominations use the same scriptures, their beliefs are very different.

The Liberal camp takes the bible and take the beliefs as metaphorical. Some believe that there was never a human Jesus, and that he was wholey a spiritual being written about by the early mystics who experienced Jesus and the word of God (the logos). They also believe that much of the imagery (born of a virgin), including his titles (saviour, the son of God, Lord etc...) were part of the political rebellion of the time since these were all myths and titles associated with the Roman Emperors* Julius Caesar and Octavian Augustus.

The Conservative camp believes the bible is historical fact, and that not only was Jesus historical, but that he was born of a virgin, rose from the dead, and performed miracles.

These are two different religions that happen to use the same scripture. I would guess Liberal Christian thought is more prevelant in Europe, and Conservative Christian thought more so in the US.



* Many contemporary historians like to incorrectly place Augustus as the first Roman Emperor, but the historians of the Roman Empire (such as Plutarch and Suetonius) always placed Julius Caesar at the first of that Imperial line, and also consider Sulla to have been an Emperor. To the Romans, the title "Imperator" was "Emperor", but to many contemporary historians they require both "Imperator" and "Princeps" - although title Princeps is really not important, and it is often heavily overstated by certain camps of contemporary historians. It was more or less just a title of dignity. Many Emperors did not even include the title "Princeps" in their list of titles; including most Emperors after the reign of Diocletian, including Constantine.

Firstly, an Atheist is not someone who asserts that no god exists, an Atheist is  "A person who lacks belief in a god or gods" 
An atheist may lack a belief in a god or gods, but that doesn't mean they are someone who asserts that no gods exist.

Secondly, They aren't listed as the same thing, they are listed together. I know the difference. 
You do realise this is just a quick simple poll? I know the variety among different religions, expecially islam and christianity, but like I said, this poll is just quick and simple. I listed agnostics and atheists together as they are both not theists, and have largely the same point of view in general. (key words = largely and in general)

Sorry you went into so much detail lol, I already know.

Jumpin is actually correct. An atheist does claim that God does not exist. The statement "a person who lacks belief in a god or gods" is more resonant with an agnostic. Granted, an atheist would also accept this statement as true, but they go a step further and argue that God does not exist. At the very least, an atheist has to belief that God does not exist. On the other hand, an agnostic does not believe in the existence or non-existence of God.

Agnostics don't have a belief either way.
Atheists, like myself, can say I do not know if there is a god, but I lack a belief in a god(s). It's not contradictory.
Being atheist does not mean I think, for sure, god doesn't exist. It means I lack a belief in any.

Atheist: person who denies or disbelieves the existence of a supremebeing or beings.

I only disbelieve, I don't deny the existance of a supremebeing, I think it' a possibility, I just have no reason to believe it, therefore I disbelieve.



If that is what you think, you are an agnostic. To put another way, these are the statements each side will make:

1. Theist- I believe God exists.

2. Atheist- I believe God does not exists.

3. Agnostic- I do not believe God exists, and I do not believe God does not exists.

When it comes to these types of distinctions, pulling definitions off of dictionary.com is not the best method because they tend to be very vague in their meanings. If you want to understand what the terms mean, I would suggest picking up a book on the philosophy of religion (The God Dialogues is a good intro at a decent price). Standford Encyclopedia of Philosophy also has some good articles on the subject (Atheism and Agnostocism).

Really, what people know has no relevance to the distinction between the three categoroes. What matters is what people believe. Someone can be an atheist without knowing God does not exist. They just have to believe God does not exist. Knowledge is generally considered to be true, justified beliefs. In the case I just mentioned, someone might belief that God does not exist and might feel justified in this belief because of some argument, but there could still be a question of whether this belief corresponds with reality (whether its true). In this case, there could be belief without knowledge.

I DO believe gods don't exist but I don't say that with certainty.
I'm an agnostic atheist. 

You didn't have to go into detail.



kopstudent89 said:
Andrespetmonkey said:
kopstudent89 said:
miz1q2w3e said:
huaxiong90 said:
miz1q2w3e said:
huaxiong90 said:

Raised a Muslim, became an agnostic/skeptic from 12 to 17, and I'm now a more devout Muslim.

And for anyone wondering, as I said before, on the topic of evolution I believe in theistic evolution, and I also support the big bang theory.

What made you change you mind? (skeptic ---> devout)


Quite a number of things, but two important ones of them are:

- Witnessing an exorcism that has no logical or scientific explanation (sure, I've come across some interesting theories, but I have yet to see anything that truly matches what I saw).

- Doing my own research on history, science, and their relation with Islam.

I don't think I'm gonna get to see something like that lol

But I think I might do my own in-deapth research someday (graduating this year yay) - - - I know a real lot about Islam already, just not enough to make a final judgement - - - The stuff I do know really makes a weak argument for it but I haven't really explored it all so it's not fair to judge just yet

Thanks for answering by the way :)

I would say i was exactly the same. Became agnostic (which I'm glad I did) around 3 years ago, but came back to being a devout muslim. As for the reasons why I came back, it's because i did lots of research and read lots of books related to the existence of God (the atheistic point of view). In the end I was at least confident that I don't agree in the atheistic view. That was around a year ago. Ever since then i've been agnostic/Muslim but inclining towards Islam more.


Judging by your sig, you aren't a very good muslim... 

jajaja... we are human you know XD

xD Yeah... see ya in hell!



Jumpin said:

The poll has agnostic and atheism listed as the same thing. This is not true at all.

An Atheist is one who asserts that no God exists,

An Agnostic is one who doesn't assert that a God or Gods exist, and doesn't assert that they don't exist either.

These are two very differing viewpoints.


Also, there is a gigantic variety among Christian beliefs. Without getting into too much detail, while Liberal Christians and Conservative Christian denominations use the same scriptures, their beliefs are very different.

The Liberal camp takes the bible and take the beliefs as metaphorical. Some believe that there was never a human Jesus, and that he was wholey a spiritual being written about by the early mystics who experienced Jesus and the word of God (the logos). They also believe that much of the imagery (born of a virgin), including his titles (saviour, the son of God, Lord etc...) were part of the political rebellion of the time since these were all myths and titles associated with the Roman Emperors* Julius Caesar and Octavian Augustus.

The Conservative camp believes the bible is historical fact, and that not only was Jesus historical, but that he was born of a virgin, rose from the dead, and performed miracles.

These are two different religions that happen to use the same scripture. I would guess Liberal Christian thought is more prevelant in Europe, and Conservative Christian thought more so in the US.



* Many contemporary historians like to incorrectly place Augustus as the first Roman Emperor, but the historians of the Roman Empire (such as Plutarch and Suetonius) always placed Julius Caesar at the first of that Imperial line, and also consider Sulla to have been an Emperor. To the Romans, the title "Imperator" was "Emperor", but to many contemporary historians they require both "Imperator" and "Princeps" - although title Princeps is really not important, and it is often heavily overstated by certain camps of contemporary historians. It was more or less just a title of dignity. Many Emperors did not even include the title "Princeps" in their list of titles; including most Emperors after the reign of Diocletian, including Constantine.

I kind of disagree with your definitions. An atheist is somebody who does not believe in any god. An agnostic is somebody who believes it is impossible to prove or disprove God.

You're right that they're two different things, but they're not mutually exclusive. (Neither is agnosticism/theism actually)