Pick a god, any god

[Czarcasm]

@Antinor01

On the plus side, if Shinto becomes the default ultimate truth doesn’t that mean the rest of the world gets to contendedly be atheist?

If you’ve interpreted the religion properly, this may be the first legitimate backdoor leading to atheism in this thread.
I’ll allow it.

[Harmonious_Discord]

I pick none. On to next person. I was just not going to post, but then the OP wouldn’t count me for the pass the buck choice.

[Apollyon]

The Voice From Above caught me during a pig of a week:

Aztec polytheism :eek:

[blondebear]

Gaia-ism

[Czarcasm]

@Harmonious Discord

I pick none. On to next person. I was just not going to post, but then the OP wouldn’t count me for the pass the buck choice.

Follow-up question, because I’ve just gotta know-Is this your choice because you trust your fellow human bean not to muck it up too much, or is this your choice because you really don’t care if the next schmuck in line screws it up royally?

[glee]

@Czarcasm

Follow-up question, because I’ve just gotta know-Is this your choice because you trust your fellow human bean not to muck it up too much, or is this your choice because you really don’t care if the next schmuck in line screws it up royally?

I would be more worried about who the Voice was actually.
This is a Being who can successfully enforce any set of unproven beliefs ever held by humans and is happy to pick one based on a single person’s first choice? :eek:
Presumably this also shows that there is no God, since He would be annoyed if a rival religion was chosen?

[puppygod]

@Czarcasm

Here is a basic list of established religions. While I am sure there are more comprehensive lists out there, This will give you an idea of what is meant by established religions.

Hmm. Discordianism isn’t listed there. Would you allow it, or no?

[Czarcasm]

@glee

I would be more worried about who the Voice was actually.
This is a Being who can successfully enforce any set of unproven beliefs ever held by humans and is happy to pick one based on a single person’s first choice? :eek:
Presumably this also shows that there is no God, since He would be annoyed if a rival religion was chosen?

Just assume that it is a pan-dimensional ultra-god that is doing it for a reason that you’ll never find out about.

[Yllaria]

@Giles

Shinto has its appeals but:

(1) It doesn’t have one God – there are supposed to be 8,000,000 kami, where “kami” means spirit just as much as god – so it probably does not satisfy to OP.

(2) It is very much limited to Japan.

(3) If it were established, the Japanese emperor would be definitely the descendant in the male line from the sun goddess Amaterasu, so would be semi-divine himself. This might speed up Japanese plans for world domination.

But if Shinto could be made more universal, then I, as an atheist, might support it. But if not, then Buddhism.

1 - it doesn’t need one god, it just needs to be an established, traditional religion. It is.

2 - I don’t think there’s any rule that says it could not be practiced other places. It just hasn’t been. If it were true, I’d see it expanding out. There would be kami everywhere. That’s the nature of animism. Can you picture the kami of the Grand Canyon? Niagara Falls? Lake Baikal?

3 - it would be interesting to see what effect that had. I mean, how many generations has it been? He’s got to be 99% human by now. Maybe he gets to glow. And he’d probably get a couple of sons.

What Japan would get is consultant’s fees for dealing with all of the new kami that no one else knows how to deal with. There would be a sharp learning curve in a lot of places. A lot of the typical stuff would get posted online, though. Like the funeral rites. No one wants destructive kami being generated.

Eventually, the world will be filled with kami geeks.

[Oredigger77]

I’d go with Judaism. At least as far as I know their rules only apply to Jew and all the rest of the world has to do to get into heaven is follow the 10 commandments. I’m lazy and not Jewish so this seems like and easy way to get a good afterlife for the most people. Of course I wouldn’t mind watching the occasional godly smackdown of the bad Jew or their enemies.

[joyfool]

I’d go with UU. But if we got to pick an established poster from this thread, why I think puppygod would probably do a great job!

[Harmonious_Discord]

@Czarcasm

Follow-up question, because I’ve just gotta know-Is this your choice because you trust your fellow human bean not to muck it up too much, or is this your choice because you really don’t care if the next schmuck in line screws it up royally?

I’m not an expert on religions and I don’t know of one that I would want to come into physical existence. They all have bad sides, so somebody else might as well be happy getting what they want.

[Arnold_Winkelried]

The religion of the church I attend regularly, of course. Unitarian Universalism.

[whiterabbit]

@WhyNot

While I’m tempted to say the same, I wonder how that would work, just like I sometimes go :dubious: in certain eclectic circles. I mean, do you think Thor and Diana would get along? Would Sekhmet crash the party and drink all of Dionysus’ wine? Would Brigid slap the hell out of Aphrodite for being a silly git?

I think we need to get a bit more specific, or we’re going to have a Clash of the Titans for sure.

Sounds rather Discordianish to me. :evil grin:

I’d probably go with UU, except that still leaves the question of exactly what the Voice was in the first place, seeing as UUs have opinions on that ranging all over the place.

[Measure_for_Measure]

I might choose UU, but I can’t see how a religion without a creed could become reality for all time.

Flipping through Wikipedia, then the web, I choose Smartism, which is one of the 4 main sects of Hinduism. Devotees can choose one of 6 manifestations to worship, “…this liberal Hindu path is monistic, nonsectarian, meditative and philosophical.”

I tried to pick a religion that would be friendly to the philosophically inclined, while maintaining a degree of flexibility for everyone else.

[puppygod]

@faithfool

I’d go with UU. But if we got to pick an established poster from this thread, why I think puppygod would probably do a great job!

And thus, ye shall be rewarded with the cookie!

[Leaper]

@Harmonious Discord

I pick none. On to next person. I was just not going to post, but then the OP wouldn’t count me for the pass the buck choice.

So you wouldn’t mind the risk that the next person that gets randomly asked is Fred Phelps or someone like that?

[Boyo_Jim]

@Leaper

So you wouldn’t mind the risk that the next person that gets randomly asked is Fred Phelps or someone like that?

Yeah, that’s why I wouln’t take a pass – some loon might be next in line.

And that’s why, if I had to pick a god rather than no god, I would pick one that would immediately destroy the earth. That way I wouln’t be saddling everyone with a god they don’t like for a long time.

Eminently sensible, don’t you think?

[bannerrefugee]

@Measure for Measure

I might choose UU, but I can’t see how a religion without a creed could become reality for all time.

Flipping through Wikipedia, then the web, I choose Smartism, which is one of the 4 main sects of Hinduism. Devotees can choose one of 6 manifestations to worship, “…this liberal Hindu path is monistic, nonsectarian, meditative and philosophical.”

I tried to pick a religion that would be friendly to the philosophically inclined, while maintaining a degree of flexibility for everyone else.

Finally someone else can see the light

[brujaja]

Hinduism:

• They don’t waste their time listing everybody who doesn’t get into heaven.
• They have respect for other faiths. (AFAIR, Jesus and Mohammed are considered avatars)
• The caste system is political and not really part of the religion.
• They have soma!
• They have Apsaras! (question for actual Hindus: Can a human female aspire to be an Apsara someday?)