Religious affiliation (3 Viewers)

[asianese]

Yeah, it's odd. Not too representative of Australia as a whole and you'd imagine there would be more Atheist's (or relgions besides Christianity) among the people who frequent this site.

Totally agree here.

 

[Nooblet94]

I am an agnostic atheist:

I do not personally believe in the existence of a god, nor do I think that satisfactory proof or disproof of his existence can be found.

If gods existence was proven tomorrow, I do not think it would change the way I live my life.

I do not judge people on their religions, but I do sometime judge people one what they do in life and justify with their religion.

I think there are a pretty universal set of morals that it would be nice if people had, but at the end of the day people should just do what makes them happy.

My thoughts exactly.

 

[seanieg89]

My thoughts exactly.

Its a pretty common view for people in science and especially mathematics I think.

 

[Dr Awkward]

Other because I am God.

 

[Dr Awkward]

I was baptised and born into the christian faith. I am an atheist and i do not believe in god whatsoever. You cant prove to me that god exists, but i also cant prove he doesn't.

Ad ignorantiam.

 

[Haruka]

Can't change my option now, but after a lot of thinking over the past few months I've decided I see God as less of an actual person and more the world around us and an energy within us - pantheistic, I think the word is?

 

[Dr Awkward]

Can't change my option now, but after a lot of thinking over the past few months I've decided I see God as less of an actual person and more the world around us and an energy within us - pantheistic, I think the word is?

Pantheism, "religion" believed by many theoretical physicists.

 

[pigas]

I'm agnostic atheist - I don't believe in any gods, and I don't believe that anyone can truly ever know if there is a god.

 

[spatula232]

I've been thinking lately about what I believe (and probably will continue to do so) and I keep coming to the same conclusion that I myself cannot prove that God is real, but then you can't prove He isn't. So personally, I don't want to believe in something that isn't definitely real, but I hope and want there to be something. Being brought up in Catholic education you have it all shoved down your throat for a while and cannot really have your own opinion. I have nothing against religion, actually, I really agree with all the morals and teachings of it, yet I'm unsure as of yet what I believe in. But do we ever stop questioning our beliefs as humans? I see that we can never be sure of what is really there, and that is why I'm skeptical, although I fully accept and understand why people do believe in it. But is God the only part of religion? Can you be religious without believing in God, but believing in (most) of the religious teachings?

 

[spatula232]

Other because I am God.

Blasphemy.

 

[chrisman9519]

IMO in the search for true religion I think it's a fair call to eliminate all religions other than Islam, Christianity and Judaism immediately (sorry) because these religions are supported by so much evidence, however obviously I believe it's necessary to eliminate further.

Once you make the assumption that the Bible is a book inspired of God - which those 3 major religions accept to varying degrees, it becomes easier to eliminate.

You can throw out Judaism (sorry) because they were fairly well abandoned as proclaimed by so many of their prophets and the coming of Jesus to replace the old covenant with the new covenant (replacing mosaic law and Jewish system with system open to all). However, at one point Judaism was the true religion as selected by God. This has changed. Upon this foundation we can ascertain one certain long held Jewish doctrine which is very important.

There is no trinity, thus trinitarian Christianity is eliminated (sorry). Thus, Islam and non-Trinitarian Christanity are considered since they believe in One God. (Deuteronomy 6:4)

Now, since both these two groups accept Jesus to varying extents we can establish two things:
1) False prophets will arise. Matthew 24:24 - direct quote from Jesus here.
Jesus says false prophets will arise so as to mislead many. Sorry, Islam but you are many, are you not? and as Jesus said, those false prophets have "performed great signs and wonders". So it's not like Muslims have no basis for their belief, but according to Jesus, Mohammed is a false prophet (sorry). Also Joseph Smith by that is a false prophet. (sorry)
2) Jesus said he was the son of God. He said this many times and was the reason he was prosecuted and sentenced to death by crucifixion by the Jewish Sanhedrin court.

Jesus was crucified. I know that some in Islam deny this, however the historical evidence is clear. Roman historians, Jewish historians, Christian historians, Greek historians, Pagan historians - all of them say Jesus was crucified. This forms the basis of the ransom sacrifice that Jesus gave.

Hence, Jesus and Islam contradict fundamentally. Since Islam accepts Jesus, but Jesus rejects Islam and Jesus was earlier, Jesus can be accepted over Islam. (sorry)

While this is a fairly crude examination of the facts, these are absolutely fundamental facts and their truth makes or breaks a religion.
The winner is: Non-Trinitarian Christianity

I heard an illustration once which you can use to discern truth. Jim and John are two fishermen and your friends. They approach you after a fishing session and tell you that Jim caught a large fish. John shows you how big it is by indicating with his hands that it was about 50 cm. Jim disagrees, he shows you with his hands that it was about 80 cm! How do you find truth. Well you ask them to show you the fish and you measure it with your ruler.

The same is true with any religion who looks to the bible for truth. (Of course Islam says that the bible has been mistranslated into English and is somehow corrupt, but IMO is quite a copout.) Ask them to show you for a simple biblical explanation for their version of truth. A simple examination of the Bible will show you that hell doesn't exist, there is no immortal soul - when we die we're dead, there is no trinity, there is a verifiable truth which is available today (Daniel 12:3,4), there will be an end to suffering soon, God made people to live forever on earth (e.g. Adam and Eve original purpose), and there is an acceptable reason for why suffering occurs today which no mainstream religion today has found (not telling but I know ). This is my take on the whole religion thing.

 

[kaz1]

I'm agnostic atheist - I don't believe in any gods, and I don't believe that anyone can truly ever know if there is a god.

there is a god, god himself came in human form himself to show there is god about 2000 years ago

 

[Dorn]

"And on the first day man created God"
I find it sad and frightening that anyone can hold an unquestioning belief in something that can be so easily falseified

 

[DLMisme]

I consider myself Catholic, but over the last couple of years I've started to tell people who ask that I'm an agnostic atheist instead. I changed to a public school a couple of years ago and people would always ask why did I wear a cross around my neck. Then they would give me weird looks and tell me that religion is a load of bull and basically how it was all wrong. I got very sick of people telling me off about my personal beliefs, so it's less drama to just tell them I'm an agnostic atheist. People often complain about people trying to force their religious beliefs on them, but I've found just as many people trying to tell me off about my personal beliefs. As far as I'm concerned people can think whatever they want as long as they don't be a jerk about it.

 

[Hitch223]

DLMisme, how did you come to that conclusion? I have no problem with you believing in whatever you want, but to suggest that it's not okay for people to criticise you for it is just bigoted. Many people might believe in gay marriage for example and their belief in that cause might be just as important to them as your faith is, yet they don't deify their belief so as to say it can't be criticised (or at least they shouldn't).

 

[JustDance]

Well, they assume Bible was written by people inspired by God. You have to take that assumption to take it as an evidence. But one should read it first before making comments about it. It truly is a mystical book.

 

[DannyBoy33]

Its more violent then mystical if you ask me...

 

[nerdasdasd]

I consider myself Catholic, but over the last couple of years I've started to tell people who ask that I'm an agnostic atheist instead. I changed to a public school a couple of years ago and people would always ask why did I wear a cross around my neck. Then they would give me weird looks and tell me that religion is a load of bull and basically how it was all wrong. I got very sick of people telling me off about my personal beliefs, so it's less drama to just tell them I'm an agnostic atheist. People often complain about people trying to force their religious beliefs on them, but I've found just as many people trying to tell me off about my personal beliefs. As far as I'm concerned people can think whatever they want as long as they don't be a jerk about it.

Plz... All those child molesters. The religion isn't wrong but some of the people are.

 

[eastpak]

So, there's no connection, those child molesters are just random cases and its just a funny coincidence?

 

[DannyBoy33]

Bah, all the same stories over and over again.