Are you religious?

[Andy Sims]

I’m not really religious. As I’ve said to many. I’ve been a member of the Baha’i Faith for 45 years but I’m still not a Baha’i yet.

Unless a person is religious by their deeds I don’t believe they are truly religious

Interesting. I was a member for about twenty-five years. It was the last religious organization in which I participated. It is a marvelous religion in many ways, but I came to a point where I realized that I had never in my life actually believed in God. I think I left the Faith pretty much the same person that I was when I entered it, always trying to treat others as well as my nature allowed and to tread lightly upon the earth rather than littering it unnecessarily with the detritus of survival.

So I work, I sing and play music, I dance (or will when we can be physically close to each other again), and do as much to help those in need as my limited resources allow.

Here's hoping all is as well as possible for all here.

 

[viole]

I thought it would be interesting to see what percentage of people on this forum are actually religious.

According to some Christians, atheism is a religion. This is absurd of course, but at least to them it should not be a surprise if we join a religious forum.

If you aren't religious, please give an explanation for why you choose to spend time on a religious forum.

In the same way a doctor spends time with the sick, without being herself sick.

Joking of course ...

Ciao

- viole

 

[HonestJoe]

If you aren't religious, please give an explanation for why you choose to spend time on a religious forum.

Why do you choose to spend time here? Why did you choose to ask this question? I suspect our reasons are very similar.

 

[SalixIncendium]

I thought it would be interesting to see what percentage of people on this forum are actually religious.

If you aren't religious, please give an explanation for why you choose to spend time on a religious forum.

Well, I'm not a scientist, but I choose to engage in scientific research and discussion.

I'm convinced many non-religious people spend time on a religious forum because they're curious and/or want to learn about religion and why it makes religious people tick.

Personally, I don't consider myself to be religious. I don't participate in ritual. I'm not devoted to any supreme being. I'm simply on a path of knowledge and realization.

 

[SalixIncendium]

Mostly, I imagine, on here it annoys certain religious people who post a topic aimed primarily at other religious people, but atheists come in and drag it down to 'but science' &c. instead of even hypothetically accepting a certain premise as a given and working from there. It brings a lot of religious discussion down to 'PROVE IT!!!' or 'BUT MUH SCIENCE!'

Not all posts require my effort to read or respond.

If such posts annoy religious people, then maybe these religious people need to evaluate how they react.

 

[Native]

I thought it would be interesting to see what percentage of people on this forum are actually religious.
If you aren't religious, please give an explanation for why you choose to spend time on a religious forum.

As other debaters already have mentioned, the term "religious" has to be defined. And maybe even re-defined in modern terms.

The Latin word "re-ligare" describes "a (double) sided connectedness" and when it comes to "cultural religions" this connectedness is defined in every single cultural religion. You/we can feel "double-connected" in all kinds of ways when it comes to having such a connection of "something higher" or outside yourself.

It is said that the first "religious" way of worshipping is Shamanism which is based on both physical and spiritual observations and visions of "nature on and above the Earth". That is: The nature itself on and above the Earth defines the very religious system and beliefs.

In some cultural religions this perception STILL consist, but in other religions "dogmatism" and personalization of deities have taken over and the very natural basics have been forgotten in this de-mythification process.

This suppression have to some extend also happened along with the scientific technological development and perception of cosmos where cosmological "still images" don´t really speak of a cosmological motion which is explained and a linear time perception whereas the ancient perception was/is cyclical of nature.

Personally I go all in for the Shamanistic way of understanding and gathering knowledge of everything, and I also really like to study the numerous cultural Stories of Creation and Comparative Religion and Comparative Mythology.

That´s why my profile name is NATIVE. My "religion" is native and defined from the rhythms and scenario of nature itself.

Regards

 

[randix]

You don't spend a significant amount of time on a religious forum if you "simply" disagree with their views.

To clarify my previous post, I think that worldviews based on fact and evidence are more difficult to threaten than those based on beliefs. As I mentioned, I think that the threat from religion is not one of challenging science or evolution or any facts or evidence (because religion is very poor at that), but instead the tendency of religion in many forms to be authoritarian and to support persons, laws and institutions that tend to enforce conformity to their beliefs, while infringing upon individual freedom and liberty.

In other words, it seems to me that atheists, humanists and nonreligious people don't so much feel threatened by religious people's beliefs as they feel threatened to some extent by the people who hold those (many different competing) beliefs as fact, and are willing to act, sometimes forcefully and sometimes cruelly, upon beliefs which might actually be contrary to fact.

 

[Aupmanyav]

I’ve been a member of the Baha’i Faith for 45 years but I’m still not a Baha’i yet.

You clearly mention your faith as Bahai. If you are not a Bahai then why say so? Riddles, riddles.

In other words, it seems to me that atheists, humanists and nonreligious people don't so much feel threatened by religious people's beliefs as they feel threatened to some extent by the people who hold those (many different competing) beliefs as fact, and are willing to act, sometimes forcefully and sometimes cruelly, upon beliefs which might actually be contrary to fact.

No, as an atheist, I do not feel threatened in any way. When I encounter people of this type, I will reply to them in their own language.

 

[Jedster]

You clearly mention your faith as Bahai. If you are not a Bahai then why say so? Riddles, riddles.No, as an atheist, I do not feel threatened in any way. When I encounter people of this type, I will reply to them in their own language.

PMFJI, but I call this propagating without propagating. Many people do that here, which is not surprising.

 

[MNoBody]

To gain perspective from every specialized aspect, is physically impossible, as it would take too long and the human mind is apparently not able to learn everything subjectively or intimately....
some things take decades or a lifetime to really get to know, and still it isn't completely known then either...
the more I have studied, the more ignorant I found I was and how truly vast knowledge in general really is
so places where people who have spent time with these matters/topics are useful to make time to come to, {IMO} since they bring knowledge that may have some unique value
I work with the premise that everybody has value [albeit unknown]
and everybody has a perspective, that has something of worth [however small at times it may be, and people can surprise, which brings some zest to the whole affair]
and how do you know until you try it, sample it.

reminds me of this story [couldn't find the meme summary so i had to lift it from google search]

Pablo Casals was a brilliant cellist, and I love a remark that he reportedly made when he was in his eighties or nineties. He continued to practice intensely with his cello in those golden years, and when he was asked why he was so diligent he replied with one of these statements:

I think I’m making progress.
I think I see some improvement.

so, conversation is an art, and perhaps through practice we may all see some improvement...
and since we are all in the same boat, I will say that I believe in you, not just because I must, but because I choose to.
And it seems I am in decent company in this little pub at the end of the internet......[for the most part in any case ] [he hopes as he hits enter and reaches for his coffee]

 

[izzy88]

Paranoid implies that i am worried or excessively suspicious

I meant the latter...

I think the OP is purposefully using two separate meanings of the same word to feign wonder and astonishment at the non-religious presence on religious forums.

What i can't decide is whether the OP is merely trolling or believes honestly that non religious discussion in matters concerning religion is out of place.

the question strikes me as either intentionally dishonest or absurdly irrational.

...and I think the evidence is in my favor.

 

[Curious George]

I meant the latter...







...and I think the evidence is in my favor.

Lol, if that reads as paranoia to you i would suggest getting glasses.

 

[izzy88]

Lol, if that reads as paranoia to you i would suggest getting glasses.

In the context of what I actually said...

If you aren't religious, please give an explanation for why you choose to spend time on a religious forum.

...I'd say "paranoid" or "excessively suspicious" are very accurate terms to describe your reaction.

You'd likely have much more productive interactions with people if you took them at their word, instead of dreaming up a fantasy about them trying to pull one over on you.

 

[Curious George]

In the context of what I actually said...

...I'd say "paranoid" or "excessively suspicious" are very accurate terms to describe your reaction.

You'd likely have much more productive interactions with people if you took them at their word, instead of dreaming up a fantasy about them trying to pull one over on you.

I don't dream you are trying to "pull one over" on me. I imagine that you are intelligent enough to realize that you were using to separate meanings of one word in order to pose a question that suggests you have no idea why non-religious people are on the forum. I suspected that you were also intelligent enough to articulate why you think the motives would differ in the first place. This leads me to the conclusion that you might very well be playing dumb.

If you want to try using that to feel persecuted or to claim that i am hostile toward you or paranoid about you, go for it.

 

[izzy88]

I don't dream you are trying to "pull one over" on me. I imagine that you are intelligent enough to realize that you were using to separate meanings of one word in order to pose a question that suggests you have no idea why non-religious people are on the forum. I suspected that you were also intelligent enough to articulate why you think the motives would differ in the first place. This leads me to the conclusion that you might very well be playing dumb.

If you want to try using that to feel persecuted or to claim that i am hostile toward you or paranoid about you, go for it.

You're really something, man.

I don't know why you have such a deep distrust for people, but I hope you can eventually overcome it.

 

[MNoBody]

You're really something, man.

I don't know why you have such a deep distrust for people, but I hope you can eventually overcome it.

well, a lot of people have been terrorized just by living man
once bitten twice shy
......[just noticing], personally you seem pretty reasonable and level minded to me......

 

[InvestigateTruth]

I thought it would be interesting to see what percentage of people on this forum are actually religious.

If you aren't religious, please give an explanation for why you choose to spend time on a religious forum.

To me religious and believer are not necessarily the same. Religious people are often dogmatic, fanatice, close minded. But to be a believer, does not necessarily involve having same character as being religious.

 

[ChristineM]

No, I'm an out and out atheist and still have trouble trying to understand how people can put so much faith in faith. I have however learned a lot from RF on various religions and non religious subjects

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

If you aren't religious, please give an explanation for why you choose to spend time on a religious forum.

It's called "Religious Forums," but a lot of the discussion here is about things other than religion.

That being said, I participate in discussions here about religion because:

- I think it's important to engage with issues that affect society. Religion certainly is an issue that affects society, including non-religious people.

- I think it's useful, especially in areas where religion might impose itself on others, to get religious people to consider the impact of their decisions and actions on people who don't necessarily share their views.

 

[GoodbyeDave]

Why do we have dictionaries if we're required to define every term we use every time we use it anyway? You're making this more complicated than it needs to be.

But it is complicated. Many people in the USA define themselves as "spiritual but not religious". Outside North America, the term "spiritual" is just an old-fashioned synonym for "religious", making that description meaningless. In Britain, to describe some-one as religious does not simply mean that they practice a religion — it means that they are notably pious or devout. Many in the USA would be happy to call themselves "devout" — Barack Obamah did — but in Britain that would be boastful and hence in bad taste.