# Am I the only person on the Internet who believes in God? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 24, 2010, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-on-the-internet-who-believes-in-god/554944 "2010-09-24T23:41:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-on-the-internet-who-believes-in-god/554944/101 "2010-09-26T03:25:32Z")
> [@jasonh300](#): > > Whereas the majority of Christians or Jews, or just non-religious believers rarely talk about their religious views. Hahahahahahahahahahahaha … . Pull the other one! It’s been my experience that casual displays of religion are so ingrained in most theists’ sense of “normal life” that they’re completely oblivious to their ubiquity. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-on-the-internet-who-believes-in-god/554944/102 "2010-09-26T04:32:20Z")
> [@matt\_mcl](#): > > > [@Princhester](#): > > > > Interestingly, to date the issue of whether there is a teapot orbiting Saturn has not even been seriously investigated, let alone scientifically settled. So I believe there is one. And I’m sure you do too. Right? > > No, I don’t believe there is one. Of course, I don’t regard that belief as a scientific fact, the same way heliocentrism or evolution are facts. Which seems strange to me. I don’t think you would deny for a moment that we have a pretty good scientific handle on the history of humans on this planet and the very limited extent to which they have had the technology to put a teapot into orbit around Saturn. I think you’d also agree that what we know, scientifically, about the processes involved in the creation of this solar system means that really the only way a teapot could get into orbit around Saturn is if a human put one there. There is clearly sufficient evidence and obvious theory to conclude scientifically that there would be no teapot in orbit around Saturn to a level of proof easily akin to that of evolution. Yet you don’t regard the lack of a teapot as a scientific fact but do think that evolution is a fact. I am inclined to think your view has more to do with where this argument would go next if you were to admit the contrary, than to do with any consistency of thought. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-on-the-internet-who-believes-in-god/554944/103 "2010-09-26T06:19:24Z")
> [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](#): > > …let’s go to our reporter from inside a madrassa in the city of America, Afghanistan. > > > [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > > > Or have their car trashed or lose their job or be disowned by their family or any number of other unpleasant consequences. Atheists are one of the most hated and distrusted groups in America. > > We have to admire his courage, putting his life in mortal risk every day. Hardly. Do you think I’m stupid enough to go around admitting I’m an atheist to people in a position to harm me? Not unless I know them well. I freely admit to my atheism here because the believers on this board aren’t in a position to hurt me, physically or otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-on-the-internet-who-believes-in-god/554944/104 "2010-09-26T06:41:17Z")
I’d say that right now, in the current climate in the U.S., it’s Muslim individuals who are having the most trouble. Note, I’m not trying to diminish your own experiences, but I would say that we’re treating Muslims on par with how the Japanese were treated during WWII. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-on-the-internet-who-believes-in-god/554944/105 "2010-09-26T07:12:22Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > I’d say that right now, in the current climate in the U.S., it’s Muslim individuals who are having the most trouble. Note, I’m not trying to diminish your own experiences, but I would say that we’re treating Muslims on par with how the Japanese were treated during WWII. I can’t speak as to actual abuse - atheists have the advantage of not having any desire to build places of worship or wear things that mark them as different, and so are harder to single out. But in terms of dislike, last I heard atheists had just been edged out as the most disliked and distrusted group in America by Scientologists, with Muslims a fairly distant third. That was a year or two ago though, and the Right has been whipping up the anti-Muslim fervor recently. There’s also a heavy racial/nationalistic overtone to a lot of this “anti-Muslim” garbage, with people just assuming that anyone brown\* is a Muslim; just look at the bizarre “Obama is a secret Muslim” nonsense from the Right. - Anyone brown who isn’t Hispanic; they get called “illegal” even if their ancestors have been here longer than mine. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-on-the-internet-who-believes-in-god/554944/106 "2010-09-26T07:39:38Z")
From a not insignificant portion of the population, atheists are regarded as about as bad as child molesters. There’s some really deep hatred out there for people who risk ruining the game by reminding everyone that there’s no Santa Claus. ---
**Author:** ![tr0psn4j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-on-the-internet-who-believes-in-god/554944/107 "2010-09-26T07:48:11Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > …that there’s no Santa Claus. \*\*Blasphemy! \*\* ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-on-the-internet-who-believes-in-god/554944/108 "2010-09-26T08:04:44Z")
I believe in Good. I believe in Dogs. I believe in Hot Dogs. I believe in Gold. I believe in Go. Those all definitely exist. I don’t believe in God. His existence is questionable, so I choose the logical and scientific side of the argument. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-on-the-internet-who-believes-in-god/554944/109 "2010-09-26T14:14:15Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > No, just those who claim there are no God are very noisy. Says the man who will not admit that Ishtar is Queen of Heaven. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-on-the-internet-who-believes-in-god/554944/110 "2010-09-26T15:42:01Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Uh-oh. Does that mean [you couldn’t leave her if you tried](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=578449)? As soon as I hit the ‘post’ button, I knew that one was going to come from someone. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-on-the-internet-who-believes-in-god/554944/111 "2010-09-26T16:25:04Z")
> [@Pixiesnix](#): > > > [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > > > I believe in Athena on Mondays, Thor on Tuesdays, Morgoth on Wednesdays, Aslan on Thursdays\*, Superman on Fridays, and Athena on Saturdays. On only Sunday is my atheism pure. > > Wouldn’t it be more fitting to worship Thor on Thursdays? I didn’t say I worship ANY of them. > [@Sr\_Siete](#): > > > [@Pixiesnix](#): > > > > Wouldn’t it be more fitting to worship Thor on Thursdays? > > Yeah. Also, you worship Athena _twice_? Morgoth’s gonna be piiiiiiissed… Well, she’s hot. ---
**Author:** ![Apollyon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apollyon/32/4238_2.png) [@Apollyon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollyon)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-on-the-internet-who-believes-in-god/554944/112 "2010-09-26T22:37:11Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Hardly. Do you think I’m stupid enough to go around admitting I’m an atheist to people in a position to harm me? Not unless I know them well. I freely admit to my atheism here because the believers on this board aren’t in a position to hurt me, physically or otherwise. Tangential to this thread **Der Trihs** , but worries like this make me eternally grateful to live somewhere where the non-religious make up over 1/3rd of the population, and most of the religious are both very moderate and private about their beliefs. > [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > > [@Sr\_Siete](#): > > > > Yeah. Also, you worship Athena _twice_? Morgoth’s gonna be piiiiiiissed… > > Well, she’s hot. But admit it, you’re not going to get anywhere with her… 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-on-the-internet-who-believes-in-god/554944/113 "2010-09-26T23:35:00Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > > [@Uzi](#): > > > > There’s a negative correlation between porn and intelligence now? Damn! > > All those fluids have to come from somewhere…and your brain is at the top of your body, one of the first things to dry out and shrivel up. Same reason men go bald. If they could figure out how to whack off with the top of their heads, problem would be solved. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-on-the-internet-who-believes-in-god/554944/114 "2010-09-26T23:36:03Z")
> [@psikeyhackr](#): > > Plenty of people assume that their paradigme of reality and reality must be the same thing. > > psik Unfortunately, many of them are Republican politicians. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-on-the-internet-who-believes-in-god/554944/115 "2010-09-26T23:37:54Z")
> [@jasonh300](#): > > Atheists also tend to be very vocal about their atheism, so they stand out. Whereas the majority of Christians or Jews, or just non-religious believers rarely talk about their religious views. Right, they are so quiet that when I was visiting Charlotte, NC, the local paper ran a column saying that locals should shut up about God for a bit, because it was scaring the tourists. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2010, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-on-the-internet-who-believes-in-god/554944/116 "2010-09-26T23:56:02Z")
> [@Apollyon](#): > > > [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > > > Hardly. Do you think I’m stupid enough to go around admitting I’m an atheist to people in a position to harm me? Not unless I know them well. I freely admit to my atheism here because the believers on this board aren’t in a position to hurt me, physically or otherwise. > > Tangential to this thread **Der Trihs** , but worries like this make me eternally grateful to live somewhere where the non-religious make up over 1/3rd of the population, and most of the religious are both very moderate and private about their beliefs. I’ve been an atheist since I was a teen in the early 70s. I’ve never experienced one bit of harm or discrimination. I freely tell people I have no religious beliefs. I’ve never had my car trashed or been fearful of losing my job. And \*\*DT \*\*lives in Torrance, CA-- no different from where I live. If he’s feels put upon, it’s because he wants to feel that way. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-on-the-internet-who-believes-in-god/554944/117 "2010-09-27T00:05:50Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > > [@Apollyon](#): > > > > Tangential to this thread **Der Trihs** , but worries like this make me eternally grateful to live somewhere where the non-religious make up over 1/3rd of the population, and most of the religious are both very moderate and private about their beliefs. > > I’ve been an atheist since I was a teen in the early 70s. I’ve never experienced one bit of harm or discrimination. I freely tell people I have no religious beliefs. I’ve never had my car trashed or been fearful of losing my job. And \*\*DT \*\*lives in Torrance, CA-- no different from where I live. If he’s feels put upon, it’s because he wants to feel that way. I know this is a rare idea on the dope, but not everyone’s experiences are identical. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-on-the-internet-who-believes-in-god/554944/118 "2010-09-27T00:15:03Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > > [@John\_Mace](#): > > > > I’ve been an atheist since I was a teen in the early 70s. I’ve never experienced one bit of harm or discrimination. I freely tell people I have no religious beliefs. I’ve never had my car trashed or been fearful of losing my job. And \*\*DT \*\*lives in Torrance, CA-- no different from where I live. If he’s feels put upon, it’s because he wants to feel that way. > > I know this is a rare idea on the dope, but not everyone’s experiences are identical. Oh please. No one living in Torrance, CA has to worry about being an atheist. I know what that area is like. But if you have cites of atheists living there who have routinely been harassed, I’m open to changing my mind. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-on-the-internet-who-believes-in-god/554944/119 "2010-09-27T00:39:55Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > > [@jsgoddess](#): > > > > I know this is a rare idea on the dope, but not everyone’s experiences are identical. > > Oh please. No one living in Torrance, CA has to worry about being an atheist. I know what that area is like. But if you have cites of atheists living there who have routinely been harassed, I’m open to changing my mind. Atheists there can’t run for national office. They can try, but they won’t get elected. Only one out atheist is in our current congress and he came out thirty years after he was elected. Also, try to run a small business with a, “An Atheist Business” on your yellow pages ad. Plenty of Christians have those silly fish on their small business ads and seem to do fine. Atheists aren’t likely to be attacked, but its nowhere near the same treatment. As for cites, [is San Diego close enough?](http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/article_72ed577f-e062-5b58-86cf-d2778312ad57.html) ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2010, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-on-the-internet-who-believes-in-god/554944/120 "2010-09-27T00:48:39Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > > [@appleciders](#): > > > > …and I’m only a theist most of the time… > > Schrodinger’s God. 😃 As a pithy label that sums it up, that’s not half bad. The only trouble is that I’m not willing to open the box and check yet. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-on-the-internet-who-believes-in-god/554944.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-on-the-internet-who-believes-in-god/554944.md?page=7)