# Pick a god, any god **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 19, 2008, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-god-any-god/449863 "2008-05-19T16:49:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-god-any-god/449863/41 "2008-05-19T19:11:27Z")
The Voice doesn’t like to play word games. One single _established_ religion. And if you can’t(or refuse) to choose, someone you don’t know _will_. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-god-any-god/449863/42 "2008-05-19T19:13:02Z")
[QUOTE=Czarcasm] No. [/QUOTE] Bummer. Secular Humanism? No? Unitarian Universalist? No? OK, Buddhism, then. Unless we can choose fantasy religions, in which case I choose Siemism. If it’s good enough for elves, it’s good enough for me. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-god-any-god/449863/43 "2008-05-19T19:15:30Z")
\*\*Pick a God, any God: \*\* If I must, I will pick Erü Illuvatar of the Middle-Earth legends. He seems the closest to what the Christian God should be without all the trappings of Churches, Religion and heavily organized worship. He would appear to be the same God as the Jews, Christians and Muslims worship, but he appears more laid back and nicer about the whole thing. No demands for worships and tithes and arguments over the Trinity or Jihads. Jim ETA: How many does it take to make a religion an established religion? ---
**Author:** ![Lanzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-god-any-god/449863/44 "2008-05-19T19:15:42Z")
Now you’ve put in too many restrictions…I’ll pass to a stranger. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-god-any-god/449863/45 "2008-05-19T19:19:12Z")
[QUOTE=Lanzy] Now you’ve put in too many restrictions..I’ll pass to a stranger. [/QUOTE] I have put in nothing that wasn’t in the original question. Picking a single tenet, picking all religions, picking a fantasy religion-all of these are cheating. ---
**Author:** ![Litoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9f8e36/32.png) [@Litoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Litoris)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-god-any-god/449863/46 "2008-05-19T19:27:59Z")
[QUOTE=bannerrefugee] Hinduism It’s got a lot of cool gods and you get to be reincarnated. Plus it’s diverse enough everyone can be happy. [/QUOTE] Uhm, being reincarnated is a bad thing, you know this right? It means you have failed to extract yourself from your desires. Ok, I still say FSM – [Pastafarianism](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pastafarianism) is an established religion\*\*, and one with which I would happily get onboard, but if you insist that it doesn’t count, I say Buddhism. \*\*well, parody religion – it’s still established 😃 ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-god-any-god/449863/47 "2008-05-19T19:29:57Z")
Can we pick neopaganism if we pick a specific pantheon? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-god-any-god/449863/48 "2008-05-19T19:35:02Z")
[QUOTE=Czarcasm] I have put in nothing that wasn’t in the original question. Picking a single tenet, picking all religions, picking a fantasy religion-all of these are cheating. [/QUOTE] Why? What defines an established religion? How many worshipers does it take? Does it need to be recognized by the government? Which government? If you won’t except Erü then I will go with Quaker. At least they are extremely peaceful and helpful and not anti-technology. Jim ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-god-any-god/449863/49 "2008-05-19T19:37:39Z")
[QUOTE=pbbth] Can we pick neopaganism if we pick a specific pantheon? [/QUOTE] Yes. ---
**Author:** ![bannerrefugee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c68b51/32.png) [@bannerrefugee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bannerrefugee)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-god-any-god/449863/50 "2008-05-19T19:38:36Z")
[QUOTE=Litoris] Uhm, being reincarnated is a bad thing, you know this right? It means you have failed to extract yourself from your desires. [/QUOTE] I think it depends a bit on the way you look at it. If you are reincarnated you get another chance after all. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-god-any-god/449863/51 "2008-05-19T19:41:31Z")
Just to be different, I’ll go with Baha’i. Though ultimately I suspect I’d find Baha’i literalism grating, it’s always intrigued me a bit. ---
**Author:** ![Litoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9f8e36/32.png) [@Litoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Litoris)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-god-any-god/449863/52 "2008-05-19T19:48:48Z")
[QUOTE=bannerrefugee] I think it depends a bit on the way you look at it. If you are reincarnated you get another chance after all. [/QUOTE] This is true, but I’d like to think I’d get it right the first time, and not be reincarnated. I’m a perfectionist. ---
**Author:** ![Syntropy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@Syntropy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syntropy)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-god-any-god/449863/53 "2008-05-19T19:57:09Z")
[QUOTE=Czarcasm] No. [/QUOTE] _sigh_… very well. Taoism\*. \*Which, should it be questioned, is considered a [“long established, major world religion, with over three million followers”.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_religious_groups#World_religions) ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-god-any-god/449863/54 "2008-05-19T20:40:08Z")
Okay, I pick neopaganism w/the Celtic panteon. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-god-any-god/449863/55 "2008-05-19T20:43:27Z")
[QUOTE=Maureen] _sigh_… very well. Taoism\*. \*Which, should it be questioned, is considered a [“long established, major world religion, with over three million followers”.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_religious_groups#World_religions) [/QUOTE] Including Winnie the Pooh, so it’s even got that celebrity edge. ---
**Author:** ![Syntropy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@Syntropy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syntropy)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-god-any-god/449863/56 "2008-05-19T20:45:48Z")
Wait…that’s in his PRE-Disney incarnation, right? ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-god-any-god/449863/57 "2008-05-19T21:33:42Z")
May the Force be with you, Padawans… ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-god-any-god/449863/58 "2008-05-19T21:44:00Z")
Zen Buddhism. I’m completely biased… but at least it leaves the question of God/god/gods open wide. Plus you get to hit people with sticks. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-god-any-god/449863/59 "2008-05-19T21:44:09Z")
Withdrawn. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-god-any-god/449863/60 "2008-05-19T21:57:57Z")
[QUOTE=Frank] Ahem. [/QUOTE] To be fair, he was calling himself that! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-god-any-god/449863.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-a-god-any-god/449863.md?page=4)