Are you religious?

[ajbrun]

I'm just curious to know if you're religious at all. I think in todays society (most people here are from the UK i think), there will be a lot more athiests than there might have been in the past.

Please don't say someone elses religion isn't as good as yours.

Do you think the results of the poll are a good/bad thing? Does it really matter? Why are the results as they are?


After thinking about it, should this have gone in question time?

[yamangman]

Probably.

But anyway, your poll can't really match up all the different beliefs and opinions of various people. I'm not Religious, but i'm certainly not an Atheist. Belief in God dosn't mean you 'prescribe' to a religion, and Atheism dosn't make you a Nihilist.

Personally I proscribe all religion, clans and cults, but, because I can't be bothered to justify that, 'what're you gonna do'? eh?

[Moonshade]

Nope, I'm not..is there really anything to comment about? .

[Stoo]

Neither

[Grouch]

Neither of the options really. I guess i'm agnostic. I don't believe in any god in particular but i'm curious and open to the possibilities.

[Kezzer]

I don't know.

[nichomach]

Christian, specifically Anglican.

[Hanners]

Nope, not at all religious.

[Elmo]

erm, the poll is a bit clean cut is it not?

I dont believe in god, but i do believe there's something there... I dont believe in the creation theory, i believe in evolution, but i also believe there's some higher force that determines what happens in our lives. I believe we have souls, and i believe in a sort of reincarnation. It's no particular religion, it's bits of lots of religions.

So you cant say either "yes i believe in god" or "no i'm athiest" - it's not that clean cut.

[Alex]

Im a christian, so its an easy choice in the poll for me...

How do you guys all decide on your spirituality then? Just out of interest...

[scottyman]

I'm agnostic - so I took athiest as the "least bad" choice

[Elmo]

Its all down to personal belief. Everyone has some sort of idea about why things happen. Some choose the scientific route, some choose the safetynet religious route and others choose a mixture of both.

What i dont understand is why so many people follow each other in the way of a "religion" like sheep. Why not have your own ideas of what happens and why? Why do you feel compelled to follow the religion you choose? Because you do CHOOSE to follow it. In the 21st century, we all know about all the hundreds of different religions, so why do you assume that yours is the *right* one? What makes you believe in that one more than any other? Is it simply because your parents are also part of that religion and you've grown up with it? But surely you've questioned it at some point?

Maybe i'm just thinking that everyone's as inquisitive as i am, and actually like to know *WHY* things happen and *HOW* things happen... maybe some people are the opposite and would rather believe something in a book that cannot be proven? I dunno... Prove me wrong...

[Alex]

Its all down to personal belief. Everyone has some sort of idea about why things happen. Some choose the scientific route, some choose the safetynet religious route and others choose a mixture of both.

What i dont understand is why so many people follow each other in the way of a "religion" like sheep. Why not have your own ideas of what happens and why? Why do you feel compelled to follow the religion you choose? Because you do CHOOSE to follow it. In the 21st century, we all know about all the hundreds of different religions, so why do you assume that yours is the *right* one? What makes you believe in that one more than any other? Is it simply because your parents are also part of that religion and you've grown up with it? But surely you've questioned it at some point?

Interestingly, I have no religious background whatsoever. I personally chose to believe (if you can choose to do such a thing) in christianity largely (thogh not entirely) on the historical evidence of Jesus, after reading around a bit about that, as well as other religions etc.

I think that largely people follow 'religions' because they are the products of milennia of thinking, in a similar way to the way that people base their scientific thinking on previous scientific thinking. The substance never changes, be it the Bible, the Quran, historical texts or the science of the natural world. The more we study it, the deeper the understanding of what its really all about.

I think that rather then being sheep, following a religion is just learning from what those who have gone before us have thought about and studied.

Maybe i'm just thinking that everyone's as inquisitive as i am, and actually like to know *WHY* things happen and *HOW* things happen... maybe some people are the opposite and would rather believe something in a book that cannot be proven? I dunno... Prove me wrong...

I think to be honest, that if that's your viw of religion you'll never be satisfied by it. The Bible (and similarly the Quran, and most other religious texts) never really set out to tell us how things happen, but more about why.

Its not that I'd prefer to believe in a book that has no basis, as you put it, but that I believe that that is at least part of the answer of what this world is all about. Personally, I do find it hard as a christian at times, knowing so many christians who are basically sheep, and don't question things, and try and use th bible as the answer to everything, which even itself it does not claim to be.

[Spud1]

I used to be but since then i grew up and got my own brain, realised that religion is just a control measure that has been used as such for hundreds of years. The basic morals of christianity I still follow, but the idea that theres a god is just rediculous to me...I have my own brain, i dont need to be controled by some rediculous idea of a higher power

[Alex]

I used to be but since then i grew up and got my own brain, realised that religion is just a control measure that has been used as such for hundreds of years. The basic morals of christianity I still follow, but the idea that theres a god is just rediculous to me...I have my own brain, i dont need to be controled by some rediculous idea of a higher power

So in what way was religion trying to control you, other than trying to get you to live the morals of Christianity, which you still follow anyway?

[Elmo]

just for the record,i wasnt meaning to diss anyone who does follow a religion (if anyone has taken offence, i'm sorry). I was mearly trying to find out the reasoning behind your choice of religion since a lot of people just decide to follow it cos that's how they were brought up and thats all they know and dont think of questioning it.