what is your religion? - Page 5

My favorite Christians are those gone to seed Catholics, with their aestheticism, and overbearing contradictory intellectual interests.

If you really push me to the philosophy, I'm an atheist, in the sense that I don't believe in a supreme being.

However, in my more romantic moments, I'm more of a dystheist.

Though, the two aren't necessarily incompatible if you allow for demigods under the rejection of a supreme god.

The general population of which country?

I beg your pardon?

I have to go with "not religious, but believes in a higher power" although I can't say I'm really represented in the poll.

I find the idea of theism highly egotistical but the inverse, atheism, just as egotistical.

I believe in the pursuit of beautiful women. Whatever you call that religion I'm in. I don't buy into any of the mythologies, oops, I mean religions.

The United States of Don't Mess with Texas, of course!

Jon.

No, I'm saying that a significant percentage of the population would abandon their beliefs and the christian label if they really reflected on what it means, I don't deny that others would find it perfectly compatible and would keep believing in what it is they believe in.

Saying a significant number would relinquish Christianity is an overstatement. You are overlooking Freud’s analysis the on subject and how the relationship between believer and deity resembles that of a father and child. You’re also placing the onus of belief solely reliant on intellect, also not a leap I can see many making.

Good points there, I agree. Funny thng about religion is that it demands faith. It is not a pursuit composed of rational thoughts, decisions and critiques. You either believe or you don't. Frankly, even of there was some amazing event that would serve to prove beyond any sort of doubt the non-existence of supernatural beings, the majority would still be unconvinced.

Born Roman Catholic, spent time as a Unitarian, went to Mormon services a few times, hooked up with some Zoroastrians for a while, studied and lived Islam for a bit, was involved with the Baha'i for quite some time, Studied Mahayana Buddhism, went to Religious Society of Friends meetings for a couple years, and I have actually attended both real Wiccan/Pagan and Golden Dawn ceremonies on a few occasions.

Many of the above happened while I was being dragged along by my mother on her path to "enlightenment". Guess what, she ended up as a crazy zealotous Roman Catholic. She must have gotten a different message than I did.

Buddhist.

That is most certainly true. In exactly the same way, atheism also requires faith such that even in the face of some amazing event that served to prove beyond any sort of doubt the existence of a deity, the majority would continue to be unconvinced.

"Even if there were no God, Man would still find the need to invent one." sort a thing..

Not so, most atheist I've met have stated that if there were proof of that nature towards a deity then they would be convinced. While I dont contend that dogma would prevent some constituents from either side of the isle from converting were the shoe to land on either foot.

Either way it seems almost hubris to choose one of the two.