Atheism/Theism/Agnosticism on the dope. A Poll.

[Lobsang]

I apologise if such a poll has already been conducted.

I am well aware that Atheists are not very common in the real world. It makes me sad to be human. I like to think there are a heck of a lot more Atheists than people who admit to being Atheists.

But given the liberal and intellectual nature of the SDMB I am willing to bet that there are a higher proportion of Atheists here.

So....

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?

2. If you are theist, which religion do you belong to?

3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one?

4. If you are an Atheist and if there was one thing/event that caused you to be an Atheist, what was it?

5. If you are Agnostic, explain why you are Agnostic.

6. If you are a Theist, have you entertained the idea of reading "The God Dellusion" by Richard Dawkins?

7. If not, why?

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?

9. ditto, the koran?

10. ditto, the torah/talmud?

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?

12. Do you like Animals?

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?

16. Because I like doing this: Add your own question for the following poster.

[Lobsang]

My own answers...

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?

Atheist.

3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one?

Difficult to pin it down. I grew up naturally believing in God because everyone else did. I guess somewhere two years either side of 10.

4. If you are an Atheist and if there was one thing/event that caused you to be an Atheist, what was it?

Just contemplation of the likelihood of God and the knowledge I had gained up to that point to lead me to doubt the existence of God.

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?

Second hand knowledge from other books

9. ditto, the koran?

Second hand knowledge from other books

10. ditto, the torah/talmud?

Second hand knowledge from other books

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?

I can put BSc after my name (Software Engineering)

12. Do you like Animals?

Selectively. I love domestic cats and wild cats. I like probably more than 50% of types of animals, but some of them I think are ugly.

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?

I'd say I'm content for 40 percent of a typical day.

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?

More than fair. I find it fascinating.

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?

I fully understand that a scientific 'theory' is a system of understanding that is almost certainly true.

16. Because I like doing this: Add your own question for the following poster.

Do you like marmite?

[myskepticsight]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?
atheist

2. If you are theist, which religion do you belong to?

3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one?
about sixth grade

4. If you are an Atheist and if there was one thing/event that caused you to be an Atheist, what was it?
my parents never told me much about religion so I was free to explore on my own. Visited various churches with friends as a kid, never felt "right" there or liked it much beyond the social aspect.

5. If you are Agnostic, explain why you are Agnostic.

6. If you are a Theist, have you entertained the idea of reading "The God Dellusion" by Richard Dawkins?

7. If not, why?

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?
parts when I was a kid attending those churches and involved in bible study, VBS, etc. Read some on my own back then too

9. ditto, the koran?
nope

10. ditto, the torah/talmud?
nope

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?
Just B.A. for now but next year I will have an M.A. to put there

12. Do you like Animals?
yes

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?
Not currently but it is situational that started this year, but overall in my life, probably, and I can see my future getting better to the point where I can say yes

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?
yes

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?
well nothing in science really can be called proven - theories to me are explanations for events that have evidence of some sort to support them, be it observational evidence over time, patterns, or scientific experiments

16. Do you like marmite?
never had it

17. How many hours a day do you watch TV?

[Eliahna]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?
I identify as either Atheist or Agnostic. I guess I'm either a pessimistic Agnostic, or an Atheist who is prepared to accept being wrong. I believe God might exist but probably doesn't, and certainly doesn't exist in the forms the various religions believe in.

3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one?
I was born into an Atheist family so I never became one, it's the point I started from. In my teens I tried to be open-minded about religion and to try to see if there was any truth to it but I had to admit after a while that there was no belief inside, I was just playing along.

4. If you are an Atheist and if there was one thing/event that caused you to be an Atheist, what was it?
There's no one thing that convinced me my parents were right. It's more a lifetime of seeing people (ok, Christians, because they're pretty much the only religious people I'm exposed to) saying one thing and doing another that convinced me that they don't really believe it either. As a kid, I read a lot of old books and there were often racist and sexist attitudes in them that my parents explained as "That's what people believed back then. We now know how wrong they were". Religion kind of fell into that same category for me.

5. If you are Agnostic, explain why you are Agnostic.
Well, I've been wrong before!

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?
Not in its entirety, but I have read bits and pieces and I have read about the Bible.

9. ditto, the koran?
Nope

10. ditto, the torah/talmud?
Nope.

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?
Nope

12. Do you like Animals?
I love animals.

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?
I think so. Maybe not every day, but most days I'm content most of the time.

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?
I think so.

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?
An explanation arrived at and tested by observation.


16. How many hours a day do you watch TV?
I think... about 2.

17. Do you have a phobia and what is it?

[Locrian]

Here's my answers:


1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?
100% Atheist

2. If you are theist, which religion do you belong to?

3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one?
Around age 15.

4. If you are an Atheist and if there was one thing/event that caused you to be an Atheist, what was it?
If I narrowed it down to one thing: I'm smart :D Seriously, I traveled, learned, was well educated. Mythology was one subject I was always attracted to, as well as astronomy. The more I learned about hundreds of creation stories, creators, heavens and hells, I realized that god is as real as Zeus, the christian creation story was far from original, and that according to my bible, the more I learn, the more I sin. Ridiculous. The first time I saw a photo of "Pale Blue Dot" I realized that 1) religion is self-centered and created only by men desiring power and 2) The universe has endless possibilities. When I show Pale Blue Dot to religious people, they usually say they're scared, but I always feel inspired when I look at it.

5. If you are Agnostic, explain why you are Agnostic.

6. If you are a Theist, have you entertained the idea of reading "The God Dellusion" by Richard Dawkins?

7. If not, why?

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?
I've read 7 versions, and I am very good at quoting the "unpopular" passages.
I also attended private Catholic school.

9. ditto, the koran?
Most of it. Couldn't get by Koran 4. Too violent.

10. ditto, the torah/talmud?
Pentateuch? Yes.

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?
No Moniker.

12. Do you like Animals?
Yes.

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake? Unless I'm discussing religion or unemployment, yes.

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?
Absolutely.

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?
Theory, in the scientific sense is like "proof" in mathematics. Different meaning then Idea. Most people seem to think that theory and idea are interchangeable. Theory, to me means a testable hypothesis.

16. Because I like doing this: Add your own question for the following poster.

Um... will you hire me? :)

[Apollyon]

I am well aware that Atheists are not very common in the real world.Maybe where you are -- around here folks with no particular religious convictions are pretty common. Whether they're atheist or agnostic, or apathetic may be an issue, but around 40% claimed no religion in the last census.

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?
Agnostic-ish, but wouldn't object to Ignostic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignostic) as a fairly accurate description; tend to self-identify and "agnostic empiricist".

3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one?
Not sure if you want an answer to #3 then... but, some time around 10-11 years of age while attending Sunday school, and beginning to ask the unwelcome questions about Cain's wife, and Ark sizes and the like.

5. If you are Agnostic, explain why you are Agnostic.As opposed to Atheist? In short: every human society throughout history has had religion and the concept of the supernatural. This suggests to me that either there is some possibility of it, or that our brains are hard-wired for it (one suggestion has been that ascribing motive to otherwise unexplained acts may be a survival trait). Anyway, until we can agree on even what we are discussing I cannot muster the confidence to be an atheist.

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?
Yeah, chunks. Raised as a somewhat haphazard Presbyterian.

9. ditto, the koran?

10. ditto, the torah/talmud?Not yet.

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?Nope.

12. Do you like Animals?Definitely. House of the Rising Sun is one of the greatest pieces of modern.... oh.... "animals".... sure.... well, except for the ones with 8 legs.

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?No. :(

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?Reasonable.

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?An analytical tool that makes empirically testable assertions.

16. Because I like doing this: Add your own question for the following poster.All of them? :) this could get out of hand. :)

Marmite: Yes, particularly on toast topped with cheese.
TV: none.
Phobias: spiders and heights

New question: on average how many hours a day do you spend on the Internet?

[Justin_Bailey]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?
Theist

2. If you are theist, which religion do you belong to?
None, I'm a strict theist who just believes in god. But I was raised Catholic.

6. If you are a Theist, have you entertained the idea of reading "The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins?
No

7. If not, why?
Everything I've read about Dawkins leads me to believe he's a jackass and I would rather spend my time doing something else. Besides, I don't think I have it in me to be an atheist.

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?
BS in Information Technology, Masters in Library Science (in 4 months that is).

12. Do you like Animals?
Damn skippy

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?
Yes, why wouldn't I?

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?
Yup

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?
The majority of scientists in a given field believe this is how [the big bang or evolution or or AGW or genetics or etc, etc, etc] works right now. This may change in the future as more data is studied.

16. How many hours a day do you watch TV?
Too many.

16a. A true religious question for the next poster: Who sucks more, the Yankees or the Red Sox?

[pulykamell]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?
Agnostic, raised Roman Catholic.

5. If you are Agnostic, explain why you are Agnostic.
There is no reason for me to believe in a supernatural power, but I'm not sure the answer to such a question is completely knowable. For my purposes, whether I believe or disbelieve in the supernatural does not affect my personal ethic. It's not a question I spend a lot of time contemplating anymore, so my attitude is I don't know, I don't care, I'll find out one day, anyway.

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?
No.

12. Do you like Animals?
Yes

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?

Yes. I'm not quite sure of the phrasing here, though. I'm usually either content all day, or not. It's not like half my day I'm content or not. I'd say I've been contented for 90% of my life.

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?

Yes

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?

A model for explaining empircal observations.

16. A true religious question for the next poster: Who sucks more, the Yankees or the Red Sox?


Couldn't care less, but I'll go Yankees. I'm not feeling creative enough to add my own question.

[ZipperJJ]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?
Theist, leaning towards Agnostic as I get older

2. If you are theist, which religion do you belong to?
Lutheran

5. If you are Agnostic, explain why you are Agnostic.
The more I learn about the politics of church, the less I am inclined to belong to any of them.

6. If you are a Theist, have you entertained the idea of reading "The God Dellusion" by Richard Dawkins?
Nope

7. If not, why?
I don't need a book to tell me if I'm a theist or not a theist. I think organized Atheism is just as stupid as organized theism.

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?
No.

12. Do you like Animals?
My largest yearly charitable donation goes to the Humane Society.

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?
Yeah. And to be honest in times of struggle, I find my belief in God to help me find contentment.

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?
Yup

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?
A test that can be observed and repeated.

16. New question: on average how many hours a day do you spend on the Internet?
About 12, but it is my job to be On The Internet.

16a. Do you like my hat?

[panache45]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?
Atheist.

2. If you are theist, which religion do you belong to?

3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one?
50 years ago, when I was 13.

4. If you are an Atheist and if there was one thing/event that caused you to be an Atheist, what was it?
Reading The Fountainhead, right after my Bar Mitzvah.

5. If you are Agnostic, explain why you are Agnostic.

6. If you are a Theist, have you entertained the idea of reading "The God Dellusion" by Richard Dawkins?

7. If not, why?

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?
Yes.

9. ditto, the koran?
Parts of it.

10. ditto, the torah/talmud?
The entire Torah, parts of the Talmud.

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?
No.

12. Do you like Animals?
Most of them. Not too fond of tasmanian devils.

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?
No.

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?
Yes.

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?
A proposition that is supported by observable facts of reality, and is internally consistent, but not yet conclusively proven.

16. Do you like my hat?
Yes, but it's covering your penis.

17. Is there anything that would change your answer to question #1?

[Malleus, Incus, Stapes!]

Why does the percentage of atheism make you sad to be human? I must say I find that rather insulting.

Anyhow, the questions:

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?
Theist.

2. If you are theist, which religion do you belong to?
Judaism.

3. NA

4. NA

5. NA

6. If you are a Theist, have you entertained the idea of reading "The God Dellusion" by Richard Dawkins?
Not particularly, no.

7. If not, why?
I'm just not interested in it. Also, I've heard it's written in a very sneering manner- preaching to the (secular) choir. If I'm going to listen to or participate in a philosophical debate, I'd want both parties to give logical arguments in a respectful manner.

8. NA

9. NA

10. NA

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?
Nope. Still in college.

12. Do you like Animals?
Oh, yes. I'm planning to work with animals as a career.

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?
Define "contented". I suffer from a number of mental illnesses, and I feel depressed and anxious a good deal of the time. But when I think about how my life is, as opposed to what it could be, I'm contented, almost to the point of having no ambition. (I'm going to have to work on that ambition thing, but I keep putting it off until tomorrow...)

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?
I think so. I'm a bio major, and I've studied the subject.

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?
Judging from the "theories" I know of (relativity, evolution, etc) I'm guessing it means a principle that cannot be directly proven in the lab, but is instead inferred logically. Of course, I could be completely wrong here. I have to go look it up.

16. Because I like doing this: Add your own question for the following poster. Do you get along with people of the opposite worldview from you?

And to answer panache45's question: probably not. My understanding of theology is based on abstract logic, not personal experience or cultural osmosis. (Wait, did that sentence make any sense? Ack! I am not good at verbalizing abstract thoughts).


(Weirdly, I was thinking about starting this very thread today).

[Henrichek]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?

Atheist

3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one?

I was born one. In my country (Sweden) religion plays a much smaller role in society than in the US. It has pretty much no room in public discourse and is a private matter. There is no debate about it.

Oddly enough, I am a member of the Swedish Church since everybody born prior to 2000 or so were born into it. I just haven't bothered to cancel it. Damn.. I have to remember to do that some time, they collect 1% of my (small) income.

4. If you are an Atheist and if there was one thing/event that caused you to be an Atheist, what was it?

There was no event or thing that caused me to be anything else than atheist, so I never needed anything to set me straight.

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?

No.

9. ditto, the koran?

No.

10. ditto, the torah/talmud?

No.

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?

I will shortly be able to add M.Sc., I just have to finish my thesis. I'm already late though ;).

12. Do you like Animals?

Yes.

Examples: Dogs are great companions. Hedgehogs are awesome. Ducks are nice. Insects and spiders are fascinating (and photogenic) but hold none of the former qualities.

Cats are evil though. (hides)

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?

No. I have some private problems at the moment, though not some existential crisis that would be helped by a deity handing down some dubious purpose. :)

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?

I want to think that I do. I take interest in the subject.

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?

A model explaining empirical data that can predict future observations.

16. Because I like doing this: Add your own question for the following poster.

What is best in life?

17. Do you get along with people of the opposite worldview from you?

I think so. I haven't encountered many with an outspoken opposite worldview, though during my stay in the US I lived with a religious family. We got along fine, though the visit to the Museum of Natural History in Washington DC spawned some debate with strong disagreements. It stayed civil though, and they didn't kick me out :).

[Jerseyman]

I am well aware that Atheists are not very common in the real world. It makes me sad to be human. I like to think there are a heck of a lot more Atheists than people who admit to being Atheists.

But given the liberal and intellectual nature of the SDMB I am willing to bet that there are a higher proportion of Atheists here.

So....


Atheists are an extremely common majotity in the real world - just not in the USA, as unreal a world as ever a wiz there was.

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?

Tell me what you mean by a 'god' and I'll tell you.

2. If you are theist, which religion do you belong to?

???? Pagan maybe, Gnostic?

3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one?

In the Fundamentalist sense of a vengeful Superbeing stalking the land, I don't think that ever occurred to me until I came across Americans on the Internet.

4. If you are an Atheist and if there was one thing/event that caused you to be an Atheist, what was it?

5. If you are Agnostic, explain why you are Agnostic.

If there is a 'god' then its definition is of being beyond definition. Any 'god' capable of subordination to the human mind's understanding cannot by definition be a deity beyond human comprehension, so is insignificant. The Bible says that we are 'Gods and children (or images) of the Most High god'.

6. If you are a Theist, have you entertained the idea of reading "The God Dellusion" by Richard Dawkins?

It's crap: it fantasises the same Zeus-up-a-cloud as fundamentalists and then demolishes the strawman it built.

7. If not, why?

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?

Some of it. There's a lot of sense in there. Also a lot of legend and crap, like all ancient writings and some not so ancient.

9. ditto, the koran?

Got bored. Likewise Bhagavidgita and Book of Moron.

10. ditto, the torah/talmud?

That is most of the Bible Old Testament.

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?

B.Sc.

12. Do you like Animals?

Some, preferable cats and scaly ones.

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?

No.

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?

Yes. And don't believe it good enough. Environments evolve as a whole, not individuals separately. Gould and Lamarck have a lot to say.

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?

Currently accepted evidence.

16. Because I like doing this: Add your own question for the following poster.

Could there be two levels to the universe we know, one the material and egotistical where we see vengeful gods in a violent chaotic experienced cosmos, another deeper where everything reconciles in something even less 'material' than quantum mechanics and yet our minds can experience being part of that Unity and feel it is an ideal of perfect Love that needs minds capable of Intelligence to evolve Matter away from Tyrannosaurus towards the ideal of 'Eden'.

[Henrichek]

You ignored my question!

[FriarTed]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?

Theist

2. If you are theist, which religion do you belong to?

Evangelical Christian, member of but not married to Assembly of God

6. If you are a Theist, have you entertained the idea of reading "The God Dellusion" by Richard Dawkins?

Entertained it, yes.

7. If not, why?

I haven't yet because I'm way behind on reading things that mean more to me.

9. ditto, the koran?

Skimmed it.

10. ditto, the torah/talmud?

Yes/read segments (should be two separate Qs)

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?

B.A. in PoliSci, M.S. in Counseling

12. Do you like Animals?

Yes

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?

Pretty much

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?

Yeah.

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?

A testable idea of how reality works that may well be shown valid but still leaves some questions unanswered- that's just off the top of my head.

16. Because I like doing this: Add your own question for the following poster.

Whether you're Theist, Atheist or Agnostic, what's the most compelling argument you've heard for the other side & your response?

To the previous poster's Q:

In a sense, Christian theology posits such a possibility- that because of the Fall, the human realm is under Satan's sway but that the Triune God reigns & is breaking that sway & redeeming Creation. Gnostic theology takes it even more radically- that the material Universe was created by an Imperfect Deity & that the Pure Good Fully-Spiritual God remains above it all to liberate our spirits from this material realm.

I basically agree with the Christian view.

[Voyager]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?
Atheist
2. If you are theist, which religion do you belong to?

3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one?
Between senior year in high school and grad school.

4. If you are an Atheist and if there was one thing/event that caused you to be an Atheist, what was it?
Reading the Bible, and understanding where the Bible came from.

5. If you are Agnostic, explain why you are Agnostic.

6. If you are a Theist, have you entertained the idea of reading "The God Dellusion" by Richard Dawkins?

7. If not, why?

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?
Yes - cover to cover.
9. ditto, the koran?
No.
10. ditto, the torah/talmud?
The Torah is part of the Bible. The Talmud is too darn big.

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?
Yes - a PhD.
12. Do you like Animals?
Yes.
13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?
Yes
14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?
Yes
15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?
A hypothesis which has predictive power, successfully applied, and which has passed attempts at falsification.
16. Because I like doing this: Add your own question for the following poster.
How about - has a change in belief made you happier?

[Ephemera]

1. I am an atheist.
3. I became an atheist sometime around 15
4. Nothing caused me to stop believing. I just lost faith.
8. I have not read any of the Abrahamic holy books. I am not interested in them.
11. I've not attended post-secondary school.
12. I like mammals.
13. My baseline emotion is apathy.
14. I understand evolution as well as most laymen.
15. A theory, to me, is a current model of understanding based on peer-reviewed evidence.

[John Carter of Mars]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?
Agnostic, raised Roman Catholic.

5. If you are Agnostic, explain why you are Agnostic.
There is no reason for me to believe in a supernatural power, but I'm not sure the answer to such a question is completely knowable. For my purposes, whether I believe or disbelieve in the supernatural does not affect my personal ethic. It's not a question I spend a lot of time contemplating anymore, so my attitude is I don't know, I don't care, I'll find out one day, anyway.

I'll take pulykamel's two answers for 100, Alex.

[Chronos]

1. Theist
2. Christian
3. --
4. --
5. --
6. Not seriously
7. Dawkins strikes me as a fundamentalist, and I have no interest in fundamentalists on either side of the question.
8. --
9. --
10. --
11. Master's of Science
12. Yes (and what is this question doing here?)
13. Probably
14. Yes.
15. A model which has successfully made many predictions which have been tested, and for which the results of all the tests have been consistent with the model
16. (has a change in belief made you happier? ) I have had no changes of belief large enough to show up on a survey this coarse, so the question is irrelevant.
17. What is your favorite color?

[dangermom]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic? Theist

2. If you are theist, which religion do you belong to? LDS

[snip]

6. If you are a Theist, have you entertained the idea of reading "The God Dellusion" by Richard Dawkins? Yes, but the ranting got too irritating. I'm familiar with the arguments.

[snip]

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name? I have an MLIS, but I only ever put it after my name on business letters.

12. Do you like Animals? Sure.

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake? Yes. I am a pretty cheerful person by nature and am usually happy. Even though life is extremely stressful right now, I'm happy.

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection? Yes. I have no problem with it and have enjoyed several books on the subject.

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you? A well-tested model of how some particular phenomenon works (Theory of Gravity, etc.) that serves as the standard.

ETA: I don't really have a favorite color, they're mostly all pretty, but I like greens and blues a lot.

16. Because I like doing this: Add your own question for the following poster. Did you eat ice cream for dessert this evening? (I did. Homemade. Yum.)

[JThunder]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?
Solid 100% theist.

2. If you are theist, which religion do you belong to?
Evangelical Christianity

3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one?
4. If you are an Atheist and if there was one thing/event that caused you to be an Atheist, what was it?
5. If you are Agnostic, explain why you are Agnostic.
N/A

6. If you are a Theist, have you entertained the idea of reading "The God Dellusion" by Richard Dawkins?
Yes. I agreed with atheist philosopher Michael Ruse and atheist evolutionary biologist H. Allen Orr, both of whom said that this book was an embarassingly sophomoric attempt at philosophizing.

7. If not, why?
N/A

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?
9. ditto, the koran?
10. ditto, the torah/talmud?
N/A

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?
Yes. Multiple degrees in science and engineering, including a doctorate.

12. Do you like Animals?
Yes. However, I don't see the significance of that particular question.

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?
Yes.

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?
Much more than fair.

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?
It is much more than a guess, and much more than even an educated guess. It refers to a detailed model that is designed to explain a set of scientific observations.

[Ataraxia]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?
Agnostic. Right at this moment, anyway.

2. If you are theist, which religion do you belong to?

3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one?

4. If you are an Atheist and if there was one thing/event that caused you to be an Atheist, what was it?

5. If you are Agnostic, explain why you are Agnostic.
Every religious text I have had the oppourtunity to read has been far too compelling to justify completely blowing off religion. Basically, I'm trying to keep my mind and my options open.

6. If you are a Theist, have you entertained the idea of reading "The God Dellusion" by Richard Dawkins?

7. If not, why?

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?

9. ditto, the koran?

10. ditto, the torah/talmud?

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?
Still in university.
12. Do you like Animals?
Yes. I have three pets.
13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?
I guess so.
14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?
Yeah, "fair" is probably a good description. Took it in high school but studying humanities in university.
15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?
A construction meant to explain a certain set of phenomena using available empirical data.
16. Eerily enough, yes. Homemade cinnamon ice cream
Do you think there is anything substantial to the claim that atheism is becoming a religion? Namely, that many of its most vocal, pedantic adherents are as intolerant as the religions they denounce, with a slavish devotion to science as the source of all knowledge and goodness in the world?

[AHunter3]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?
Theist. Some disagree with my self-definition though.

2. If you are theist, which religion do you belong to?
I roll my own. It's a pantheism but not affiliated with anything I can point to

6. If you are a Theist, have you entertained the idea of reading "The God Dellusion" by Richard Dawkins?
I read part of it. The God to which he refers bears no resemblance to anything I consider to be real. I'm not his intended audience.

7. If not, why?
See above

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?
MSW :D

12. Do you like Animals?
Usually. I like some of them to tickle and scritch and wrestle with, and I like some of them cleaned and roasted until well-done with some vegetables on the side.

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?
Yes

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?
I think so

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?
An explanatory framework that organizes empirical data into a model or description

16. Because I like doing this: Add your own question for the following poster.
Sure! If you are an atheist, do you believe that there was ever anything real in human experience such that its description led to the belief-systems we call religion, as opposed to our species largely embracing ideas that never had any substantive merit?

Oh and the extra-credit one:

Do you think there is anything substantial to the claim that atheism is becoming a religion? Namely, that many of its most vocal, pedantic adherents are as intolerant as the religions they denounce, with a slavish devotion to science as the source of all knowledge and goodness in the world?

For some people it is becoming a politicized cause which they are fervent about, and which has central meaning for them. It's not theistic and religion usually means an institutionalized theism of one sort or another so I would not call it that.

[wierdaaron]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?

Atheist.

2. If you are theist, which religion do you belong to?

3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one?

When I was around 19.

4. If you are an Atheist and if there was one thing/event that caused you to be an Atheist, what was it?

No one event. Just a lot of sleepless nights considering the nature of everything.

5. If you are Agnostic, explain why you are Agnostic.

6. If you are a Theist, have you entertained the idea of reading "The God Dellusion" by Richard Dawkins?

7. If not, why?

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?

Oh, my, yes. I was raised rather religiously, and I was a pretty adherent Christian right until the moment I wasn't.

9. ditto, the koran?

The devil wrote that book.

10. ditto, the torah/talmud?

The jews are nice people, can't wait for their homeland to burn to the ground so jesus can come back!

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?

neg

12. Do you like Animals?

Yes. Except the ones that might eat me.

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?

Yeah, probably. Antidepressants help.

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?

I do now. In the Christian schools I attended through 8th grade, evolution was presented to me in wholly incorrect terms. "If whales turned into chickens turned into racoons, why are there no whale-chicken-racoons?"

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?

A possible explanation for any of the mechanics of reality that either hasn't been proven yet or cannot be realistically proven.

16. Because I like doing this: Add your own question for the following poster.

Why do you think that, even today, blind faith in an unconfirmable idea is regarded as a positive attribute? "He has a lot of faith," is generally a compliment some people would rather hear about themselves than "he has a lot of knowledge."

Previous question: If you are an atheist, do you believe that there was ever anything real in human experience such that its description led to the belief-systems we call religion, as opposed to our species largely embracing ideas that never had any substantive merit?

I think that, before science came along, anything unexplainable was attributed to a god. That bright ball in the sky? God. Weather changing? God. Lightning storms? God. These things are passed down over time until they're eventually replaced with real answers, but the story remains. I think a lot of the extraordinary things that happened in the bible are probably manifestations of unexplainable things that happened. Like, say, people being struck dead instantly, maybe someone died suddenly of a heart attack or aneurysm, and to somebody watching it seemed like they were fine and then suddenly dead. That story would get told and retold until it became a fact that "god can strike people dead!" The first time there was a solar eclipse, people probably really freaked out, and suddenly total darkness was added as one of god's powers (such as right after jesus' crucifixion).

[Jerseyman]

The questions are 'somewhat' biassed. The obvious one that is missing is If you are monotheist, then what led you to believe in a single deity in preference to many and what does it mean to you?

[MarmaladeBay]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?
Some days I lean more towards atheism, some days agnosticism. Kind of like Cazzle said, I'm a pessimistic agnostic or an unsure atheist.

2. If you are theist, which religion do you belong to?

3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one?
I suppose I've always been one. My dad was raised Catholic, but is nonpracticing and recently became aware of his atheism, whereas my mom is Christian for the values only and never insisted on us chil'uns going to church.

4. If you are an Atheist and if there was one thing/event that caused you to be an Atheist, what was it?
I went to Bible camp when I was about 12. I felt terribly guilty because I didn't believe deep down everything they preached. So when I got home, I sat down and read the Bible for a few days before realizing that I thought it was all mythological bullshit.

5. If you are Agnostic, explain why you are Agnostic.
I certainly don't believe in the Christian god as it just feels like a whole lotta mythology to me, but I don't deny that a God may indeed exist that resembles nothing a human could possibly imagine.

6. If you are a Theist, have you entertained the idea of reading "The God Dellusion" by Richard Dawkins?

7. If not, why?

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?
Parts and I intend to read it in whole some day.

9. ditto, the koran?
See above.

10. ditto, the torah/talmud?
See above.

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?
Not yet.

12. Do you like Animals?
Yes. Especially cats.

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?
Recently, no, but generally yes.

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?
I like to think I do.

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?
A scientific explanation for how something in nature works with plenty of evidence. Also, it's disprovable but hasn't yet been disproved.

16. Why do you think that, even today, blind faith in an unconfirmable idea is regarded as a positive attribute? "He has a lot of faith," is generally a compliment some people would rather hear about themselves than "he has a lot of knowledge."
I think that happens in situations of extreme religious indoctrination to the point where knowledge (ala the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil) is seen as dangerous to faith. Faith is the essence of most religions and it is believing in something without evidence to prove it. Faith with evidence is not faith at all, which I suppose may explain why knowledge is considered bad.

My question: What are you listening to right now?

[Really Not All That Bright]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?
I am best described as an agnostic Deist.
2. If you are theist, which religion do you belong to?
See above.
3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one?
I adopted my current belief system more or less wholesale when I was 11.
4. If you are an Atheist and if there was one thing/event that caused you to be an Atheist, what was it?
The thought process that went into writing an essay on the origin of life for a religious studies class.
5. If you are Agnostic, explain why you are Agnostic.
I'm humble enough to recognize that I'm probably wrong, and the agnostic label general fits in with my view of the universe. Essentially, I believe that either there's no god, or that if god exists it's off doing god-things in other places and is either way unconcerned about us.
6. If you are a Theist, have you entertained the idea of reading "The God Dellusion" by Richard Dawkins?

7. If not, why?

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?
Most of it.
9. ditto, the koran?
Selected passages only.
10. ditto, the torah/talmud?
Hard to read the Bible without it.
11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?
er... B.S.?
12. Do you like Animals?
Tasty and cuddly- what's not to like?
13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?
Yes.
14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?
Yes.
15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?
Proven beyond a reasonable doubt, if not proven absolutely.
16. Because I like doing this: Add your own question for the following poster.
Is the idea of a limited god much more plausible than the idea of an omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent one?
My question: What are you listening to right now?
A Time To Kill on TNT in the next room.

[Diogenes the Cynic]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?
Atheist.

3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one?
I don't think I was ever really not one. I had a moderately religious upbringing, but I realized at an early age (preteen) that I really didn't buy any of it.

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?
Cover to cover twice, individual books far more often. I've struggled through much of the Gospels in the original Greek. I was a Religion Major in college.

9. ditto, the koran?
I have one which I've occasionally picked up and skimmed, but have not made an honest effort to read all the way through.

10. ditto, the torah/talmud?
The Torah is part of the Bible, so yes. I've also read some of the Talmud, but not all of it.

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?
No.

12. Do you like Animals?
Yes.

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?
Very much so.

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?
Yes.

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?
An explanation (not a mere hypothesis) for a phenomenon or set of phenomena supported by evidence and which makes falsifiable predictions.

Is the idea of a limited god much more plausible than the idea of an omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent one?
Depends on how limited. Is a human being a limited God?

My question: If you're an atheist, what will you say if you find out you're wrong after you die, and you find yourself standing in front of God?

If you're a theist, what will you say if you find out your own religion is false, and some religion completely at odds with your own is the correct one?

[Diogenes the Cynic]

Double post.

[Really Not All That Bright]

You didn't answer my question.

[Diogenes the Cynic]

I did now. Check my edit.

[Myrrajh]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?
Theist

2. If you are theist, which religion do you belong to?
Christian

3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one?

4. If you are an Atheist and if there was one thing/event that caused you to be an Atheist, what was it?

5. If you are Agnostic, explain why you are Agnostic.

6. If you are a Theist, have you entertained the idea of reading "The God Dellusion" by Richard Dawkins? Started reading it (or another book of his, can't remember) and was put off by his assertion that religious people are brain damaged. I'm done with him.

7. If not, why?

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?

9. ditto, the koran?

10. ditto, the torah/talmud?

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name? Not yet. Working on a BSc.

12. Do you like Animals? What does this have to do with anything? Yes, love 'em all, and not just the tasty ones.

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake? I am happy probably 99% of my day. The other 1% is reserved for minor annoyances with the dog.

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection? Yes

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you? An attempt to unify observations and experiments to create a scientific law. Laws are solid and irrefutably proven, theories are works in progress.

16. Because I like doing this: Add your own question for the following poster.
What's the best thing that happened to you today?


If you're a theist, what will you say if you find out your own religion is false, and some religion completely at odds with your own is the correct one?I'm interested in truth. If I learn for myself (key point) that my religion is false, I will go in search of the truth. I've done it before, so I can do it again.

[Liberal]

I apologise if such a poll has already been conducted.

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?

Theist

2. If you are theist, which religion do you belong to?

I don't really "belong" to any particular religion, but if you had to pin me down, it'd probably be Quaker.

3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one?

4. If you are an Atheist and if there was one thing/event that caused you to be an Atheist, what was it?

5. If you are Agnostic, explain why you are Agnostic.

6. If you are a Theist, have you entertained the idea of reading "The God Dellusion" by Richard Dawkins?

No.

7. If not, why?

I just don't like Dawkings, having been exposed to him as a talking head on MSNBC. He's a conservative apologist, and I don't feel moved to read anything by him. Besides, I'm currently reading Dreams of My Father by Barack Obama.

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?

9. ditto, the koran?

10. ditto, the torah/talmud?

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?

No.

12. Do you like Animals?

Yes. Most of them.

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?

I wish you had said "content", rather than "contented". The latter confuses me a little bit, but of the former, I would say honestly yes.

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?

Yes.

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?

An hypothesis that has been tested and has not been proven false.

16. Because I like doing this: Add your own question for the following poster.

Is the idea of a limited god much more plausible than the idea of an omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent one?

No. Quite the opposite.

My question: For atheists, which of the following would most likely convince you of His existence? (A) Doing sky shows with spectacular images? (B) Defying the laws of physics? (C) Contacting you personally? (D) Changing your brain such that you suddenly and inexplicably believe in Him?

[Diogenes the Cynic]

Laws are solid and irrefutably proven, theories are works in progress.
This is wrong, just so you know. Laws are not more proven than theories. No amount of proof can turn a theory into a law.

Also Richard Dawkins does not say in The God Delusion that "religious people are brain damaged."

[jjimm]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?
Atheist (of the non-strong variety)

2. If you are theist, which religion do you belong to?
I was raised Church of England

3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one?
1995

4. If you are an Atheist and if there was one thing/event that caused you to be an Atheist, what was it?
I called myself agnostic before, but it was when I was in a temple in the Mekong Delta in Vietnam dedicated to a brand-new religion, it occurred to me that "people will believe any old shit", followed by the realisation that all philosophical arguments in favour of religion are based on there being only one - e.g. Pascal's Wager - and don't take into account the many conflicting and contradictory other religions out there. Any residual agnosticism crumbled away.

5. If you are Agnostic, explain why you are Agnostic.
I was confirmed into the C of E aged 14. Unfortunately for the church, taking the classes meant I actually thought about the issues for the first time, rather than attending church by rote. The effect of thinking about it meant that I awoke the day after my confirmation, an unbeliever.

6. If you are a Theist, have you entertained the idea of reading "The God Dellusion" [sic] by Richard Dawkins?

7. If not, why?

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?
Yes.

9. ditto, the koran?
Not much. It's boring.

10. ditto, the torah/talmud?
No.

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?
Yes, but not a standard degree.

12. Do you like Animals?
Love them. Particularly cats.

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?
Depends on my life circumstances. Right now, yes indeed.

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?
Yes.

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?
A model that is put forward to explain something, that has enough credibility in the first instance to be tested in order to falsify it. Some theories are robust enough after years of testing that after time they may be taken for all intents and purposes to be the truth, e.g. gravity, quantum mechanics, evolution.

16. For atheists, which of the following would most likely convince you of His existence? (A) Doing sky shows with spectacular images? (B) Defying the laws of physics? (C) Contacting you personally? (D) Changing your brain such that you suddenly and inexplicably believe in Him?
This is a bit tricky, because answer D precludes the other three. C would NOT convince me - I would assume hallucination/insanity. A and B could also be explained as the former, though if it were a shared experience, one may assume that either the people who shared it were similarly deluded (unlikely) or solipsistically that my insanity is causing me to hallucinate the reactions of others (still unlikely but a bit less). So, D.

16. Theists: once and for all, can you put forward a convincing pro-belief argument that doesn't ignore any of all of the other religions in which you don't believe?

[Hilarity N. Suze]

[QUOTE=Lobsang;11476337]I apologise if such a poll has already been conducted.

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?
atheist, but I believe that prayer and meditation can help people focus on goals

2. If you are theist, which religion do you belong to?

3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one?
was always one, I think

4. If you are an Atheist and if there was one thing/event that caused you to be an Atheist, what was it?
There was not one thing. I grew up among born-again Methodists and I never could get with the program. My atheism is reinforced by things like this: My brother sends me glurge which states explicitly that the country has been going to hell ever since we stopped allowing prayer in the schools. (1) It's not prohibited, anybody can pray, anywhere, nobody can stop you (2) Really, were things just peachy from Jesus right on to 1960? (3) Seriously, how can anybody believe this?
Sometimes I think my brother doesn't even read these things and just says, "Hmm, it seems to be pro-God, so I will forward it to everyone I know."
So...things like this, many things like this, all my life. Everyone I grew up with will accept the email and agree that outlawing prayer in the school was a Bad Thing. I have no idea why I feel differently, but this kind of thing really points out that I do feel differently.

5. If you are Agnostic, explain why you are Agnostic.

6. If you are a Theist, have you entertained the idea of reading "The God Dellusion" by Richard Dawkins?
How come I can't answer this one? No, I haven't.

7. If not, why?

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?
Yes (and why can't theists answer this one? I'd like to know)

9. ditto, the koran?
Some, not much

10. ditto, the torah/talmud?
some, not much--the torah is the first five books of the bible, right? I've read those.

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?
Yes

12. Do you like Animals?
Mammals, yes. Fish, yes. Insects, not so much.

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?
Yes

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?
No (I am not interested)

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?
Something not proven, although it may be accepted.

16. Because I like doing this: Add your own question for the following poster.
What's for lunch?

[sandra_nz]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?
Atheist

2. If you are theist, which religion do you belong to?
N/A

3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one?
I had no religious upbringing. I was exposed to several religions by childhood friends - Christadelphians, Jehovah Witnesses, Baptists. I was naturally curious and liked to hear about what they believed in, but I never had any actual religious belief myself. I didn't define myself as atheist until much later, because it never occurred to me that I needed to define my lack of religion in any way.

4. If you are an Atheist and if there was one thing/event that caused you to be an Atheist, what was it?
N/A. As stated, I had no religious upbringing, so it was more likely that I would need an event to cause me to be theist rather than the other way around.

5. If you are Agnostic, explain why you are Agnostic.
N/A.

6. If you are a Theist, have you entertained the idea of reading "The God Dellusion" by Richard Dawkins?
N/A.

7. If not, why?
N/A.

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?
Bits of it. It's a pretty boring read.

9. ditto, the koran?
No.

10. ditto, the torah/talmud?
No.

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?
Bachelor of Arts in Education.

12. Do you like Animals?
I love animals.

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?
Yes, I'm a very contented person.

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?
Yes.

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?
That the hypothesis has been proven to be the most likely reason, due to alternate reasons being disproved.

16. Because I like doing this: Add your own question for the following poster.
Who's a pretty boy?

[wunderkammer]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?
Short answer: atheist. Long answer: I hadn't heard of ignosticism until now, but that would appear to fit me pretty well. Before that, I'd call myself a strong/positive atheist with regard to any god who supposedly intervenes in this universe, and a strong agnostic (asserting that it's totally unknowable) toward any god who's allegedly beyond this physical reality
2. If you are theist, which religion do you belong to?
3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one?
Somewhere between 12 and 14 years of age.
4. If you are an Atheist and if there was one thing/event that caused you to be an Atheist, what was it?
No specific moment; just a long childhood (raised Catholic) spent fascinated with scientific explanations and frustrated with religious explanations of things.
5. If you are Agnostic, explain why you are Agnostic.
I started hanging out with nitpicky philosophy majors and I have a vivid imagination.
6. If you are a Theist, have you entertained the idea of reading "The God Dellusion" by Richard Dawkins?
7. If not, why?
8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?
I haven't read it cover-to cover, but I'm very familiar with the New Testament, the main stories that are part of Western canon, and most of the parts that come up in controversies today.
9. ditto, the koran?
No
10. ditto, the torah/talmud?
No
11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?
No--I'm still in college.
12. Do you like Animals?
Yes.
13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?
No.
14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?
Yes. This is one of my biggest interests, and since one of my majors is biology, it would be pretty pathetic if I didn't.
15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?
A testable model or explanation of a phenomenon that is supported by a large body of evidence and has predictive value.
16. What's for lunch?
Most of a pineapple and some leftover pizza, probably.
17. Because I like doing this: Add your own question for the following poster.
Do you feel that your belief system is well-represented (quality or quantity) on these boards? Do you wish that the religious climate here were different, or do you like it as it is?

[mswas]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?

Theist

2. If you are theist, which religion do you belong to?

I don't belong to a religion.

3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one?

NA

4. If you are an Atheist and if there was one thing/event that caused you to be an Atheist, what was it?

NA

5. If you are Agnostic, explain why you are Agnostic.

NA

6. If you are a Theist, have you entertained the idea of reading "The God Dellusion" by Richard Dawkins?

Not really.

7. If not, why?

I've read a bit of Daniel Dennett's 'Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomena' which seemed like a whole lot of bloviating with a nugget of a good point, Dawkins seemed like this book but with extra bloviating. It seems like one of those books where you don't need to read anymore than the premise to know what it says.

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?

NA

9. ditto, the koran?

NA

10. ditto, the torah/talmud?

NA

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?

No

12. Do you like Animals?

I like particular animals. Otherwise animals exist I neither like nor dislike them.

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?

No

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?

More or less.

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?

A scientific idea that is in the process of being tested or has been tested to a degree of satisfaction and is subject to a peer review process.

16. Because I like doing this: Add your own question for the following poster.

Ok

17. Have you ever seen a Toucan in the wild?

[jjimm]

People seem to have stopped answering the bonus questions. I'd like mine addressed. Maybe I should start a GD, if I have time.

[Reply]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?
Agnostic.
2. If you are theist, which religion do you belong to?

3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one?
I think I used to believe in some sort of higher power as a kid, but gradually schooling and science got the better of me, I suppose.
4. If you are an Atheist and if there was one thing/event that caused you to be an Atheist, what was it?
It was a gradual change... I can't remember how it happened.
5. If you are Agnostic, explain why you are Agnostic.
I have more faith in man's ignorance than his knowledge.
6. If you are a Theist, have you entertained the idea of reading "The God Dellusion" by Richard Dawkins?

7. If not, why?

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?
Bits and pieces only.

9. ditto, the koran?
Nope.
10. ditto, the torah/talmud?
Nope.
11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?
Some people would say I've earned my S.O.B.
12. Do you like Animals?
Love 'em.
13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?
Not at all.
14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?
Layman's grasp only, but I believe in their principles.
15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?
A well-accepted hypothesis supported by loads of other theories and findings?

--> Do you feel that your belief system is well-represented (quality or quantity) on these boards? Do you wish that the religious climate here were different, or do you like it as it is?

I think mine is and I'm happy with the religious discussions here.

16. Because I like doing this: Add your own question for the following poster.
What do you think the goal of religion, as a divine or social construct, is?

[Noone Special]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?
Strong Atheist

3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one?
Haven't ever not been one.

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?
If you mean the New Testament, then no. But that's hardly surprising having grown up in Israel.

9. ditto, the koran?
No

10. ditto, the torah/talmud?
Torah - yes; Talmud - some.

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?
Does B.A. count?

12. Do you like Animals?
Yup

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?
No :(

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?
Better than "fair."

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?
As close to "proven" as possible in the world of empirical science -- an hypothesis that has a) explained observed phenomena in its field b) not been falsified by observation and/or logic and c) has made accurate predictions in its field.
Or in other words -- not "proven" in the sense we generally mean, could be possibly falsified by new evidence, but bloody unlikely to be discarded any time soon, because it works.

[VanillaGorilla]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?

-Somewhere between agnostic and atheist.

3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one?

-I've never really believed in a god, but I have only considered myself an atheist for a couple of years now. I am 30 years old, btw.

4. If you are an Atheist and if there was one thing/event that caused you to be an Atheist, what was it?

-Nothing in particular.

5. If you are Agnostic, explain why you are Agnostic.

-I am agnostic (kinda) because I realise that god can't actually be disproven, so technically, it makes sense to not make any claims of 100% certainty. Of course, there are a lot of very silly things that can't be disproven, and I think I need to be agnostic to them all (celestial teapot, Odin, pan, etc), even though in practical terms I don't feel particularly unsure about wether they exist or not.

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?

-Parts of it.

9. ditto, the koran?

-I started reading it, and got like a couple of pages in, before giving up. That was seriously not good reading.

10. ditto, the torah/talmud?

-No.

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?

No.

12. Do you like Animals?

-Yeah, but mainly the atheistic ones.

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?

-No.

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?

-For a layman, yes.

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?

-A way of explaining how something works. A real scientific theory will of course have to work in accordance with the laws of physics as we know them. It does not mean the same thing as "theory" might mean in every day language. It is not a "guess".

[Nobody]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?
Theist.
2. If you are theist, which religion do you belong to?
Christianity - Roman Catholic denomination.
6. If you are a Theist, have you entertained the idea of reading "The God Dellusion" by Richard Dawkins?
No.
7. If not, why?
I believe in live and let live. I'll never try to convince anybody to convert to Christianity and I'm not not interested in anybody's attempts to convert me, or anybody else to atheism or another religion, or what have you.
8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?
9. ditto, the koran?
10. ditto, the torah/talmud?
Not an atheist, but in Jr. High I read some of the Koran, and some Hindu writings for the fun of it. They were pretty interesting, but I've forgotten most of it.
11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?
Nope.
12. Do you like Animals?
Yes.
13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?
Depends on which day I guess, but overall, I guess so.
14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?
Yes.
15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?
Everybody else has answered this question pretty well already, so I agree with them.
16. Because I like doing this: Add your own question for the following poster.
First, to answer Reply's question - What do you think the goal of religion, as a divine or social construct, is? Depends on the religion. Could be to help obtain inner peace or enlightenment. For those religions with deities, it could be to help get closer to, and understand the deity (deity) and his/her/its will(s).

My question - If you're a theist, if you found undeniable proof that there was nothing supernatural at all, period, is there anything you would change about your life, or do something you've never done since religious taboos would be gone? (My own answer is that probably nothing would change.)

[TWDuke]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic? Atheist, as I disbelieve in God and I don't believe in god. Agnostic, as I will entertain the possibility that something that might meaningfully be called a god could exist, but anyone who claimed to both comprehend such a being and know for certain of its existence would be mistaken.

2. If you are theist, which religion do you belong to? N/A

3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one?Hard to say, actually. I used to consider myself a skeptical Christian. I guess I gave up the Christian part sometime before graduating college, but it was a gradual process. There was no road from Damascus moment.

4. If you are an Atheist and if there was one thing/event that caused you to be an Atheist, what was it?There was no one clear thing or event, just a gradual realization that belief in a god explained nothing to me about reality as I perceived it, and in fact belief in God required me to ignore the evidence of my own senses and reason.

5. If you are Agnostic, explain why you are Agnostic. Logic tells me that if there were a being worthy of being considered a god, it would not be comprehensible to us.

6. If you are a Theist, have you entertained the idea of reading "The God Dellusion" by Richard Dawkins? N/A

7. If not, why? N/A

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible? Yes.

9. ditto, the koran? No.

10. ditto, the torah/talmud? No.

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name? Well, I was an ordained minister of the Universal Life Church. I think I paid $10 for the card. Unfortunately, it did not survive a trip through the washer and dryer.

12. Do you like Animals? Yes, and I am for treating them with kindness. But I also think some of them are delicious, so there's a bit of a conflict there.

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?I guess so, largely because I don't spend much time thinking about whether I'm contented or not.

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?I think I have a much better grasp than the average layman, although sadly that's not saying much.

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you? An explanation of some aspect of the natural world. A theory can be quite general or quite specific and be supported by scant evidence or overwhelming proof. That's not from "Jayne's Big Book of Scientific Definitions," but it's good enough me.

16. Why aren't more people answering the bonus questions? I'll answer some of them. I've never tried marmite and from what I've heard of it I'd never buy any, but if someone offered me some on a bit of toast I probably wouldn't turn it down. I suppose I average an hour or two of TV a day, but it rarely has my full attention. I get along with people with opposing points of view - if I didn't, I'd be pretty lonely. I don't know if I'd call it a phobia, but sometimes when I'm on a balcony or terrace I get an uncomfortable feeling that I might jump off, even though I have no intention of doing so. I suppose there could be two levels to the universe as described, but I see no reason to think there are and ample reason to think it unlikely. I do not care a shadow of a fraction of an iota about the Yankees or Red Sox. It is my job to spend several hours a day on the Internet - but I probably would anyway. It seems trivially true that "changing [my] brain such that [ I ] suddenly and inexplicably believe in Him" would certainly convince me of "His" existence, so you might want to rethink the question. I don't consider myself to have a religious belief system as much as an asystematic condition of nonbelief, but I wish there were more tolerance and acceptance on the board (and off, naturally). I think attributing a single goal to religion is a gross oversimplification.

[MostlyClueless]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?
Atheist.

3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one?
Around age 16. I had my doubts sooner, and tried like hell, but in the end didn't see the point of pretending to be religious anymore.

4. If you are an Atheist and if there was one thing/event that caused you to be an Atheist, what was it?
Someone close to me rubbing in that I was more in attracted to the idea of being religious than a believer.

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?
Yessiree.

9. ditto, the koran?
Tiny parts of it.

10. ditto, the torah/talmud?
I understand this is mostly what Christian folks call the old testament, so yeah.

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?
GQ, PHD, FBI

12. Do you like Animals?
Yes. This covers both the 'food' and the ' here, kitty kitty kitty!' aspects. I've taken a hypocritic oath, so it's okay.

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?
Make that exactly half.

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?
I think I do, yeah.

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?
A description to explain why or how things happen, based on research and logical arguments. May be refuted or improved once more research has been done.

16. Because I like doing this: Add your own question for the following poster.
Do you like chocolate bubblegum?

[Nava]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic? Theist, but I view religion as a social and psychological mechanism, not necessarily The Truth. I happen to know it's not possible for a human being to know The Truth (cf Godel's Theorem).

2. If you are theist, which religion do you belong to?
Catholic.

6. If you are a Theist, have you entertained the idea of reading "The God Dellusion" by Richard Dawkins?
Nope.

7. If not, why?
Because this is the first time I've heard of it, and anyway I pretty much only read fiction.

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?
I think my US degree allows me to do that, yes, but it's not done in Spain.

12. Do you like Animals?
Alive and happy (free or well treated) yes, cooked yes, stuffed no.

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?
No, happy. That's a higher degree than content.

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?
I believe so.

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?
A working hypothesis/system which simplifies things greatly and/or explains many things which previous systems couldn't explain, but which gets proposed as a "theory" as a way to CYA due to expected rejection from the establishment, to say "I'm not saying this completely revolutionary idea is the way things really are, ok, just that things work better if we work as if it was." For example, heliocentrism, evolution or atomic theory, all three of which are now widely accepted by their respective scientific communities but all three of which have also been refined and/or surpassed (add to the same examples "eliptic orbits," "mutation triggers" and "subatomic particles").
Also, the work of coming up with hypothesis and proposals for practical work, using exclusively mathematical and logical methods (for example, Theoretical Physics).

16. Do you like chocolate chewing gum?
Never tried, but it doesn't sound like something I'd like.

New question:
Did you ever study Statistics?

[Liberal]

16. Theists: once and for all, can you put forward a convincing pro-belief argument that doesn't ignore any of all of the other religions in which you don't believe?

People seem to have stopped answering the bonus questions. I'd like mine addressed. Maybe I should start a GD, if I have time.Since it's you, jjimm, I'll answer you. No. Because an argument must convince a wide variety of people. For example, my nephew, who is in Superior Court for grand larceny, has had his plea bargain rejected by one judge but accepted by another. What might be meaningful to John might not be at all meaningful to jjimm.

And besides all that, it isn't that I believe in a religion. (Or a book, for that matter.) I can see how that might sound like semantics, but it isn't. Just because one man calls Him Yahweh and another calls Him Allah and yet another calls Her the goddess of creation — none of that kind of stuff matters to me. People set up religions, often for the same purpose that people set up governments — to build wealth, power, or an empire.

I think the elephant-in-the-room question is whether I can PROVE that God exists. That's even more iffy than mere convincing, because it means we must accept the same premises, and often we don't. And it's especially difficult if the relationship with God is personal in nature. You cannot live my life, so therefore how can you know my experience? So I don't think there would be a convincing proof even metaphysically possible. Which is as it should be. After all, if God's existence could be proved, there would be obvious problems with free moral will.

[Khadaji]

I waver between Agnostic and Atheist, leaning more usually towards Agnosticism. I tend to believe that there is a higher power that created us, but don't believe that any of our religions has captured his/her/its essence. My beliefs are an odd mix and quite muddled and I can't always say that they align with logic.

[Arachne]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?

Atheist

3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one?

Senior year of high school, though I wouldn't admit it to myself

4. If you are an Atheist and if there was one thing/event that caused you to be an Atheist, what was it?

Catholic School. :p
Seriously, it just kind of dawned on me that I don't believe in any sort of god(s), and no amount of trying to force myself is going to change that.

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?

Yes, practially cover to cover several times. There was nothing else to do in freshman religion class...

9. ditto, the koran?

I've been exposed to bits of it through other sources

10. ditto, the torah/talmud?

same as Koran

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?

In three years I will

12. Do you like Animals?

Yep. Horses, dogs, and cats in particular.

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?

Despite some issues with anxiety, yes

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?

Yep!

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?

Some concept that is generally understood to be true, but left open-ended just in case additional information is learned. Because Science isn't too prissy to admit it gets things wrong sometimes :)

16. Did you ever study Statistics?

Nope (Not yet?)

Bonus question:

Ever had a near death experience?

[GuanoLad]

I am well aware that Atheists are not very common in the real world.

Depends what country you live in.


1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?
Atheist.

3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one?
I think I've always been one. When I was a kid, I was told there was a God and that we have to go to Church. About the time my Grandparents died, my Mum gave up on religion, and I was happy to leave. Somewhere between then (I was 8) and thirteen years of age, I began to realise I never believed there was a God, because it made no sense with how I was observing the world operating.

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?
Parts of it.

9. ditto, the koran?
10. ditto, the torah/talmud?
Nope and Nope. Never even seen a copy of them in anybody's hands. Where I grew up, there weren't many outside displays of what religion you followed, except for Born-Again Christians who won't shut up about it at every opportunity.

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?
No.

12. Do you like Animals?
Sure. Why not?

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?
Contented, yes. But I realised that I've never known true happiness. I've always lived a solitary life, and it can be quite sad and lonely, even though I now enjoy where it's taken me.

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?
A pretty good understanding of it, yes.

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?
Not "guess" but a principle or rule or idea that is being explored.

16. Did you ever study Statistics?
I took it as a subject at High School. It was the only subject I passed in my final year, even though it was my least favourite subject.

New Question: Why is drug use so prevalent?

[Crotalus]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic? I believe in God.

2. If you are theist, which religion do you belong to? I am an evangelical Christian.

6. If you are a Theist, have you entertained the idea of reading "The God Dellusion" by Richard Dawkins? I have read The God Delusion.

9. ditto, the koran? I have read the Koran in English.

10. ditto, the torah/talmud? I have read all of the Torah, I think, since I believe that the term refers to the first five books of the Old Testament. I have read a very little bit of the talmudical writings in English.

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name? I have a BS in management.

12. Do you like Animals? I like animals a lot.

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake? Yes. I am content almost all of the time.

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection? Yes. I have read extensively on these topics, including all of Stephen Jay Gould, most of Dawkins, and a couple of books by Darwin.

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you? An explanatory framework that accounts for observed facts and makes accurate predictions about unknown facts.

16. In answer to jjimm’s bonus question: No. I can’t put forth a convincing argument in a general sense. I believe that my personal testimony would be convincing to some people.

My bonus question, addressed particularly to atheists: Do you think that it is possible that there are facts about the universe that humans are cognitively incapable of understanding?

[Gyrate]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?

I identify Agnostic, although some would consider me a weak atheist in that I believe that there is an infinitessimal but non-zero probability of some sort of deity, deities or other sentient supernatural forces existing, but as this existence cannot be demonstrated through conventional means and as this existence is not required to explain the various workings of the universe it seems sensible to assume the non-existence of such force or forces for all practical purposes without requiring a position of absolute non-existence.

5. If you are Agnostic, explain why you are Agnostic.

I was raised in an entirely secular household. Religion was never really discussed. When I grew up, I never found any compelling reason to accept one particular religion over others (or indeed over none at all).

That said, I did attend church for many years as I had a friend who was a choir director who needed support in the bass section.

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?

I'll take this one anyway: yes - many years ago. Numbers is really dull.

9. ditto, the koran?

No.

10. ditto, the torah/talmud?

Not specifically, except as the Pentateuch in the OT.

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?

BA, MA.

12. Do you like Animals?

Yes.

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?

No - I am quite a miserable person.

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?

Yes.

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?

A working model, supported by current evidence.

16. Why is drug use so prevalent?

Because it's easier than dealing with reality. Sad but true.

New question (for atheists/theists/agnostics): Have you ever seriously considered that your religious position might be completely wrong?

[Linty Fresh]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?
Atheist

3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one?
In the army in Korea

4. If you are an Atheist and if there was one thing/event that caused you to be an Atheist, what was it?
No real reason. I guess I just realized that any sort of kind and loving god was incompatible with history. Nothing more dramatic than that.

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?
Yes, quite often (grew up Catholic)

9. ditto, the koran?
I'm in the process of piecing it out.

10. ditto, the torah/talmud?
No

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?
No

12. Do you like Animals?
Yes, IMHO, many types of animals are better than people.

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?
No way, and I never have been. Too much to do. Too much to accomplish. Too much daylight between me and my goals. I'm happy, certainly, but contented? Never.

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?
Yes

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?
Pretty much what it means for any scientist.

16. Because I like doing this: Add your own question for the following poster.
What's your perfect weekend like?

[Kobal2]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?

Atheist

2. If you are theist, which religion do you belong to?

I was raised a Lutheran, but it never really took

3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one?

I don't think there was a specific time or place. I just never bought the God stuff, I guess. But then, I never really thought about it back then, either. Sunday School was just that annoying thing to do when all the good cartoons were on.

4. If you are an Atheist and if there was one thing/event that caused you to be an Atheist, what was it?

See above.

5. If you are Agnostic, explain why you are Agnostic.

6. If you are a Theist, have you entertained the idea of reading "The God Dellusion" by Richard Dawkins?

7. If not, why?

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?

Not really. Again, I was raised a Protestant and went through both Sunday School as a kid, and Bible study as a teenager, so some Bible exposure must have happened. Damned if I can remember what it was all about - I do remember the pretty brunette, though ;). But in any case I never slogged through more than the requisite bits. I was into better written fantasy.

9. ditto, the koran?

Nope. I read a few of the suratas for their poetic value (spelling ?), that's about it

10. ditto, the torah/talmud?

See : bible study.

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?

Does MA count ?

12. Do you like Animals?

Wait, what ? What does have to do with anything ? But I suppose I do, yes. I certainly like them more than many people :)

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?

Nope, not one bit. But I wouldn't like it any other way. Comfort scares me.

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?

Define "fair" ?

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?

A model explaining observed data and predicting further data. To be discarded, amended or re-examined should new data contradict it.

16. Had a NDE ?
Nope. But I like to think my entire existence is a Near Life Experience :)

Bonus Question
Is the question of what lies after death (if anything) of import to you ?

[tdn]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?

Atheist.

2. If you are theist, which religion do you belong to?

N/A, but raised Presbyterian.

3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one?

Mmm... Mid teens?

4. If you are an Atheist and if there was one thing/event that caused you to be an Atheist, what was it?

Just seemed to make sense.

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?

Some of it.

9. ditto, the koran?

No.

10. ditto, the torah/talmud?

No.

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?

No.

12. Do you like Animals?

Yes.

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?

Yes.

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?

Yes.

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?

A set of related hypotheses that are falsifiable, which have been tested repeatedly and shown to be consistently predictive.

[tdn]

My bonus question, addressed particularly to atheists: Do you think that it is possible that there are facts about the universe that humans are cognitively incapable of understanding?

Absolutely.

[Machine Elf]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?
Atheist, pretty much.


3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one?
Most of my life. Was dragged to an LDS church a few times in middle school by my mom, but eventually she stopped going. Dad never went, though he was raised catholic. As a kid I never understood why people believed in God, or why they went to church.


4. If you are an Atheist and if there was one thing/event that caused you to be an Atheist, what was it?
No one thing. Kind of slowly built up. Didn't discuss it much with anyone until I was a teen, and then discussions only served to further strengthen my thoughts on the matter.


8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?
9. ditto, the koran?
10. ditto, the torah/talmud?
None of these directly, just quotes from other people trying to make a point one way or another. There is some nasty stuff in those books that serves to reinforce hostility toward "out-group" members, and it's frustrating to see people pick-and-choose which parts of the bible/koran/torah they follow. "Oh, I'm a devout christian, but I don't believe in THAT part of the bible."


11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?
BS, MS, PhD. All in mechanical engineering. Maybe some relevance, in that I've spent a lot of time studying science and practicing rational thought; you don't get very far in an engineering endeavor if you're prone to irrational thought processes.


12. Do you like Animals?
Sure, they taste great, and they're (usually) fun to be around. friends own cats/dogs, and I enjoy visiting, but I've never wanted one badly enough for myself to take on the responsibility of ownership. Had a cat when I was a kid, whose company I enjoyed greatly and whose death I mourned just as greatly.


13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?
There are certainly things in my life that are not quite the way I would like them to be, and like some other Dopers here I've dealt with mental health issues in the past. But when I think of the 6B people on this planet, and the spectrum of lifestyles lived, I think to myself, holy shit, I've got it pretty damn good.


14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?
Better than average, I think.


15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?
A theory is a model of the universe that has survived rigorous experimental testing and makes useful predictions that turn out to be reliably correct. Most people are familiar with the term "theory of evolution," but we also have, for example, "the germ theory of disease" and "the molecular theory of matter," which have been the basis of huge advances in the fields of medicine and chemistry, respectively. Most folks confuse "theory" with "hypothesis;" when a shadetree mechanic says "I have a theory about why my car won't start," what he really has is a hypothesis. So when that shadetree mechanic hears about "the theory of evolution," he doesn't imagine the vast research in multiple endeavors that backs up this theory: a huge fossil record, carbon dating, molecular clocks, and so on; he regards it as an idea a couple of idle scientists cooked up one evening over a couple of beers.


Bonus Question
Is the question of what lies after death (if anything) of import to you?

It's a subject of immense curiosity. Although I daydream from time to time about life after death, I regard that as wishful thinking; a cold look at the evidence suggests to me that our consciousness does not continue after the meat dies. Indeed, one article I recently read asserts that "you will not know that you have died," because the biological processes that sustain conscious thought end, so there will be no consciousness to be aware of having died.

Bonus Question:
What's the highest mountain you've ever climbed?

[Jettboy]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?
Somewhere between a Theist and an Agnostic. I believe in the possibility of a God —actually more likely the probability of a God— or at least some vague, New-Agey, creative, benevolent conciousness floating around out there in the ether.

2. If you are theist, which religion do you belong to?
Organized religion makes me a bit uneasy; especially the Big Three.

3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one?
Not really an atheist, per se, but spending 3 years in a Baptist-run boys ranch as a kid soured me on Christianity forever.

4. If you are an Atheist and if there was one thing/event that caused you to be an Atheist, what was it?
See answer #3.

5. If you are Agnostic, explain why you are Agnostic.
I'm level-headed enough to recognize the possibility that I might be wrong (although I doubt it).

6. If you are a Theist, have you entertained the idea of reading "The God Dellusion" by Richard Dawkins?
Read it. Good book; brings up a number of interesting points, but the condescending tone isn't going to make many of the "Yea God!" crowd rethink their beliefs.

7. If not, why?
See answer #6.

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?
Again, not really an Atheist, per se, but yeah, I've read it (read Grimm's Fairy Tales as well; not a lot of differences).

9. ditto, the koran?
Yeah.

10. ditto, the torah/talmud?
Nope. But I have read the Bhagavid Gita, the Vedas, the I Ching, and small chunks of the Dhamma...

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?
Not really; I could put BFA after my name, but artists who do that are generally assholes.

12. Do you like Animals?
Yes! Yes I do; the more delicious the better. I also like pets, but if I was hungry enough...

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?
Sure. I'm occasionally even happy.

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?
Yeah.

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?
An clear idea; a thought, or series of thoughts, based on careful analysis of existing data and/or controlled experiments.

16. A true religious question for the next poster: Who sucks more, the Yankees or the Red Sox?
The Yankees could suck the chrome off a trailer hitch.

16-A. What is that fucking smell?

[Shodan]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?

Theist.

2. If you are theist, which religion do you belong to?

"Mere" Christian, as described by C.S. Lewis.

3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one?

N/A

4. If you are an Atheist and if there was one thing/event that caused you to be an Atheist, what was it?

N/A

5. If you are Agnostic, explain why you are Agnostic.

N/A

6. If you are a Theist, have you entertained the idea of reading "The God Dellusion" by Richard Dawkins?

Yes, I've entertained the idea. Haven't read it yet.

7. If not, why?

N/A

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?

Did you want theists to answer this? If so, yes, I have read the whole Bible, many times.

9. ditto, the koran?

I have read the Koran.

10. ditto, the torah/talmud?

I have read the Torah, but almost none of the Talmud.

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?

Bachelor's degree.

12. Do you like Animals?

Meh.

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?

Yes.

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?

Yes.

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?

An explanation which covers all observed facts concerning a given phenomenom and allowing predictions on how it responds to future experiments.

16. Had a NDE ?
No.

Bonus Question
Is the question of what lies after death (if anything) of import to you?

It's important, but I don't spend much time worrying about it. I don't believe that I possess the concepts to understand what it will be like, any more than an unborn child knows what adult life will be like.

My bonus question - What caused the Big Bang?

Regards,
Shodan

[Unauthorized Cinnamon]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic? Atheist

2. If you are theist, which religion do you belong to?

3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one? My early 20s

4. If you are an Atheist and if there was one thing/event that caused you to be an Atheist, what was it? I applied skeptical principals I had recently been interested in (debunking urban legends, pseudoscience, various woo) to the god(s) question (I was already a non-Christian vague theist). I was surprised to realize that thinking about it in this way made me an atheist.

5. If you are Agnostic, explain why you are Agnostic. I'm also agnostic in that my mind could be changed - I acknowledge that there is no 100% proof, only evidence which supports one proposition or the other. I think the evidence supporting the god(s) hypothesis is quite weak.

6. If you are a Theist, have you entertained the idea of reading "The God Dellusion" by Richard Dawkins?

7. If not, why?

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible? I have tried, and gotten hung up on the "begats." I need to give myself permission to skip that and try again. I am familiar with many of the more well-known passages.

9. ditto, the koran? I'm interested to do so, but right now I'm not much in the mood for heavy lifting in reading - I'm more in the fluffy romantic mystery or fantasy mode.

10. ditto, the torah/talmud? same answer

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name? Well, I have a J.D. and passed the bar, so you may address correspondence to me with an "Esq." for what it's worth.

12. Do you like Animals? Yeah. Right now mostly like to visit with animals that other people have to pay for/clean up after/board when they go on vacation. But we'll probably get a dog one of these days.

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake? These days, yes. I do get stressed out sometimes, and I have recurring depression, so that sucks, but I view it as a controllable medical condition, not my personality.

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?
Yes, though I've found it's difficult to explain to my 6yo.

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you? In a scientific context, it means a hypothesis (idea about how things might work) that has been repeatedly tested and has held up. Like gravity.

Bonus question Dude, don't make my head hurt. My understanding is causation is meaningless outside the time/space continuum that is the universe, but I go all cross-eyed if I think about it too much.

16. Because I like doing this: Add your own question for the following poster. Have you read the Slacktivist (http://www.slacktivist.typepad.com/)blog? Because it is well worth it - this atheist loves it, regardless of it being written by an evangelical Christian (granted, of the highly liberal type).

[Small Clanger]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?

Atheist.

2. If you are theist, which religion do you belong to


3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one?

Birth? I don't ever remember believing in anything, I remember as a kid being baffled by adults talking about Father Christmas as if he was real.

4. If you are an Atheist and if there was one thing/event that caused you to be an Atheist, what was it?

Well, there being no God?

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?

Not much, and not recently (like not in decades). Read A Canticle for Liebowitz recently that's as close as I get to religious reading.

9. The koran?

Uh uh. Not a chance. A friend "converted" to Islam (to get married, it's a long story) he read some and thought it was cobblers

10. Torah/talmud?

No.

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?

Nope.

12. Do you like Animals?

Yup, it's got some great guitar solos - oh wait -

Odd question. I watch David Attenborough's documentaries, I feed the stray cat that lives in my garage, and the garden birds , so I suppose yes. Horses are scary close up though.

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?

Yes.

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?

Better than fair.

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?

What others have said, falsifiable, support the evidence blah...

16. A. Have I read that blog? Not yet.

16. Q. Bonus question, how big is your TV?

[Myrrajh]

This is wrong, just so you know. Laws are not more proven than theories. No amount of proof can turn a theory into a law.

Also Richard Dawkins does not say in The God Delusion that "religious people are brain damaged."
Thank you for correcting me on the law/theory definition. Mine was just off the top of my head, but I understand it better now.

As I mentioned, it might not have been "The God Delusion" that I started to read, but I know it was a Dawkins book. I found it very condescending so I stopped reading it.

[garygnu]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?
Atheist

2. If you are theist, which religion do you belong to?
n/a

3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one?
I went from Lutheran to non-practicing, Christian-ish type after high school (circa 1996). I was a pantheist around my college years (2000-2004). I decided to drop the pretense around 2006.

4. If you are an Atheist and if there was one thing/event that caused you to be an Atheist, what was it?
It wasn't one particular thing. It was a gradual progression from "of course there's a God" to "there's a God, but it's not like they say" to "there doesn't need to be a God" to "what 'God'?"

5. If you are Agnostic, explain why you are Agnostic.
n/a

6. If you are a Theist, have you entertained the idea of reading "The God Dellusion" by Richard Dawkins?
n/a

7. If not, why?
n/a

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?
The whole thing? No. Plenty of it of it, yes. It's been a while, but I read most of the Pentateuch, some Psalms and Proverbs, much of the Gospels, then skipped straight to Revelations.

9. ditto, the koran?
Nope

10. ditto, the torah/talmud?
Nope

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?
Uh, no.

12. Do you like Animals?
Uh, yes.

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?
Yes.

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?
Quite.

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?
A theory is what a hypothesis becomes after it survives testing.

16. Because I like doing this: Add your own question for the following poster.
16. Q. Bonus question, how big is your TV?
I have a 50" plasma, but it's currently broken. It should be fixed by the end of the week. Until then I'll have to settle for the 48" projection TV in my bedroom.

16. Q. How is your opinion of Mystics/Ghost Hunters/Wiccans different from your opinion of Christians/Muslims/Jews/Hindus/etc.? Buddists?

[Tamerlane]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?

Atheist

3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one?

I was raised atheist, by atheist parents. Briefly hedged my bets around first or second grade when my babysitter insisted I would go to hell if I didn't pray. That died out soon enough.

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?

Bits and pieces, but not all the way through.

9. ditto, the koran?

As above.

10. ditto, the torah/talmud?

As #8.

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?

Technically, I suppose, if I wanted to look like a douche. I am certified in my profession by the state of CA. But I never did finish my degree(s).

12. Do you like Animals?

Sure. Basically universally.

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?

Yep. But I think that is mostly a function of intrinsic personality. I'm a low-stress sort of guy, living a low-stress life.

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?

Yes.

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?

Most of the answers above are close enough for government work. Grab one at random.

Last seen Bonus: How big is your TV?

50"

Bonus: Can you name three prominent French generals, excluding Napoleon?

[Really Not All That Bright]

Do ones who predate modern France count?
De Gaulle, Charlemagne, William I of England.

[Tamerlane]

Do ones who predate modern France count?

No :p.

In my head I was really thinking post-renaissance, based on a discussion I was reading elsewhere. Part of the general modern disparagement of French military accomplishments seems to me to be linked to folks in English-speaking countries remembering and recognizing names like Wellington and Marlborough, but not comparable French commanders from the same general era ( excluding Napoleon, who everybody has heard of ).

That aside, really your answers are fine ( and William the Bastard is a clever one ), except for Charlemagne, who really can't be described as "French" in any meaningful sense. He was Frankish, which is a bit different.

[Gus Gusterson]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic? Agnostic

5. If you are Agnostic, explain why you are Agnostic. There may or may not be a god who created everything (the universe coming into being from nothingness makes as much sense to me as it coming into being by the hand of a creator), but I'm convinced that that god is an absentee landlord if he exists at all.

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name? No

12. Do you like Animals? Only as a food source

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake? Yes

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection? Yes

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you? I know that it doesn't mean "some stuff someone made up that has no basis in reality". A theory has to hold up under scrutiny.

[Really Not All That Bright]

In my head I was really thinking post-renaissance, based on a discussion I was reading elsewhere. Part of the general modern disparagement of French military accomplishments seems to me to be linked to folks in English-speaking countries remembering and recognizing names like Wellington and Marlborough, but not comparable French commanders from the same general era ( excluding Napoleon, who everybody has heard of ).
Meh.

The UK Royal Navy has an unmatched reputation among the armed services of the world for winning battles, but most Britons couldn't name any Royal Navy admirals other than Nelson and John Jellicoe (maybe).

I grew up in England and I was in a Royal Marines CCF (UK eqivalent of JROTC) unit for two years and I watch the History and Military Channels all the time and I couldn't think of a single one after those two (Francis Drake was never actually named an admiral as far as I can tell).

I'm starting a separate IMHO thread (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=11478444#post11478444) on this, because it's an interesting question.

[AndyPolley]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?
Friendly Atheist

3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one?
Recently, within the past couple of years, but was leaning in that direction for much longer.

4. If you are an Atheist and if there was one thing/event that caused you to be an Atheist, what was it?
There wasn't one thing.

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?
Cover to cover? No. I have attended Bible study discussion groups.

9. ditto, the koran?
No.

10. ditto, the torah/talmud?
Also no.

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?
Nope.

12. Do you like Animals?
Sure.

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?
Yes.

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?
Yes.

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?
Explaination for observable stuff.

16. Because I like doing this: Add your own question for the following poster.

Last seen Bonus: How big is your TV?

46"

[B. Serum]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?
Drift between Atheist & Agnostic

3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one?
Late 20's to early 30's

4. If you are an Atheist and if there was one thing/event that caused you to be an Atheist, what was it? [B]
Learning about the origin and history of my former religion.

[B]5. If you are Agnostic, explain why you are Agnostic.
This is no small question, but can be neatly summarized by my maxim "Incredible claims require incredible evidence."

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?
Passages, but not in it's entirety.

12. Do you like Animals?
Depends on the animal: I like cows and chickens for eating. Kittens and bunnies for petting. Deer and Tigers for admiring. You get the idea.

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?
At work, no. At home, yes.

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?
I like to think so.

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?
Heh. It shouldn't be confused with "hypothesis," if that's what you're driving at. It's more like "Here's our best explanation based on the facts at hand. It's always open for reinvestigation when new discoveries are made."

[Olentzero]

1. Atheist

3. Don't rightly know. It was more of a gradual process than a sudden conversion on the road out of Damascus.

8. Yes. Own a copy with the Apocrypha, somewhere.

9. Yes. Mostly for reference purposes.

10. Seeing as how the Torah is the first five books of the Old Testament, yes. Haven't read the Talmud, though - I was under the impression it was pretty voluminous.

11. I have an undergrad degree, but using the letters would be pretty friggin' pretentious.

12. Boiled or fried? Serious answer: Sure. I have long-gone pets I still miss terribly.

13. I'm a lot happier and more likely to be content now than I was in early adulthood.

14. I like to think I do, although I'm sure the lacunae make my accumulated knowledge look like the surface of the Moon.

15. Hypothesis able to explain the evidence at hand.

16. If there were such a thing as being a beerpire (I mean, being a vampire except you survive on beer instead of human blood), would you do it?

[geezermom67]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?
Theist.
2. If you are theist, which religion do you belong to?
Christianity - Episcopal but considering finding a liberal RC congregation
6. If you are a Theist, have you entertained the idea of reading "The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins?
No.
7. If not, why?
One, having some faith is comforting to me, so I'm not in any hurry to get rid of it, two, I've read reviews that make me think he's not the best representative of his cause, and three, I've got a pile of books to read right now...did just read "The Year of Living Biblically", though
8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?
9. ditto, the Koran?
10. ditto, the Torah/Talmud?
Not an atheist, but have read the Bible and am reading through the Koran.
11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?
Yep, title in front, letters at the end.
12. Do you like Animals?
Yep...I'm one of the love em, don't eat them types.
13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?
Yes
14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?
Yes.
15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?
An observed phenomenon that has been verified and can be used to accurately predict.
16. Bonus questions: If you're a theist, if you found undeniable proof that there was nothing supernatural at all, period, is there anything you would change about your life, or do something you've never done since religious taboos would be gone?

I don't think anything would change based on the lifting of taboos, as I'm a very liberal Christian, but if I was to lose all hope in any form of an afterlife, I'm afraid I would end up battling serious depression.

For some of the other bonus questions, 50 inches, Yankees and I've not only studied statistics, I used to teach it.

[Olentzero]

16. A true religious question for the next poster: Who sucks more, the Yankees or the Red Sox?Currently, the Sox are sucking bigtime. Their refusal to even consider the color bar in the 1940s and 1950s, much less cross it, also contributes to the morass of suck. In terms of sheer arrogance, however, the Pinstriped Bastards are the undisputed Emperors of Suck. Long may they reign.

[Rhodes]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?

Agnostic but leaning toward Atheist.

3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one?

I've always been agnostic, but I've only realised it in the past year or so.

5. If you are Agnostic, explain why you are Agnostic.

Theists often speak of personal revelations. After decades of pleading speaking to God, He has completely failed to speak back to me. So while I'm not completely certain that there is no God, I'm quite convinced He will never make himself known to me.

6. If you are a Theist, have you entertained the idea of reading "The God Dellusion" by Richard Dawkins?

I would add - If you are an Atheist / Agnostic, have you entertained the idea of reading "The Language of God" by genome scientist Francis Collins?

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?

Yes.

9. ditto, the koran?

Not yet.

10. ditto, the torah/talmud?

No.

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?

B.S.

12. Do you like Animals?

Sure. I like anything that's made of meat.

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?

Yes.

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?

Yes.

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?

An idea that is accepted by the general scientific community because all attempts to disprove it have failed.

16. Because I like doing this: Add your own question for the following poster.
Ever had a near death experience?

Nearly died? Plenty of close calls. Come back from death, light/tunnel/etc? Nope.

My Q: for the next poster: What would it take for you to switch teams (theist -> atheist or atheist -> theist)?

[JKellyMap]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic? Atheist.

2. If you are theist, which religion do you belong to? (NA)

3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one? About age 10.

4. If you are an Atheist and if there was one thing/event that caused you to be an Atheist, what was it? (NA)

5. If you are Agnostic, explain why you are Agnostic. (NA)

6. If you are a Theist, have you entertained the idea of reading "The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins? Own it, read parts of it.

7. If not, why? (NA)

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible? Maybe about 100 pages of it, across several "books".

9. ditto, the koran? No.

10. ditto, the torah/talmud? No.

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name? Only in Mexico (where bachelor's and master's degrees are treated thus.)

12. Do you like Animals? Yes. (Not a well stated question, IMHO.)

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake? No. (I'd say about 40% of the time.)

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection? Yes.

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you? A way of explaining a bundle of observed phenomena.

16. Because I like doing this: Add your own question for the following poster

Do you like Rolling Stones?


To answer previous poster's question: Seriously, about the only thing that could make me a theist would be a lobotomy, or some other radical physical intervention upon the contents of my skull.

[Wakinyan]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?

Nope.

[SecondJudith]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?
Theist in practice, agnostic in belief (as I think most people in my congregation are)

2. If you are theist, which religion do you belong to?
Reform/Liberal Judaism

5. If you are Agnostic, explain why you are Agnostic.
I don't think there's any way of knowing.

6. If you are a Theist, have you entertained the idea of reading "The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins?
Yes, but I haven't read it cover-to-cover.

7. If not, why?
His arguments don't apply to most practices of religion as I've seen and experienced it. His arguments are confused and he seems misinformed. I don't mind the tone, but he's simply not accurate about a lot of things concerning religion, so I don't find it a very useful book to think about.

9. ditto, the Koran?
I have a shrink-wrapped copy from a Muslim missionary sitting in my sock drawer, but I haven't opened it.

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?
BA and MBA.

12. Do you like Animals?
I loved the two schnauzers I had growing up. I don't have a pet now, but I like other people's.

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?
Nearly all the time I'm awake.

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?
Yes, I like to think so.

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?

Something that has been strongly tested according to the scientific method and not disproven.

The bonus questions I found interesting:

Theists: once and for all, can you put forward a convincing pro-belief argument that doesn't ignore any of all of the other religions in which you don't believe?

I find liberal Judaism useful because the rituals are structured to help people cope with their lives and make them better. I don't think belief in god(s) is intrinsically valuable, but I think religious practice is a brilliant framework on which to build the important things in life, like love, stress, frustration, joy, grieving, friendship, big dinners and drunken parties. In my experience, and I may be wrong, most major religions are built to amplify these feelings through their practice.

I think if you find a religious practice that works for you, you are more likely to be able to deal with personal trouble and despair, and to recogise and express joy. I think religious practitioners have a language for that sort of thing that atheists don't necessarily have.

Which is not to say that an atheist can't have as good and fully-expressed a life as a religious practitioner, or that religious practice means you are automatically good. I think religious practice makes it easier to live intensely, and that can be mean good or bad acts.

If you're a theist, if you found undeniable proof that there was nothing supernatural at all, period, is there anything you would change about your life, or do something you've never done since religious taboos would be gone?

No, I don't believe religious taboos are a sign of the supernatural. I keep kosher because it connects me with my community, not because god says I should.

Have you ever seriously considered that your religious position might be completely wrong?

Yes. My beliefs shifted significantly through adolescence and my late teens. I used to believe in a literal, personified, interventionist, male-gendered, capital-G sky God. Now I believe in echad as a reflection of community and self.

Is the question of what lies after death (if anything) of import to you?

No. I like that my religion doesn't pretend to know what happens after death, because nobody knows. It helps you through confusion and conflict because it reaffirms to you that there is confusion and conflict.

If there were such a thing as being a beerpire (I mean, being a vampire except you survive on beer instead of human blood), would you do it?

Holy shit, in a Jerusalem minute! I tried with Guinness for a week at university, but it turns out you need calcium.

[breezman]

1. Theist
2. I'm a Christian in that I believe in Christ, but I'm not a member of a church.
6. No.
7. I don't care for Dawkin's demeanor. He comes off as snide and intolerant.
11. PhD in mathematics.
12. Yes.
13. Yes.
14. Yes.
15. It's a set of models and principles that explain observations, such as quantum theory.

[Nzinga, Seated]

1. Theist
2. I'm a Christian in that I believe in Christ, but I'm not a member of a church.
6. No.
7. I don't care for Dawkin's demeanor. He comes off as snide and intolerant.
11. PhD in mathematics.
12. Yes.
13. Yes.
14. Yes.
15. It's a set of models and principles that explain observations, such as quantum theory.

I had gotten to the point that I had lost all respect, instantly, for anyone that believed in Jesus Christ, son of God, Lord and Savior. I just thought, they are delusional idiots.

But it does me well to remember that there are people out here with PhDs in mathematics that believe in God, while I can barely help my 10 year old daughter with her math work. So yeah. Does me well to sit the hell down and think sometimes.

[Napier]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?
Athiest. Well, logically I don't think it possible to know, and am taking the bad side of Pascal's wager (if I remember it right), because I'm betting against infinite agony, according to Christian beliefs. But I think it is practically much more sound to be athiest than it is to be confident there's no elephant in the basement, and that latter one is plenty sound as it is.

3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one?
About as early as I can remember considering religion, which has always seemed too laughably stupid to even give much serious consideration except as fascinating pathology to gawk at in other people.

4. If you are an Atheist and if there was one thing/event that caused you to be an Atheist, what was it?
No one thing or event, or not even just a few.

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?
Yes.

9. ditto, the koran?
Parts. It's pretty damn flowery, though. I also studied a little Arabic and tried to read little bits and pieces in Arabic, though that was quite a chore.

10. ditto, the torah/talmud?
Some.

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?
A Bachelor of Arts degree.

12. Do you like Animals?
O my yes, a dozen cats all very well cared for. Just half near worked myself to some kind of breakdown trying to save one with chronic renal failure.

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?
Hard to say. Probably not. The world can be pretty grim.

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?
Yes, I think so, even some of the tricky bits like epigenetics.

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?
It means I wish I had happened to look it up shortly before taking this poll. But, I take it to mean a framework of explanation tying together various previous observations and predicting various subsequent observations, successfully enough that it is often used as a working explanation or understanding to support other scientific work.

16. Because I like doing this: Add your own question for the following poster.
Question: why aren't the most recent posters adding questions? No, no, that's not it. Um...
Question: If Jesus could come back and see what his followers are up to, would he ever stop vomiting?

[NinjaChick]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?
Atheist.

3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one?
I was always a doubter, but it solidified when I was about 11. So twelve years ago or so.

4. If you are an Atheist and if there was one thing/event that caused you to be an Atheist, what was it?
There were a couple events that guided me, but there wasn't any single catalyst.

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?
Yes.

9. ditto, the koran?
Yes.

10. ditto, the torah/talmud?
Yes.

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?
No, but I do have a recently-obtained BA.

12. Do you like Animals?
Often I think I like animals more than people.

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?
Right now, yes. I'm not terribly satisfied, but I know that's my own damn fault and am taking steps to change it.

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?
As much as a non-specialist can, yes. I don't claim to be an expert, but I understand the basics of what happens and why.

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?
It basically means someone said "I have observed these phenomena which are reasonably believed to be connected, and this is why it happens/how it happens/what exactly is happening/what significance it holds." The scientific community then looks at the same things, over and over and over, and as they either fail to disprove it or actually prove it, it becomes accepted as a scientific theory. Basically, something built upon axioms which can be tested, observed, and is empirically based.

16. Because I like doing this: Add your own question for the following poster.
Question: If Jesus could come back and see what his followers are up to, would he ever stop vomiting?
Eventually, because there are good people out there who do truly believe, and who do truly try to do good things because of that. Regrettably the Fred Phelps types are way louder than the Mother Theresa types, but the fact that there are two types is worth something. However, in case of rapture, I do want to be around when JC returns and discovers that they're still fighting over that sliver of desert over there.

Question: is the universe flat, spherical, hyperbolic, or other?

[Boyo Jim]

Atheist

12

the rest... TLDR

[VanillaGorilla]

Nope.

Seriously? If you are not joking, It'd be interesting to hear how you DO define your beliefs/lack of beliefs. :)

[Zoe]

Bonus Question: I've never had a near dear experience, but I have had an experience in which I didn't seem entirely confined to my body.

1. I am a theist.

2. I am a Christian, but open to other religious influences.



6. No, I haven't entertained the idea of reading The God Delusion by Dawkins.

7. I haven't read the Dawkins because I'm content with the directions that I find intuitively.



11. Yes, I could put some puny letters after my name.

12. I like some animals.

13. I do consider myself contented for more than half the time I'm awake at the moment.

14. I have a fair grasp (basic) of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?

15. The word 'theory' in the scientific context means more than a simple idea. It bears almost the weight of fact though unproven. All experiments supposing that theory to be correct have been supportive.

Bonus question: Have you ever known something intuitively? If so, describe.

[Zoe]

Bonus Question: I've never had a near dear experience, but I have had an experience in which I didn't seem entirely confined to my body.

1. I am a theist.

2. I am a Christian, but open to other religious influences.



6. No, I haven't entertained the idea of reading The God Delusion by Dawkins.

7. I haven't read the Dawkins because I'm content with the directions that I find intuitively.



11. Yes, I could put some puny letters after my name.

12. I like some animals.

13. I do consider myself contented for more than half the time I'm awake at the moment.

14. I have a fair grasp (basic) of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?

15. The word 'theory' in the scientific context means more than a simple idea. It bears almost the weight of fact though unproven. All experiments supposing that theory to be correct have been supportive.

Bonus question: Yankees or Red Sox?

[Abby_Emma_Sasha]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?
Atheist

2. If you are theist, which religion do you belong to?

N/A

3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one?

Twice , actually. Once in my early teens, then in my mid teens I embraced my Catholicism again. Somewhere in my late twenties I began to question things and learned to think critically. It was a process.

4. If you are an Atheist and if there was one thing/event that caused you to be an Atheist, what was it?

Not any one thing, as explained above.

5. If you are Agnostic, explain why you are Agnostic.

N/A

6. If you are a Theist, have you entertained the idea of reading "The God Dellusion" by Richard Dawkins?

N/A

7. If not, why?

N/A

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?

Yes, some. I attended bible school as a child and I own a bible.

9. ditto, the koran?

No.

10. ditto, the torah/talmud?

Some Talmud. I once thought seriously about converting to Judaism.

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?
No.

12. Do you like Animals?
Very much so. More than people , in fact.

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?

No.

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?

Yes.

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?

Just as the dictionary says: the analysis of a set of facts,

16. Because I like doing this: Add your own question for the following poster.

I have none at the moment.

[Maastricht]

1, I'm an Atheist, of the Save-The-Whales-& Poor Africa, recycle-and-reduce-your-garbage-variety.

3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one? Raised as one, as are most people in the Netherlands. I did attend church regularly as a kid with a Protestant friend's family.

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible? More parts of it then the average Christian, I think. Also, I read a lot of books about the Bible, both written by believers and atheists. I like the subject. Right now, I'm reading a book about the lives of several saints, for fun.

9. Ditto, the koran? No. Too culturally different.

10. Ditto, the torah/talmud? Insofar as it is the Old testament, yes.

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name? Masters degree in Psychology.

12. Do you like Animals? Yes, and I am politically active to grant animals some basic rights.

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake? Define centered?

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection? Yes, and I have worked as a biologist for over a decade.

[Nancarrow]

Atheist, n/a (used to be diet-Catholic), 12, no one thing, n/a, n/a, n/a, bits of it, no, no, bachelors and masters, some of them, no, yes, testable body of related concepts and provisional laws largely self-consistent explaining range of natural phenomena, who makes the best steak tartare in London?

[Kobal2]

That aside, really your answers are fine ( and William the Bastard is a clever one ), except for Charlemagne, who really can't be described as "French" in any meaningful sense. He was Frankish, which is a bit different.

For what it's worth, Charlemagne was taught to us as a French king back in (French) high school. I still remember the "Flower-bearded King" fondly, because he had the easiest date of them all : crowned in 800. Good, solid number, that. Not like stoopid Charles Martel, who I never could remember stopped the Moors in 732.

[happiness]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic? Theist

2. If you are theist, which religion do you belong to? I don’t really belong to any specific religion anymore, so I guess I will say that I’m just a Christian


6. If you are a Theist, have you entertained the idea of reading "The God Dellusion" by Richard Dawkins? No

7. If not, why? From the few parts of it that I’ve seen quoted, and from what I’ve heard from others, it seems very confrontational. I don’t try to tell anyone else what they should believe, and I expect the same respect for my own beliefs.


11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name? I have a B.S. in Psychology and a M.Ed.

12. Do you like Animals? Yes

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake? I would say so. I have good days and bad days, but for the most part I’m happy with my life.

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?
I think so. I learned about it in Biology classes.

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you? I think it’s a way of explaining natural phenomena that could be disproven, but hasn’t been disproven yet.

[astorian]

1. Theist
2. Roman Catholic
3. N/A
4. N/A
5. N/A

6. No.

7. What for? I've read Lucretius, David Hume, any number of smarter atheists and skeptics than Dawkins.

8. N/A

9. I've read bits and pieces of the Koran

10. I've only read bits and pieces of the Talmud. Much more of the Torah, which is (obviously) part of Christian Scripture, too.

11. Nope. Just a bachelor's in economics.

12. Yes.

13. Contented? Yes, far more often than not. Deliriously happy? Only occasionally.

14. Yes

15. In common sage, it means an untested, unproven idea that may explain or solve a problem. In scientific usage, it means a model that explains a scenario. To a layman, "theory" tends to mean what "hypothesis" means to a scientist.

16. Do you really think, deep down, that if everybody else were as smart and well-informed and logical as you, they'd HAVE to agree with you?

[phreesh]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?

Atheist

3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one?

Around high school.

4. If you are an Atheist and if there was one thing/event that caused you to be an Atheist, what was it?

Not any one thing. I just started realizing all the little problems I had with religion added up to religion being silly and irrational.

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?

Yes, but not much. There's a lot of Christianity in the culture, so I believe I have a loose grasp on the principles.

9. ditto, the koran?

Nope. I have a couple Muslim friends, so I have some of the gist.

10. ditto, the torah/talmud?

No.

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?

Yes.

12. Do you like Animals?

Yeah, but I believe we should take care of human problems before we concern ourselves with animal problems. That said, I am very much against animal cruelty and have strong leanings towards vegetarianism. I just haven't had that final push to convert.

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?

Absolutely.

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?

Yes.

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?

One of the linchpins of science is disprovability. All scientific theories are theories because we are open to the idea that further information could improve, change or discredit the way we currently look at the world. Theories provide the best current view of how we think the universe works. Religion is not open to this possibility and is one the key reasons why I don't believe in it.

16. Because I like doing this: Add your own question for the following poster.

In your opinion, could you ever be converted to the other way of thinking? For example, God comes down and moves the planets around. Or an atheist sits you down and provides an excellent scientific explanation for how the world works.

[Liberal]

Jjimm?

No thanks? No acknowledgment? Nothing? Next time I see your "why doesn't someone answer my question?", I might not take the time and thought to accomodate you.

[Purd Werfect]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?
agnostic

5. If you are Agnostic, explain why you are Agnostic.
I consider it irrelevant. If there is an underlying ultimate truth, then it's still the truth regardless of my opinion or perspective.

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?
No.

12. Do you like Animals?
Yes, somewhat. I don't have or want pets though.

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?
Generally, yes. Though I do have dark days.

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?
Fair, yes.

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?
A posit which is best supported by the observed evidence. The truth to the extent that it's known, though subject to change based on increased evidence.

In your opinion, could you ever be converted to the other way of thinking? For example, God comes down and moves the planets around. Or an atheist sits you down and provides an excellent scientific explanation for how the world works.
With sufficient evidence, yes, my mind could be changed. Again though, the workings of my mind would be largely irrelevant, as the truth would still be the truth no matter what I think.

16. Because I like doing this: Add your own question for the following poster.
What is the search for God or Meaning besides a desire for anesthesia against life's pains.?

[emarkp]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?
Theist

2. If you are theist, which religion do you belong to?
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS or Mormon)

6. If you are a Theist, have you entertained the idea of reading "The God Dellusion" by Richard Dawkins?
I'm a few chapters into it (on audio). It's fairly unimpressive so far.

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?
No, my major was Computer Science, and higher degrees are actually a problem if you're not a researcher.

12. Do you like Animals?
Yes, especially with BBQ sauce.

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?
Yes.

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?
Yes.

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?
A consistent and predictive model which has been shown to explain observed phenomena and predict something new that has since been observed (gravity, evolution, relativity, etc.)

[Strinka]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?
Atheist

3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one?
I've been one all my life.

4. If you are an Atheist and if there was one thing/event that caused you to be an Atheist, what was it?
There wasn't one.

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?
Parts of it.

9. ditto, the koran?
No.

10. ditto, the torah/talmud?
No.

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?
No.

12. Do you like Animals?
I don't dislike animals...

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?
Yes.

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?
Hopefully.

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?
The best working model of a phenomenon that makes testable predictions and is backed up by evidence, that we have so far.

16. Because I like doing this: Add your own question for the following poster.
Do you believe in free will?

What is the search for God or Meaning besides a desire for anesthesia against life's pains.?Um... A desire to actually know the nature of the universe? If there is some kind of an ultimate truth out there, I'd like to know it, even if it was depressing. The pursuit of knowledge is always a good thing.

[SandyHook]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?
Atheist

2. If you are theist, which religion do you belong to?
I was raised a methodist, but it didn't take.

3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one?
I can remember when in my early teens wanting to believe in god, seemed like a good idea and most of the other people around me seemed to.

4. If you are an Atheist and if there was one thing/event that caused you to be an Atheist, what was it?
It's just dumb.

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?
I've tried, but see number 4 above

9. ditto, the koran?
See number 8

10. ditto, the torah/talmud?
See number 9.

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?
MBA

12. Do you like Animals?
Many of them are delicious.

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?
Maybe, hard to say.

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?
Yes

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?
The best working model of a phenomenon that makes testable predictions and is backed up by evidence, that we have so far.

16. Do you believe in free will?
Yes.

17. Because I like doing this: Add your own question for the following poster.

Have you ever considered going to Burning Man?

[Superfluous Parentheses]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?

Atheist

[I'm deleting the not applicable questions here]

3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one?

I've been an Atheist for most of my life. Tried agnosticism for a year or so a few years back but it just didn't work for me.

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?

Yes.

9. ditto, the koran?

No. I have vague plans to do so, mostly because I don't believe some of the claims I hear about it.

10. ditto, the torah/talmud?

No.

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?

No.

12. Do you like Animals?

Yes.

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?

On average? Probably. Certainly not more than 70%.

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?

Yes, I think so.

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?

A (non-discredited) theory is an attempt at explaining the mechanisms of whatever it's about that's consistent with the facts as far as we can tell, and can be falsified (but hasn't) - which means it has some predictive power; and that usually means it can tell us something new.

16. Ever had a near death experience?

No. Sorry :)

Bonus question:

If your an agnostic: what's your definition of agnostic?

[Superfluous Parentheses]

Also:

16. Do you believe in free will?

Yup. I'm not sure about the definition of free will, but in the practical everyday life, it usually works fine.

17. Have you ever considered going to Burning Man?

Yes, but considering I live some way away, I'll probably won't get there soon.

[Gyrate]

Jjimm?

No thanks? No acknowledgment? Nothing? Next time I see your "why doesn't someone answer my question?", I might not take the time and thought to accomodate you.On behalf of jjimm, I thank you for your input.

Does anyone actually read these threads or, like me, do you read the OP and the first few replies, skip to the last one, read that, post a reply and then lose interest?

[Hari Seldon]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?

Technically, I am agnostic, but if you ask me what I truly believe (with no evidence, although I cannot imagine what evidence there could be), I am an atheist.


2. If you are theist, which religion do you belong to?

3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one?

My parents, although Jewish by birth, had no religious practice and I never had any religious belief. When I was 11 years 8 months my parents realized that their parents expected a bar mitzvah and I went through all the hoops but never believed any of it.


4. If you are an Atheist and if there was one thing/event that caused you to be an Atheist, what was it?

5. If you are Agnostic, explain why you are Agnostic.

It is not possible to explain why I don't believe in something I find there is no evidence for.

6. If you are a Theist, have you entertained the idea of reading "The God Dellusion" by Richard Dawkins?

7. If not, why?

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?

Only when I was bored in a hotel room and the Gideons thought to include a copy of the old testament.

9. ditto, the koran?

No.

10. ditto, the torah/talmud?

The Torah is essentially the old testament. The Talmud, no.
11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?

A.B., Ph.D.

12. Do you like Animals?

Yes.

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?

Yes.

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?

Yes.

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?Ther

It is a proposition based on evidence for which it is imaginable that some contrary evidence might refute it. Equivalently, it makes predictions of future evidence and the more successful its predictions are, the more it looks like a scientific law. However there are in fact no scientific laws since any theory could be refuted.

Incidentally, a mathematical theory is an entirely different animal. The theory of, say, euclidean plane geometry are the axioms of Euclid as extended by David Hilbert

16. Because I like doing this: Add your own question for the following poster.[/QUOTE]

Too many already.

[Really Not All That Bright]

Does anyone actually read these threads or, like me, do you read the OP and the first few replies, skip to the last one, read that, post a reply and then lose interest?
Depends how long the thread is. I read all of this one (after posting, so as not to color my answers) but it was only a page long at the time.

If it's longer than three pages, you can bet I didn't read all of it.

That applies to any thread, really. Except picture threads and maybe one debate thread in 1000.

[Le Ministre de l'au-delà]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?
Atheist.

2. If you are theist, which religion do you belong to?

3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one?
Once and for all, about fifteen years ago, at the age of 31.

4. If you are an Atheist and if there was one thing/event that caused you to be an Atheist, what was it?
There was no single event - I thought about athiesm alongside of many other religious and philosophical ideas for many years. I was raised in a traditional Presbyterian family, and for a time, my parents were quite hopeful that I would find my calling as a Presbyterian minister. I became a born-again Christian for a time, went to atheism, called myself a Buddhist for a time. It was, as I said above, much later in life that I came down firmly on the side of 'there is no God'.

For all that, I still find religion fascinating and I read mythology, folklore and religious texts. I also deeply miss the musical experience with the church. We had a very good choir, as well as a youth choir and a handbell choir. We were also encouraged to perform as often as possible on whatever instruments we wanted. There weren't many other places where I could have played mandoline and vibes at the age of 14, but they were happy about it.

5. If you are Agnostic, explain why you are Agnostic.

6. If you are a Theist, have you entertained the idea of reading "The God Dellusion" by Richard Dawkins?

7. If not, why?

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?
Yes.

9. ditto, the koran?
Not entirely, but about a third of it.

10. ditto, the torah/talmud?
No.

Side note - I've also read the Tibetan Book of the Dead, Bagavad-Gita, Mahabharata, Ramayana, and some of the Upanishads. Also a couple of sutras. For what that's worth.

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?
Not yet. I'm 47; I don't like to rush these things...

12. Do you like Animals?
Yes.

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?
Yes; I'm a very lucky person.

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?
Yes.

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?
An idea that provides answers to the data we have collected thus far, and that predicts data that has not yet been collected.

16. Because I like doing this: Add your own question for the following poster.

If you became an atheist after growing up with a religious background, is there anything you miss about your former church life?


ETA: and now, to read the rest of it...

[Qin Shi Huangdi]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?

Theist

2. If you are theist, which religion do you belong to?

Christian Protestant. Presbyterian to be exact.

6. If you are a Theist, have you entertained the idea of reading "The God Dellusion" by Richard Dawkins?

Have I thought about reading it? Yes. Read it. No

7. If not, why?

Not enough time.

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?

No

12. Do you like Animals?

Yes

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?

Yes

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?

Yes

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?

Theory is a scientific idea that hasn't been proven 100% but certainly is an educated guess.

16. What is the meaning of life?

[Nars Glinley]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?
Theist.

2. If you are theist, which religion do you belong to?
I'm a Methodist, if that's what you mean.

6. If you are a Theist, have you entertained the idea of reading "The God Dellusion" by Richard Dawkins?
No

7. If not, why?
I guess I'm just not interested in it. Kind of like ballet.

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?
Do BA, MBA count? They don't with my wife. I've never succeeded in getting her to call me "Master".

12. Do you like Animals?
Most of them. I absolutely love dogs. I'd like cats a lot more if they didn't make me sneeze. We have 1 dog and 2 cats.

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?
Yes

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?
I believe so. My father was a biochemistry professor at a medical school and therefore science was a strong part of my education.

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?
I think it can vary somewhat. For the most part I take it to be "Something for which we have much scientific evidence which doesn't rise to the level of proof." I say that it varies because we still speak of the Theory of Relativity even though I believe that the amount of evidence for it would qualify as proof.

[Roderick Femm]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic? Atheist

2. If you are theist, which religion do you belong to? N/A

3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one? Age 13

4. If you are an Atheist and if there was one thing/event that caused you to be an Atheist, what was it? Two things led me to this way of thinking (did not cause it): perceived hypocrisy of religious teachings against money, when I believed that 99% of the people in the church would give their eye teeth to be rich; Ayn Rand's Playboy interview - the interviewer asked "Do you believe in God?" and she said "Of course not".

5. If you are Agnostic, explain why you are Agnostic. N/A

6. If you are a Theist, have you entertained the idea of reading "The God Dellusion" by Richard Dawkins? N/A (not interested in reading it either as an atheist)

7. If not, why? (basically N/A but I will say that I don't need the kinds of populist arguments against religion and belief in God that I have understood to be presented in that book.)

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible? Some parts in Sunday School as a child, other minor bits as they have found their way into the literature or culture.

9. ditto, the koran? None except little bits as quoted relevant to news stories.

10. ditto, the torah/talmud? Isn't this part of the old testament? Same answer as #8.

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name? Nope.

12. Do you like Animals? I like them very much, generally. It's unfortunate that I am so allergic to them.

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake? Yes.

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection? I think that I do.

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you? A testable proposition intended to explain natural phenomena, capable of being disproved, not capable of being proved.

16. Because I like doing this: Add your own question for the following poster.

17. Discuss your family's religious orientation. Where does it fall on the scale between the most skeptical atheism and the most passionately committed spirituality?


Roddy

[lindsaybluth]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic? Agnostic

5. If you are Agnostic, explain why you are Agnostic. Organized religion is patently ridiculous. I was (loosely) raised Catholic, and the whole business is absurd.

6. If you are a Theist, have you entertained the idea of reading "The God Dellusion" by Richard Dawkins? Not a theist, but reading it now. Incidentally, it's flying off the shelves of my religion display at the library.

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible? An agnostic, but yes, almost entirely parts that are "unpopular". Also the Book of Job in its entirety.

9. ditto, the koran? None, except parts which been pointed out to me by fellow non-believers, that I've looked up and found disgusting

10. ditto, the torah/talmud? Same as #8.

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name? BA for now, DDS in a few years.

12. Do you like Animals? I hate anything that's creepy-crawly, but I love dogs and like cats.

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake? Why certainly.

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection? Indeed.

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you? What Lobsang said: I fully understand that a scientific 'theory' is a system of understanding that is almost certainly true.

16. Discuss your family's religious orientation. Where does it fall on the scale between the most skeptical atheism and the most passionately committed spirituality?

Where to start...they're both physicians, and both immigrants. My mother was raised Catholic, but found out just two years ago that her father was Jewish. My father was raised a Hindu, and seemingly never really bought into much of it. He's an ardent beef eater now, but lies to his family about it. He won't kill bugs in the house, and does believe in reincarnation. My mom is pro-stem cell research, choice, believes in evolution...you get the picture, not a real Catholic. Both sets of my grandparents refused to attend their wedding, because of their different religions, as both of my grandmothers are/were extremely religious. Up until a few years ago, both of my parents donated money to their respective religious institutions.

They agreed to raise the kids Catholic. Regardless, the Catholic didn't take. I never went to Sunday School and went to church sporadically as a kid. Essentially it seemed like they were irreligious but not non-believers, but were afraid of their kids growing up godless. I think the Catholicism especially didn't take for me because of the whole "non believers are going to hell". It's tough for a kid to think one of their parents is going to hell. Plus, I couldn't (and still can't) see any physician - whose life is literally other people's health - going to hell.

I went to church a lot my first semester of senior year of high school, after meeting my first atheists at a pre-college program over the summer. Although my beliefs were agnostic at the time, I was firmly in denial and and terrified of admitting what I was. So I tried to kick the reason out of my head and become religious. The denial and church going ended a few months later. So I've been going on 5 solid years now.

[Qin Shi Huangdi]

Plus, I couldn't (and still can't) see any physician - whose life is literally other people's health - going to hell.



What about a quack physician who intentionally gives people overdoses of drugs like MJ"s doc?

[lindsaybluth]

What about a quack physician who intentionally gives people overdoses of drugs like MJ"s doc?

There will always be a few bad apples He was on probation/in trouble with the medical licensing board for all sorts of stuff anyways. The vast majority are saints - and I don't meant bedside manner, I mean are good at their jobs - yet unsurprisingly are largely not included with the health care debate.

(end hijack)

[MrDibble]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?
Atheist

2. If you are theist, which religion do you belong to?
Not theist, but am a Buddhist amongst other things

3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one?
Around 23

4. If you are an Atheist and if there was one thing/event that caused you to be an Atheist, what was it?
No one thing

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?
Yes
9. ditto, the koran?
Yes
10. ditto, the torah/talmud?
Torah, Yes, Talmud, only bits
11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?
Yes
12. Do you like Animals?
Yes
13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?
Yes
14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?
Yes
15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?
A consistent set of observations on, and consequent rules to explain, a set of phenomena.
16. I didn't get a question, so I'm recycling this one:Discuss your family's religious orientation. Where does it fall on the scale between the most skeptical atheism and the most passionately committed spirituality?
Loosely Christian only in the weddings & funerals sense. Some siblings became more religious later in life - two Anglican, one Catholic (by marriage), one Rastafarian.
17. Do you think you'd have come to the same faith/lessness if you'd been raised in a completely different (modern) culture, like say India, or South America or something?

[rivulus]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?
Functionally atheist. I don't see any evidence or need for gods, but I like to hedge my bets. So maybe agnostic.
2. If you are theist, which religion do you belong to?
When I tried to be a theist, I tried to be Lutheran.
3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one?
Sometime in my mid-thirties when it finally dawned on me that I could believe whatever I believed, and to hell with what other people expected me to believe.
4. If you are an Atheist and if there was one thing/event that caused you to be an Atheist, what was it?
Not one event, but a gradual realization that maybe the reason I wasn't able to perceive God is that God doesn't exist, not because I am fatally flawed with a chronic lack of faith. However, I do recall a moment in 7th grade when I was sitting in church and suddenly thought "Wow, I believe this stuff." Up until then, I don't think it had occurred to me that I couldn't believe it. That was the beginning of the end. Of course, it took years and years to dig myself out of the religious quagmire.
5. If you are Agnostic, explain why you are Agnostic.
Problems committing, I suppose. I like the idea that I'll see my grandma again. I have zero evidence and no real faith that there is such a thing as an afterlife, however.
6. If you are a Theist, have you entertained the idea of reading "The God Dellusion" by Richard Dawkins?
N/A
7. If not, why?
N/A
8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?
Yes. Quite a lot. Back in the day, I used to attend church and bible study regularly.
9. ditto, the koran?
No, although I keep meaning to.
10. ditto, the torah/talmud?
No. But I read the Book of Mormon, does that count?
11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?
Ph.D. Totally useless degree, but I've got it.
12. Do you like Animals?
Love animals. Have three dogs and a cat.
13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?
Mostly, yes. When I tried to be a believer, I was very troubled and eventually deeply depressed. Chucking all that has helped my mood considerably.
14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?
Reasonable grasp. Biology degree and some armchair reading since then make me fairly acquainted with the concept.
15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?
Hey, I didn't realize this was a test! Um.... something to do with a testable hypothesis. Something that explains observable phenomena.
16. Because I like doing this: Add your own question for the following poster.
If you are atheist, do you disbelieve all gods equally? I, actually, find that I don't. I still give the Judeo-Christian Gods a little more credence than, say, Zeus. Silly, but there it is.
17. Do you think you'd have come to the same faith/lessness if you'd been raised in a completely different (modern) culture, like say India, or South America or something?
Tough one. Maybe not. I think my access to information on evolution was definitely a tipping point. Plus, it took me over 20 years to break with Christianity in a fairly free society where women are encouraged to think for themselves. I don't know if I could have done it in a different, more paternalistic culture.

[rivulus]

I'd like to answer this one too:
If you became an atheist after growing up with a religious background, is there anything you miss about your former church life?Yes, I really miss the holiday services, especially Christmas and Easter. I used to love the pageantry, the extra decorations, flowers, candles, seasonal vestments, hymns and carols, and the large congregations on just those days packing the church. I know it seems silly, but joining together with people to speak and sing the liturgy, to look around at all the colors and lights and hear the organ playing, to feel the ancient wonder of life after death -- whether the dying year or the dying god -- all that ceremony had and still has meaning to me, even if I don't believe in the doctrine.

I miss it. It's not the same showing up once or twice a year and celebrating with a group of strangers.

[scarbrow]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?
Atheist. Not that I can prove that there is not god, but that the question is not worth pursuing given what we know.
2. If you are theist, which religion do you belong to?

3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one?
Somewhere around 8th grade.
4. If you are an Atheist and if there was one thing/event that caused you to be an Atheist, what was it?
The realization that having a god judge who goes to heaven or hell was immoral.
5. If you are Agnostic, explain why you are Agnostic.

6. If you are a Theist, have you entertained the idea of reading "The God Dellusion" by Richard Dawkins?

7. If not, why?

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?
Enough to find it silly and contradictory.
9. ditto, the koran?
Nope.
10. ditto, the torah/talmud?
No.
11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?
No.
12. Do you like Animals?
Love animals. Have 2 cats.
13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?
Probably not. The rejection that has come with who I am still stings even as it fades into the background.
14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?
Fair grasp.
15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?
I don't think I can do the concept justice in this space.
16. Because I like doing this: Add your own question for the following poster.
Too many here.
17. Do you think you'd have come to the same faith/lessness if you'd been raised in a completely different (modern) culture, like say India, or South America or something?
Hard to say. The judgmental nature of Christianity was a major factor in my decision. It seems from afar that some modern cultures lack this element, but I've not studied them enough to say that for certain.

[olivesmarch4th]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?

Agnostic with a hard lean toward Atheism.

2. If you are theist, which religion do you belong to?

I'm not a theist, but I am a Buddhist.

3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one?

When I was 18, at approximately the time I discovered the writings of Friedrich Nietzsche.

4. If you are an Atheist and if there was one thing/event that caused you to be an Atheist, what was it?

The pain and suffering I experienced my senior year of high school, and my feeling that philosophy, particularly existentialism, had more to offer by way of explanation than Christianity did.

5. If you are Agnostic, explain why you are Agnostic.

I am Agnostic because being 100% sure there is no God makes just as little sense to me as absolute Theism. It seems more rational to say there is little evidence for an all-knowing, all-loving, all-powerful God. And just because that kind of God doesn't exist doesn't mean some other kind can't.

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?

From age 10 to 16 I was a devout fundamentalist Christian. So, yes. Repeatedly.

9. ditto, the koran?

No.

10. ditto, the torah/talmud?

No.

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?

Why yes, that's olivesmarch4th, B.A. to you. (I'm a current grad student.)

12. Do you like Animals?
Of course.

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?
80% of the time I am very content. The other 20% of the time I struggle with depression and anxiety, but I'm basically happy.

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?

Fair, yes. I understand that species change over time based on what's most advantageous to their survival as a species. Things with not advantageous traits tend to die, so the organisms with desirable traits survive to pass along their genes. That's about as complex as my understanding goes.

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?
A hypothesis about how something is, or how it works.

16. Discuss your family's religious orientation. Where does it fall on the scale between the most skeptical atheism and the most passionately committed spirituality?

It's all across the board. My Mom isn't really Praise Jesus type but she believes in God and due to a near-death experience when she was 4 she is really adamant about the existence of an afterlife. My stepfather was an atheist. My grandfather is an atheist but pretends not to be for the sake of my grandmother, who is very religious. My Aunt is agnostic and thinks religion is silly.

17. Do you think you'd have come to the same faith/lessness if you'd been raised in a completely different (modern) culture, like say India, or South America or something?

I imagine my experiences would have been very different, therefore my beliefs also would have been. I think there is a higher probability that I would believe whatever the majority believes, particularly if my country of origin had a highly interdependent culture.

ETA additional question: Umm. Were you ever forced to attend church or a religious congregation, and if so, did this contribute to your current religious belief?

[Never Say Dice]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic? Atheist
2. If you are theist, which religion do you belong to? N/A
3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one? Day one
4. If you are an Atheist and if there was one thing/event that caused you to be an Atheist, what was it? N/A
5. If you are Agnostic, explain why you are Agnostic. N/A
8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible? I've seen a few sections, can't say I've read much
9. ditto, the koran? No
10. ditto, the torah/talmud? No (is that still in print? Whoda thunkit)
11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name? CEO
12. Do you like Animals? No. They all annoy me, although I've come to tolerate ants.
13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake? Yes
14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection? Yes
15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you? "Breaking with past explanations, with more data than those prior"
16. Discuss your family's religious orientation. My parents and children and ex wife are all atheists. My brother and sister talk of "spirituality", but nothing specific.
17. Do you think you'd have come to the same faith/lessness if you'd been raised in a completely different (modern) culture, like say India, or South America or something?
Yes. And I'll say the same for my parents and kids and ex. But my siblings are more persuadable, and would probably have just joined the local club.
And I'll add a question:
18. If you are a believer, do you think all the other believers in the world consider you to be a believer? Do you think they think all religions are basically the same?

[ITR champion]

1. Theist
2. Christianity
6. I've read it, and as I've posted before, no book other than the Bible and Orthodoxy has done more to convince me of the correctness of Christianity.
11. B.S. in computer science, M.A. in mathematics.
12. Yes. They taste great. (In all honesty, I do like animals.)
13. As long as I'm with other people, I'm nearly always happy. Luckily, I now spend most of my waking hours with other people.
14. Yes. In fact I've read The Descent of Man and most of The Origin of Species.
15. It can mean anything from an established and proven body of facts to useless speculation.
16. My father was a militant atheist. My mother was the same when I was a child, but has since because a lukewarm liberal Episcopalian--she does not believe in the divinity of Jesus. As for my brother, I can't really say. He was a hardcore atheist growing up, but experimented with some form of Buddhism in his early 20's, and I honestly don't know what he believes right now.
17. I believe that no matter where I was born, Jesus Christ would have called me to be His disciple.

[Švejk]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?
Atheist

2. If you are theist, which religion do you belong to?
n/a

3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one?
My parents never raised me in any particular religion, they never prayed, never went to church, etc., so you can pretty much say I was raised atheist.

4. If you are an Atheist and if there was one thing/event that caused you to be an Atheist, what was it?
n/a

5. If you are Agnostic, explain why you are Agnostic.
n/a

6. If you are a Theist, have you entertained the idea of reading "The God Dellusion" by Richard Dawkins?
n/a (is that his book about Dell computers, btw?)

7. If not, why?
n/a

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?
parts of it but certainly not in full.

9. ditto, the koran?
no

10. ditto, the torah/talmud?
no

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?
yes. I can even put some in front of my name if I like.

12. Do you like Animals?
sure.

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?
I guess so.

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?
I would say so.

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?
A theory is a coherent set of general propositions about the world, all of which are falsifiable.

16. Because I like doing this: Add your own question for the following poster.
Did you see the Inglorious Basterds film? How did you like it?

[moonstarssun]

1. Are you Atheist, Theist, or Agnostic?
Atheist

3. If you are Atheist, When did you become one?
I wasn't raised in any particular religion, although my parents encouraged me to explore and decide for myself. So I suppose I've always been one, even though I test-drove a few different belief systems.

4. If you are an Atheist and if there was one thing/event that caused you to be an Atheist, what was it?
No one event, but I remember one shocker moment when I was pretty young. I was fascinated by mythology, and was amazed to learn that some people actually believe in some of the myths I'd read about (Christianity).

8. If you are an Atheist, have you read the Bible?
No. Most of my biblical knowledge comes from my art history classes.

9. ditto, the koran?
no

10. ditto, the torah/talmud?
no

11. Do you have any qualifications that allow you to put letters after your name?
I have a BA, but I don't put it after my name.

12. Do you like Animals?
Very much so.

13. Be honest here: Do you consider yourself contented for more than half of the time you're awake?
Yes

14. Do you have a fair grasp of the concept of Evolution and Natural Selection?
Yes

15. What does the word 'theory' in the scientific context mean to you?
An idea that needs to be tested and verified.

16. Because I like doing this: Add your own question for the following poster.
Did you see the Inglorious Basterds film? How did you like it?
Not yet, but plan to.

17. For the next poster: Do you feel uncomfortable talking about your lack of belief with others?