Your Theism Category - A Poll

[lunamoth]

Hi All,

All of these threads about how we define atheism etc. have piqued my curiosity. In this poll please choose the category that most closely matches your worldview/philosophy. I did not include 'other' because I would like participants to pick the one they think matches closest, even if not perfect.

Post and include a definition or clarification to go with your vote.

~ luna

 

[xkatz]

I choose theist because as a monotheistic panentheist, I believe in God as being the reality in which we live in and also beyond it.

Also, if I may ask, what makes a non-theist different from an atheist?

 

[Tarheeler]

I'm a theist. I believe in a single, incorporeal supreme being.

 

[Penumbra]

I voted atheist, but roughly 6 out of 8 of those terms could be rightly applied to me in certain contexts.

-I'm an atheist in the sense that I don't believe in gods. (And I'm an explicit atheist in the sense that I have examined the question of gods and do not believe in any of them.)
-I'm a non-theist in the sense that I don't believe in gods, or redundancy.
-I'm an apatheist to a certain extent, in the sense that I don't find religion to be particularly relevant in my life. But it interests me for sociological and psychological reasons, and because I value truth.
-I'm an agnostic in the sense that I do not have knowledge concerning gods (and am a fairly strong agnostic in the sense that I don't think anyone, or almost anyone, has reliable knowledge concerning gods). Reason and observation can, however, rule out certain god concepts.
-I'm an ignostic towards vague god concepts.
-I'm an anti-theist towards beliefs that I find particularly harmful and immoral, and/or that infringe on the rights of others.

 

[lunamoth]

I voted atheist, but roughly 6 out of 8 of those terms could be rightly applied to me in certain contexts.

Good point, Penumbra. I voted theist, but that does not fit me perfectly and I could also see myself fitting a number of other categories to some degree.

I wish I had put in a category that gets at 'beyond theism.' Not sure what that might be, though.

 

[lunamoth]

Also, if I may ask, what makes a non-theist different from an atheist?

I'm not sure. Perhaps someone who chooses one of those categories will explain how they see the distinction.

 

[Breathe]

I chose theist, even though I'm more of a panentheistic monist.

 

[Gaura Priya]

I chose theist.

Panentheistic monotheism.

God is eventually a Personal Being who cares for humanity, and is both immanent and transcendent.

 

[Katzpur]

Interesting poll, Luna. I noticed that there was a choice for "anti-theist," but not one for "anti-atheist." Was this an oversight or was there a reason for that? I also noticed that one person so far voted that he is an "anti-theist." I personally fail to see the rationale behind being "anti" anybody else's beliefs. They're beliefs, for crying out loud. I don't care if people don't believe in God. Why should anybody care that I do? Basically, what I'm saying is that anybody who would label himself an "anti-theist" is saying that he is "against" two-thirds of the world's population, which is something you could only be if you were bigoted enough to feel justified in painting them all with the same brush.

 

[lunamoth]

Hmmmm... a panentheist monist and 2 panentheist monotheists. I know there are many other panentheists around RF. I used to like that label myself because it gets at 'more than' or beyond theism. For me the words closest for God is The More, or perhaps Tillich's Ground of Being. I also like Whitehead's organic philosophy God.

Do you both see panentheism as something significantly different from simple 'theism?' How would you describe it?

 

[lunamoth]

Interesting poll, Luna. I noticed that there was a choice for "anti-theist," but not one for "anti-atheist." Was this an oversight or was there a reason for that? I also noticed that one person so far voted that he is an "anti-theist." I personally fail to see the rationale behind being "anti" anybody else's beliefs. They're beliefs, for crying out loud. I don't care if people don't believe in God. Why should anybody care that I do? Basically, what I'm saying is that anybody who would label himself an "anti-theist" is saying that he is "against" two-thirds of the world's people, which is something you could only be if you were bigoted enough to feel justified in painting them all with the same brush.

Anti-theist was kind of an after-thought because I had 8 poll options and did not have another idea along the ideas of gnostic/agnostic (poor planning on my part). I now wish I had thought of something like trans-theism or something along the lines of philosophical or non-traditional God concepts.

I agree with your views about taking an 'anti' stance.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

All of these threads about how we define atheism etc. have piqued my curiosity. In this poll please choose the category that most closely matches your worldview/philosophy. I did not include 'other' because I would like participants to pick the one they think matches closest, even if not perfect.

Post and include a definition or clarification to go with your vote.

I picked "atheist", because it's the one in that list that best fits me, but I would say that if I had to pick one word to describe my worldview, it'd probably be "humanist"... or maybe "freethinker".

 

[xkatz]

Do you both see panentheism as something significantly different from simple 'theism?' How would you describe it?

In relationship to theism, panentheism is just a TYPE of theism. It's not really different from "simple" theism, it's just that it's more specific.

 

[xkatz]

I picked "atheist", because it's the one in that list that best fits me, but I would say that if I had to pick one word to describe my worldview, it'd probably be "humanist"... or maybe "freethinker".

"Freethinker" is too vague of a term IMO.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

"Freethinker" is too vague of a term IMO.

You think so?

I don't mean something vague like "person whose thoughts are unconstrained"; by "freethinker", I mean that I generally adhere to the viewpoint of freethought:

Freethought holds that individuals should not accept ideas proposed as truth without recourse to knowledge and reason. Thus, freethinkers strive to build their opinions on the basis of facts, scientific inquiry, and logical principles, independent of any logical fallacies or intellectually limiting effects of authority, confirmation bias, cognitive bias, conventional wisdom, popular culture, prejudice, sectarianism, tradition, urban legend, and all other dogmas. Regarding religion, freethinkers hold that there is insufficient evidence to support the existence of supernatural phenomena.

A line from "Clifford's Credo" by the 19th Century British mathematician and philosopher William Kingdon Clifford perhaps best describes the premise of freethought: "It is wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence."

Seems specific enough to me once we clarify what we're talking about.

 

[Klaufi_Wodensson]

Theist. I believe in many, non-supreme Deities.

 

[doppelganger]

"Theism" to me involves one or more deities. So I would say I'm both ignostic on the epistemological question and apatheist on the ontological or metaphysical aspect.

But I can only choose one.

 

[Willamena]

None of the above. I might be compelled to choose 'mystic' if it's made particular to Dopp's brand of mysticism, but even then I'd be novice.

 

[doppelganger]

None of the above. I might be compelled to choose 'mystic' if it's made particular to Dopp's brand of mysticism, but even then I'd be novice.

"The existence of God" or "Gods" is largely irrelevant to a mystic.

It may even be idolatrous to talk about the Absolute in concrete terms.

 

[lunamoth]

None of the above. I might be compelled to choose 'mystic' if it's made particular to Dopp's brand of mysticism, but even then I'd be novice.

Mystic would have been a good option to include in the poll.

Added: How do you define mystic?