Where do you stand on the "religion" scale?

[marmar]

I'm listening to Peter Werbe talk about "Jesus Camp" and fundies freaking out that the current generation of kids is moving further away from religion, and decided it would be interesting to take a "religion pulse" at DU. In the interest of full disclosure, I believe in a higher power, but not in organized religion or denominations.

[TimeChaser]

1. Other: Eclectic pagan

[eyesroll]

2. Culturally Jewish, agnostic in my beliefs, secular in my handling of them.

Don't know where that puts me -- probably common among many American Jews my age.

[MannyGoldstein]

4. Me Too

Actually, I buy into what (I think) Ben Franklin said "I love that which is common to all religion, and dislike that which differentiates them from one-another".

[lvx35]

11. Wow, great quote, I hadn't heard that one! nt

[marmar]

5. Funny you said that...

I'm 34, and my friends who are Jewish identify ethnically as Jewish, but don't really practice the faith at all.

[cui bono]

13. that seems to generally be the case...

and if someone is anti-semitic they are usually termed racist. The Jewish religion has somehow transcended normal definitions or religion and being Jewish seems to be thought of as an ethnicity. It seems that most religions you belong to it because you practiced it but it seems you can be Jewish by virtue of having a particular parent being Jewish even if you never practice the Jewish faith. I've never really understood that.

[Spider Jerusalem]

21. That's because...

for two thousand years or so, with few exceptions, Jews formed insular communities and very rarely married outside them; also, Judaism, unlike Christianity and Islam, does not proselytise and conversion isn't really encouraged. Judaism isn't EXACTLY an ethnic group, though; it's more like several ethnic groups (Ashkenazic, Sephardic, Mizrachi, etc) that are all culturally and religiously Jewish.

[longship]

3. Just bought "The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins.

I catch the Red Eye from LAX to Baltimore next Friday morning (12:15 AM--yikes!!) for a week in the nation's capital. Thought I'd finish Conservatives Without Conscience and wanted a backup book. I like Dawkins, so I think I'll read it on the Red Eye.

Yes, I am an atheist.

[Skittles]

6. disgusted with all of them

absolutely sick of them

[spoony]

9. Hindus? Atheists? All of them? n/t

[Skittles]

20. I am sick of religious freaks

if people want to believei in fairy tales that's fine; it becomes a problem when they want to use such crap to make laws and inflict their fantasies on me

[spoony]

24. Alrighty.

That's straight-forward enough I suppose.

[C_U_L8R]

7. Pastafarian

[lumberjack_jeff]

25. proud member of the Unitarian Jihad

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/04/08/DDG27BCFLG1.DTL

[papau]

8. LOL -are the 5 to 10% of population atheist folks a bit more common on DU?

who would gave thought that?

:-)

[marmar]

10. True that...

Which makes you wonder how accurate that national stat is.... :think:

[papau]

26. In terms of stats - small sample DU does question national sample

results in anything - esp. on an op in web question that has no validity even as a small sample.

But I suspect you knew that and were just making a joke -

sorry about my taking it seriously for a second

it is late and I meed some sleep so I will be able to catch such subtle humor in the morning.

night :-)

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

12. My faith in a higher power is very strong however...

I don't really believe in organized religion.

I subscribe to the deist idea of a celestial clockmaker, and as such, I don't believe that god has a place in our everyday lives.

I also believe in reincarnation, because some people are so clearly move evolved than the average person. I don't think we can get it right in one lifetime and some just have older souls, such as Mother Theresa, Gandhi, MLK, etc.

Basically, God created the universe and set us free. The rest of us are just trying to get shit right in the meantime.

[Matariki]

14. Boy you left a lot of choices out of your poll

maybe an 'other' choice would have been nice. I'm a ceremonial magician & vodousant. when people ask, i usually say 'pagan' out of convenience - and it seems to scare people a little less...

[marmar]

16. I'm Sorry...

I'll add an "other" line.

[Erika]

15. Where's Wiccan? n/t

[marmar]

17. I added an "other" line to the poll...

After I posted it initially, I thought to myself, "I forgot to include Wiccan."

[twilight_sailing]

18. Since you were kind enough to ask, I'll answer.

On the rare days that I pray, I pray to "God, whoever you are".

It seems obvious to me that whoever made this whole thing is so much bigger than I am that I can't figure out who the hell he/she/it is. How the hell could I know?

Should I trust those who came before me to give me a definition? Like Richard Pryor said, "They were wrong about everything else."

I'll take my chances with "God, whoever you are."

[lvx35]

23. That's the best

really the only way to pray, IMHO. Anything else would praying to a thought in your own mind, an "idol" in a sense...

[twilight_sailing]

27. lvx35

That's one of the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me. I'll treasure it.

[lvx35]

34. hee hee. Just the truth though!

Its cool when the truth comes across as a gift...I guess in a sense it always is. Blessings! :)

[Red Right and BLUE]

28. This describes me pretty well, also.

I think a lot about who or what God is, but still believe in his/her/its existence.

I believe in God, but not as confined by the Bible (or that God's followers). To me, "God" is nameless, made of love, and is basically without boundaries, rules, or the murderous ego that some humans like to ascribe to Him/Her/Whoever.

[ButterflyBlood]

19. Christian

Don't go to church though, except on some holidays.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

22. I'm A Proud Believer Of A Very Strong Faith In God.

I do not belong or associate with any organized religion, however, as my faith is personal and my own. But I do have a close relationship with God that has always given me great strength and wisdom.

Praise the Lord for all that is good, I always say. :)

[kiahzero]

29. Other: Pagan (n/t)

[jokerman93]

30. Where I stand on the religion scale depends...

Where I stand on the religion scale depends mostly on my mood and whose chain I'm pulling at the time. But to my mind, organized religion is and always has been an artifact of mind control for the masses, or a niche market for profiteers.

On the other hand, if we were to gather together all the indigenous cultural myths, methods and sacred practices from throughout the world and throughout time, we might begin to approximate something vaguely significant as far as apprehending humanity's own true nature. Whatever that impossibly vast body of "!" amounted to might qualify in some way as the unitary "religion" of the human race - but then, like all religion it would still be entirely self-referential.

The idea of G*d then, only serves as a useful placeholder for everything else in the universe(s) that humanity has either never considered or is incapable of apprehending - which I suspect still amounts to just about everything.

Look at history and acknowledge what religion has wrought. If humanity ever outgrows its addiction to religions, saviors, gurus, salvation, enlightenment, redemption, and groveling before phantasms, I think it would be a big step forward for the life of the world and everything in it.

Apostasy is a sacrament. Blasphemy is an act of compassion.

How's that?
:evilgrin:

[cynatnite]

31. I don't believe in religion...it's spirituality for me...

I voted agnostic. There are times I believe God exists. A spiritual being who doesn't interfere with the world and leaves us to our choices in life.

Then there are the times I'm an atheist.

Either way, I feel more spiritual in the way that I know myself better and am more at peace with myself. In one of the gnostic texts...can't remember which one...it basically said to find heaven one must find peace withine oneself.

I call myself agnostic because I don't know for sure either way.

[mvd]

32. I'm Christian

A very open minded Christian who's much more spiritual than religious.

[verse18]

33. I'm an atheist.

I'm kind of a rare breed being that I'm an African American female.

[ismnotwasm]

35. Agnostic

Total fence sitter. I'd be an atheist if the Universe wasn't so damn big with so many unknowns. It would be nice to have a God of some sort, some powerful being on my side though I suppose. I don't buy it however. I can't buy it, really, I've tried. My mind doesn't work that way.
In religion there are always conditions of some sort when a deity is involved, making that Deity seem more human than human. The psychology of so many religions seems warped, like one big dysfunctional family.

Once in a while though, through people of faith-- or just through people you get a glimpse of that unconditional love, and it's what I'd call a spiritual experience for sure. When human beings come together in a righteous groove,-even if it's just for a moment-- and love one another without judgment, without condemnation, without expectations, that's as close to a God as I get

I've found it in sweathouses, I've found it on the living on the street, I've found at protests, I've found it where I work, where I live. I've found it a Christmas Mass after squirming bored shitless on a pew when a total stranger shakes my hand and says Peace be with you. I've found it just about anywhere.

And I try to return it when I can. Where I can. Every opportunity I can.

[H2O Man]

36. All of the above.

And more. I am serious.

[MissB]

37. Oh my. We're all Dogless heathens.

[Greylyn58]

38. I'm Christian and was raised

an Associate Reformed Presbyterian, however I left the church some time ago...became totally disenchanted with any and all organized religion.

I subscribe to what Thomas Jefferson said about religion and use it as my sig line:

Say nothing of my religion. It is known to God and myself alone. Its evidence before the world is to be sought in my life: if it has been honest and dutiful to society the religion which has regulated it cannot be a bad one.

[Hidden Stillness]

39. Modern, Thinking Christian

I am deeply religious, it is very important to me, and I believe that the universe it ultimately mystical, ethereal. I read the Bible and other Christian mystics and philosophers, (my favorite is Dionysius the pseudo-Areopagite), and I believe that there is an ultimate scale of justice for all to answer to. Most will find they were nowhere near as bad as they might have thought, and then there are people like the current Republicans, who will not be able to hide for what they have done. I believe the Sermon on the Mount, (Matthew 5 to 7), etc., and am a Protestant, but also agree with the ancient Greek, Dio Chrysostom, "A comprehended God is no God." We will know when we get there.