Religion POLL

[UdoKier]

Religion POLL.

How do you look at religion/labels

[beyurslf]

1. Atheist. The whole idea of "god" seems crazy to me, epecially the god of

the bible.

[liberalitch]

3. Buddha said "If I could tell you how and why the world was created...

right now, would it change what you have to get up to do tomorrow?"

My answer would have been "No."

[RevCheesehead]

2. what do you mean by "religious tracts/guidance?"

I don't believe in proselytizing, if that's what you're getting at.

[UdoKier]

4. No. A bible/Torah/Koran/sutras and/or priests/pastors whatever.

IE you need someone to tell you how to practice your religion as opposed to creating your own belief system.


I changed "tracts" to texts. Apparently "tracts" smacks too much of mormons and Jehovah's witnesses.

[RevCheesehead]

9. That's what I thought.

"Tracts" are those little pamphlets that fundies hand out, telling you you're going to Hell. I throw that shit away.

Thanks for the change. Now, I'll vote.

[RevCheesehead]

11. I think I'd change my answer to add:

I need the community of believers and Scripture for guidance.

[Maru Kitteh]

13. See that's prejudiciary right there............. just becuase you attend

church DOES NOT MEAN you "need someone to tell you how to practice your religion"

The way you express that is very condecending and makes it very easy to tell your own leanings on the entire subject. It's like one of MSNBC's questions of the day or something.

If you spent the time to speak to a few hundred people from various liberal churches I'll bet not ONE of them would say they attend because they "need to be told" how to practice their faith. For you to presume that is a blanket reason and give no other option is offensive.

[UdoKier]

15. Take it how you want.

Either you need those things or you don't.

[Maru Kitteh]

22. Well, I don't. . . So where is my option in your poll? I see four choices

for people who do not attend a house of faith and only one for those who do. The one option for those who do attend makes a presumptuous and inaccurate blanket statement as to why they do.

You projected your personal feelings into the choices making it about as informative as a Fox News poll.

[UdoKier]

23. I added the word "fellowship". That's as much as you'll get from me.

It was not a smear as it was worded before, but there you go.

[Maru Kitteh]

29. Thanks for putting that in, I appreciate it

I waited until I was in my mid thirties to settle down in a church. I chose it because it is very open minded and not overly stuck on ceremony and symbolism. It's a great way to share our faith and do meaningful things in our community. We don't stand on streetcorners shouting the end is neigh or shake our fists at the courthouse. We do yardwork for the housebound and visit the abandoned elderly in rest homes, work on habitat houses, fund native American scholarships, provide low cost day care for at risk kids....... stuff like that. Every single penny we give is accounted for in a statement sent to every member and everyone has a say in expenditure. Without the church I would still have faith, and I'd rather have no church than be stuck in one that was oppressive, greedy or snobbish, so I'm very grateful for what we do have. It's a positive factor in our lives and a great way to contribute to our community.

[ihelpu2see]

5. Agnostic who goes to Catholic mass with my wife and

kids... For the kids sake, for now. When they get older I will try to explain the inane man made rules of the church that are just ridiculous, and of the horrors done to Man in the name of God....

[Maru Kitteh]

21. If you're going to mass now and then plan on picking it to pieces later

then what you'll really be teaching them is hypocricy. Sorry that sounds so harsh but a person should have the freedom to live the way they believe, no matter which way that is. I'm a practicing liberal Christian but I fully support the fact that children can be brought up to be good, decent, kind, responsible and compassionate people with or without the guideance of organized religion.

I think that athiests who raise their kids without allowing any possibility of accepting the mystery of faith and fundamentalist Christians who never allow their children the freedom to question their faith both do the same wretched disservice to the child, trying to make the kid into some kind of mini-me instead of allowing them their own path.

Be honest with your kids about what you believe but let them be their own person and find their own way. Kids respect honesty. If you are agnostic, be honest about why you don't go to mass and tell them you'll support them and love them just the same no matter what path they choose.

Just my opinion. Every family has a different situation, but I can't help but think that just pretending to go along with a religion can ever be a good thing in the end, for the family, you, or the kids.

[ihelpu2see]

26. not nit picking and not harsh

my wife knows the score and I feel there is some good to be taken from the catechism and already my 9 year old asks me questions and I don't skirt the truth about the stories in the teachings, I explain to her their meaning and then discuss the moral put forth but I emphasize that the bible contains "Stories" they are in no way fact.... there are some historically correct items but woven in a way to suite the author(s).

So no harm, and no pretending...

[Maru Kitteh]

30. That's good, and I'm sorry I misunderstood your post

I don't think most Christians (at least under 50) believe in literal interpretation anymore - television freaks aside.

It's good to hear you and your little girl can talk like that and that your wife supports you. Sounds like a nice family. :-)

[MrModerate]

6. Poll doesn't quite slice it thin enough

I'm convinced there's no supreme being (or any incorporeal entities at all *Note 1*), but I'm interested in the topic because so many of my fellow humans are convinced otherwise.

The mystery of faith is pretty damned mysterious. However, it proves that people are capable of believing *ANYTHING*, and the follow-on truth is much of what they believe turns out to be true.

And while you'd never get me inside a church *Note 2*, I acknowledge the social good that organized religion often does, by being a conduit for moral teachings, a glue for communities, and a focus for good works.

Note 1: Unless there are some space aliens out there who just happen to fall in the category of "incorporeal"

Note 2: Except to, f'rinstance, be supportive of a friend who was getting married in a church, etc.

[UdoKier]

8. I broadened the choices a bit.

It needn't be a monotheistic "God" at all.

[arewenotdemo]

27. Yay! Pantheism rules!

[saltpoint]

7. Dr. Dysart, in Peter Shaffer's EQUUS, is my religious --

-- model.

I wish I had his range.

I share some of his sensibility. In the play he tells a patient that he wants to go to a great sea (the ancient Mediterranean) "where the gods bathed... The old gods -- before they died."

His patient tells him, "Gods don't die."

Dysart: "Yes, they do, Allan. Yes, they do."

Dysart plumbs the capacity for worship and identifies it as archetypal and thereby unknowable to most contemporary lives, not because we can't feel the same things as the ancients, but because we are buried under layers of artificial distractions.

Dysart's is a radical view. The least of it is that no institutional doctrine is given much creedence.

And if you haven't seen or read that play, folks, it is a humdinger.

[MrModerate]

18. Saw the original Broadway version of that with Peter Firth . . .

Many years ago. Can't remember the Dysart actor. Also got those seats on stage, so was about 10 feet away from the playing area. Very cool.

Fantastic script too, of course.

[saltpoint]

25. Oh wow. You got to see one of the first runs, I think.

I saw it a bit later (3 separate times!) with Dysart played by:

Anthony Hopkins
Anthony Perkins
Leonard Nimoy

I'm not making that up!

And all three were terrific, I'm forced to admit.

What a great play.

[ArkDem]

10. Anarco-syndicalist here.

[Stirk]

12. I don't know whether to choose "atheist" or "spiritual".

Because the two have nothing to do with one another, as far as I'm concerned.

I don't believe in any personal deities, but I do believe deeply that we're all tied to one another and we have a responsibility to help each other. I believe the world is sacred and we're a natural part of it. That's what spirituality means to me.

[Tux]

14. Me

I'm a UU Deist with Buddhist leanings (mostly to deal with a couple problems now and one is nearly beat).

[onehandle]

16. You missed the biggest section of Americans.

I believe this is the majority:

I'm a religious person. I attend a church/temple/synagogue/whatever infrequently to almost never. I believe in the need for religious texts/guidance at one time or another in life, most likely during childhood.

[H2O Man]

17. Other.

Spiritual, don't need a congregation, but enjoy an occassional visit to a number of different churches and other houses of worship. I am equally comfortable with atheists as any religious folks. Happy positive nice people are always fun; mean negative people are a drag.

[Dervill Crow]

19. Witch. I guess that's "other."

I was Missouri Synod Lutheran when my kids were little, and I think Jesus was a great guy, but the idea of him taking the rap for all our sins leaves way too much room for people to act irresponsibly and say the devil made them do it, so it doesn't work for me anymore.

[byronius]

20. GODBISCUIT WILL SMITE YOU FOR THIS!

I tend to believe that if there is a Christian-type God, he sent down his second son, Abbie Hoffman, to inform us of His Will --- and the New Romans promptly beat him up and murdered him in his sleep. The Digger will arise from the grave soon, and punish the evildoers. It's as logical a possiblity as anything else.

:tinfoilhat:

[Cats Against Frist]

24. Gnostic-Buddhist Church of Jesus & Thomas Jefferson

Wanna join?

[ck4829]

28. Liberal Muslim

I don't plan to worship at a Mosque, I would rather worship at home with my Lover.