Are you religious?

[Jimmy]

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.

Knowledge

 

[Yazata]

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

I didn't participate in the poll because my answer doesn't fit a simply yes-no format.

I don't believe in God (or gods). I'm not a formal member of any religious denomination. I consider myself a religious agnostic. That all seems to justify a 'no' answer.

But... I've always, for as long as I can remember, felt that the universe around me is profoundly mysterious. I feel surrounded by mysteries at every moment. So I guess that I have a very strong sense of the transcendent dimension of existence. What's more, I'm very interested in early Buddhist practice, so I've paid quite a bit of attention to the Pali literature, canonical, paracanonical, and the commentaries. That seems to justify a 'yes' answer.

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

Well, I suspect that much of religion is psychologically motivated by feelings of transcendence not unlike what I happen to interpret as a sense of mystery.

That's why I often feel more kinship with religious people than with atheists.

 

[Spirit of Light]

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.

I see my self as Spiritual but since I do not follow a religion per se, it would be wrong to say i am religious but i am definitely not atheistic either

 

[randix]

I don't believe in God (or gods). ... But... I've always, for as long as I can remember, felt that the universe around me is profoundly mysterious. I feel surrounded by mysteries at every moment. ...That's why I often feel more kinship with religious people than with atheists.

Interesting perspective. Thanks. As for myself, I do believe that a conscious entity exists within which all forms of reality, including this particular physical reality, exist. Like you in a way, I have always felt that physical reality was and is infused with and composed of part of a more fundamental and expansive reality that both includes physical reality and transcends it.

However, because of my love of science, evidence and rational thought, I tend to feel more comfortable with the worldview of most atheists than with that of most people affiliated with the most prevalent institutionalized, culturally-implanted religions (although I tend to like Buddhism), while feeling a kinship with free-thinkers, humanists and more independent-minded deists, panentheists and monists.

 

[Milton Platt]

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.

I cast "no". I was surprised to see that per the survey anyway, there are more non-religious folks than religious. It may be that non-religious folks just responded at a higher frequency, though.

 

[izzy88]

I cast "no". I was surprised to see that per the survey anyway, there are more non-religious folks than religious. It may be that non-religious folks just responded at a higher frequency, though.

It was actually exactly what I was expecting, and part of why I thought the poll would be interesting. I've been here a short time but I've gotten the strong impression that the non-religious outnumber the religious here, and it turns out I was right - at least in terms of frequent users. There could be more religious people who don't post as much.

But I agree it's a strange phenomenon; which is also partially why I asked why the non-religious people come here. I find it interesting that there are so many of you and I wanted to hear about your personal reasons for spending time here.

 

[Milton Platt]

It was actually exactly what I was expecting, and part of why I thought the poll would be interesting. I've been here a short time but I've gotten the strong impression that the non-religious outnumber the religious here, and it turns out I was right - at least in terms of frequent users. There could be more religious people who don't post as much.

But I agree it's a strange phenomenon; which is also partially why I asked why the non-religious people come here. I find it interesting that there are so many of you and I wanted to hear about your personal reasons for spending time here.

As I suggested, there may be a higher rate of response from non-religious people to you survey. But in any case, the results are interesting.

As far as why non-religious folks come here, they do so to discuss religion. They want to know what people believe and why they believe it. Also, they enjoy testing the basis of beliefs, both religious and non-religious. Bear in mind, that if no non-religious people ever had an interest in religions, there would sooner or later be no religions. Where would the converts come from?

 

[izzy88]

As far as why non-religious folks come here, they do so to discuss religion. They want to know hat people believe and why they believe it. Also, they enjoy testing the basis of beliefs, both religious and non-religious. Bear in mind, that if no non-religious people ever had an interest in religions, there would sooner or later be no religions. Where would the converts come from?

Obviously they come her to discuss religion, but I was curious as to why each individual is interested in discussing it. I just wanted to get to know a little more about some of the people here. And there have been some very interesting answers, and a decent variety, too. So I suppose you could say I asked the question for the same reason that some of you are here: to gain a bit more insight into people's minds.

 

[Mock Turtle]

It was actually exactly what I was expecting, and part of why I thought the poll would be interesting. I've been here a short time but I've gotten the strong impression that the non-religious outnumber the religious here, and it turns out I was right - at least in terms of frequent users. There could be more religious people who don't post as much.

But I agree it's a strange phenomenon; which is also partially why I asked why the non-religious people come here. I find it interesting that there are so many of you and I wanted to hear about your personal reasons for spending time here.

I suspect it is this, and perhaps why the non-religious might post more is because they have more to say - that is the religious accepting of their belief and perhaps not particularly wanting to get into discussion/argumentation so much, whereas the non-believers are more inclined to do this - and perhaps feeling aggrieved at the influence of religions all around the world - with this often not being that benign.

 

[MNoBody]

ah, you will know them by their love.....apparently the definition of love became debased....love, where is it in this world...people seem to have run out
[cue the dj]