magley64 Posted October 9, 2012 Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 http://news.yahoo.com/report-us-protestants-lose-majority-status-040220128.htmlthere is hope for this country after all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casper Posted October 9, 2012 Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 http://news.yahoo.com/report-us-protestants-lose-majority-status-040220128.htmlthere is hope for this country after all. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpoppa Posted October 9, 2012 Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 I would guess the actual number would be much higher than 20%. Many people are just more comfotable saying they belong to "x" religion even though they don't actively practice or live by said standards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magley64 Posted October 9, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 I would guess the actual number would be much higher than 20%. Many people are just more comfotable saying they belong to "x" religion even though they don't actively practice or live by said standards.I dunno, maybe you're right...I'm pretty outspoken about my religious viewpoint, so I would think others without a religion would also be just as outspoken. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jester3681 Posted October 9, 2012 Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 This... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hollywood3586 Posted October 9, 2012 Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 I'll say I'm agnostic. I'm not ashamed its just personal preference. To each their own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpoppa Posted October 9, 2012 Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 From the link:In 2007, 60 percent of people who said they seldom or never attend religious services still identified themselves as part of a particular religious tradition. In 2012, that statistic fell to 50 percent, according to the Pew report."Part of what's going on here is that the stigma associated with not being part of any religious community has declined," said John Green, a specialist in religion and politics at the University of Akron, who advised Pew on the survey. "In some parts of the country, there is still a stigma. But overall, it's not the way it used to be."I would have to agree with this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScubaCinci Posted October 9, 2012 Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 I'm going to hell on scholarship.While I'm not religious, I think religion is good (in moderation, as with all things) as it provides a moral compass for those who may otherwise stray to the dark side. Fear of divine retribution and/or eternal damnation can be powerful motivator which is why it was used to control people for centuries. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magley64 Posted October 9, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 I'm going to hell on scholarship.While I'm not religious, I think religion is good (in moderation, as with all things) as it provides a moral compass for those who may otherwise stray to the dark side. Fear of divine retribution and/or eternal damnation can be powerful motivator which is why it was used to control people for centuries.I have the opposite view. I believe religion does more harm than good. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disclaimer Posted October 9, 2012 Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 It's organized religion that's the problem... not necessarily religion in general.You think workers' unions are bad... take the same concept, give them all identical mindsets and a tax-free existence... you're asking for trouble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpoppa Posted October 9, 2012 Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 "Religion, generally speaking, has been a curse to mankind - that its modest and greatly overestimated services on the ethical side have been more than overcome by the damage it has done to clear and honest thinking." - Henry Louis Mencken (1880-1956) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScubaCinci Posted October 9, 2012 Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 I have the opposite view. I believe religion does more harm than good.It certainly can be when being taken to extremes, which unfortunately seems to be the rule and not the exception anymore. However, it works both ways. I work with a guy that I'm friends with who was headed down a very bad path for a while. For whatever reason, he "found God" and has cleaned himself up and become a model citizen. It's been wonderful for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Butters Posted October 9, 2012 Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 I'm going to hell on scholarship.While I'm not religious, I think religion is good (in moderation, as with all things) as it provides a moral compass for those who may otherwise stray to the dark side. Fear of divine retribution and/or eternal damnation can be powerful motivator which is why it was used to control people for centuries.i agree with this. being a Christian, i personally have stopped myself from doing quite a few things because of my faith. if i was an atheist, i would be a much bigger asshole than i am now, and honestly, i would probably be locked up....i used to live a pretty shitty life before I got back into church and got my shit together....granted i still have a lot of things i do wrong (swearing, occasional drinking, my temper, etc)....but I personally can say that religion has done way more good in my life than harm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magley64 Posted October 9, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 (edited) I will not argue, it is beneficial for some.For me, I have no use for it... I have morals and dreams, and aspirations, and character without the need for a deity.For others, it's a torturous existence of self hate and a lack of self esteem because they can never live up to the standards set by bronze age goat herders.Still others use it as an excuse for violence against those that disagree with their views, and justify their violence by passages in their holy books. (mostly the abrahamics) Edited October 9, 2012 by magley64 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r1crusher Posted October 9, 2012 Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 I'm not religious' date=' in any capacity, but am amused by people who define themselves by not being religious. Being an atheist doesn't sway my political views. I know plenty of Christians that would bend most 'intellectuals' over a barrel in a scientific conversation. Believing in a higher power doesn't automatically condemn somebody to the society of dunces. I know plenty of atheists who are absolutely the dumbest form of life I've encountered on this planet. Zealotry is what surrounds idiocy. Be it religious, or non-religious. My atheism is simply the basic definition. I don't believe in any gods or dieties. It has nothing to do with my lifestyle or circle of friends.[/quote']It's organized religion that's the problem... not necessarily religion in general.You think workers' unions are bad... take the same concept, give them all identical mindsets and a tax-free existence... you're asking for trouble."Religion, generally speaking, has been a curse to mankind - that its modest and greatly overestimated services on the ethical side have been more than overcome by the damage it has done to clear and honest thinking." - Henry Louis Mencken (1880-1956)It certainly can be when being taken to extremes, which unfortunately seems to be the rule and not the exception anymore. However, it works both ways. I work with a guy that I'm friends with who was headed down a very bad path for a while. For whatever reason, he "found God" and has cleaned himself up and become a model citizen. It's been wonderful for him.My my...sooo much to "qft" and not enough rep. to go around.I'm with these fellas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScubaCinci Posted October 9, 2012 Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 I will not argue, it is beneficial for some.:werd:This is a rarity for me...I usually avoid discussing religion and politics online (or in person). It always starts out ok then degenerates quickly, usually ending up in one or more bans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Butters Posted October 9, 2012 Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 and i dont have a problem with people being other religions, or being atheists, or praying to a bologna sandwich.... we all have the right to believe whatever we want to believe, and who am i to judge someone for it? i have no idea if my beliefs are the right ones, or if they are real or fake....just have to live my life how i feel is the right way, believe what i believe, and have faith it will work out in the end.my religious views are kind of open-ended....i think muslims, jews, and christians can all go to heaven if it exists....i dont really play into some strict set of "christian laws" or anythingi think its ridiculous when people are so against other people for their beliefs. there are extremes on both sides (atheists included)there are obviously nutjobs of all religions, like the taliban and the westboro church etc......but even atheists can be extremists....atheists who make it a point to try and piss on people for having a religion and try to belittle them for it, are just as bad as any religious extremist religion isnt the problem in this world....the problem is fucked up people. its just in our nature. if we didnt have religion to fight over, we would find something else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bad324 Posted October 9, 2012 Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 nothing was better than the day I discovered Buddhism Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbot Posted October 9, 2012 Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 jihad, on ALL you motherfuckers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CleaveTheGreat Posted October 9, 2012 Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 My atheism is simply the basic definition. I don't believe in any gods or dieties. It has nothing to do with my lifestyle or circle of friends.This Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CleaveTheGreat Posted October 9, 2012 Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 I'll say I'm agnostic. I'm not ashamed its just personal preference. To each their own.Agnostic is a cop out. Pick a side Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magley64 Posted October 9, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 (edited) atheists who make it a point to try and piss on people for having a religion and try to belittle them for it, are just as bad as any religious extremist.Belittling, and insulting are a little different than murdering...So I wouldn't say "just as bad"Misguided, perhaps overzealous, and hurtful I could agree on. "Just as bad" no Edited October 9, 2012 by magley64 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disclaimer Posted October 9, 2012 Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 Agnostic is a cop out. Pick a side Lulz.I think agnostic is perfect. You just admit you don't know. Nothing wrong with knowing yourself well enough to be humble in acknowledging your own ignorance as no compelling evidence on either side has definitively proven the existence of a "God" or lack thereof. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magley64 Posted October 9, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 Agnostic is a logical choice in a society where the majority of people are of a single religious affiliation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScubaCinci Posted October 9, 2012 Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 and i dont have a problem with people being other religions, or being atheists, or praying to a bologna sandwich.... we all have the right to believe whatever we want to believe, and who am i to judge someone for it? i have no idea if my beliefs are the right ones, or if they are real or fake....just have to live my life how i feel is the right way, believe what i believe, and have faith it will work out in the end.my religious views are kind of open-ended....i think muslims, jews, and christians can all go to heaven if it exists....i dont really play into some strict set of "christian laws" or anythingi think its ridiculous when people are so against other people for their beliefs. there are extremes on both sides (atheists included)there are obviously nutjobs of all religions, like the taliban and the westboro church etc......but even atheists can be extremists....atheists who make it a point to try and piss on people for having a religion and try to belittle them for it, are just as bad as any religious extremist religion isnt the problem in this world....the problem is fucked up people. its just in our nature. if we didnt have religion to fight over, we would find something else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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