# The Dawkins' Belief Scale: Where Do You Fall? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 14, 2011, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dawkins-belief-scale-where-do-you-fall/599653 "2011-10-14T17:23:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Lilacs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Lilacs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lilacs)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2011, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dawkins-belief-scale-where-do-you-fall/599653/81 "2011-10-15T16:34:43Z")
> [@Taomist](#): > > I live my life on the assumption that if he is there, I will one day kick his ASS for being such a fucking jerk. God, if he exists, is a flaming asshole. Or spectacularly incompetent. I chose 6. Honestly, if given some kind of “evidence” of god’s existence I’d probably think I’d gone crazy and not believe it anyway. Still, I can’t say for sure either way. ---
**Author:** ![nashiitashii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7c8e57/32.png) [@nashiitashii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nashiitashii)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2011, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dawkins-belief-scale-where-do-you-fall/599653/82 "2011-10-15T17:45:18Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Would a pantheist answer “1” by definition? How intense is their belief? How sure are they of the concept of pantheism? That’s where I was coming from when choosing “3” as my answer. I lean toward the idea that there’s something bigger than what’s obvious out there, but I’m not terribly sure about it as a verifiable quantity, even with enhanced methods to detect supernatural phenomena. Believing in the existence of all gods fervently is different than believing in the possibility of all gods existing, and there’s plenty of gray area in between the two categories. Like many other things, belief is an incredibly subjective area, so it depends on the person, hence threads like this. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2011, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dawkins-belief-scale-where-do-you-fall/599653/83 "2011-10-16T03:02:58Z")
Do gods consult polls like this to find out how they’re doing, like politicians? _“In the latest Dope poll, atheists and partial atheists led theists and semi-theists by a nearly four to one margin, the biggest in Dope history. Jehovah was reported to be huddling with his top team of angels to plan strategy, sources claim Allah is leaning towards hiring a new public relations firm, and Buddha is said to be zoning out with no comment expected.”_ ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2011, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dawkins-belief-scale-where-do-you-fall/599653/84 "2011-10-16T03:07:48Z")
1. Sometimes I waver and go all 6.99 for a few minutes but then I think about Christianity for a second and I’m back again, safe and sound. ---
**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:** [October 16, 2011, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dawkins-belief-scale-where-do-you-fall/599653/85 "2011-10-16T03:57:02Z")
I kinda feel I _should_ say 6 and as with a number of other posters maybe I’m more a 6.9. But at the end of the day I’m pretty damn certain there is no God, so 7 it is. ---
**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:** [October 16, 2011, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dawkins-belief-scale-where-do-you-fall/599653/86 "2011-10-16T04:08:21Z")
This poll might’ve been more enlightening if it had a god vs leprechauns scale. That is, I think on the 6 vs 6.99 vs 7 issue, people would’ve picked the same number on whether or not they think god exists, and whether or not they think leprechauns exist. Because I think theists will point to 7 and say “see, arrogant atheists think they know everything!” and it’s a bit disarming to say “see, arrogant atheists think god has the same chance of existing as leprechauns!” ---
**Author:** ![loshan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce73a5/32.png) [@loshan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/loshan)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2011, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dawkins-belief-scale-where-do-you-fall/599653/87 "2011-10-16T04:11:22Z")
> [@Lilacs](#): > > God, if he exists, is a flaming asshole. Or spectacularly incompetent. > > I chose 6. Honestly, if given some kind of “evidence” of god’s existence I’d probably think I’d gone crazy and not believe it anyway. Still, I can’t say for sure either way. I’ve always figured that if there is a “God”, we are probably the equivalent of an ant farm or aquarium stuck off in the corner of a 9 year old’s bedroom. When I see his/her face pressed against the glass, then I’ll believe. 6.5 for me. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2011, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dawkins-belief-scale-where-do-you-fall/599653/88 "2011-10-16T05:19:40Z")
I didn’t vote in the poll, but call me a 1.25 ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2011, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dawkins-belief-scale-where-do-you-fall/599653/89 "2011-10-16T14:45:27Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > This poll might’ve been more enlightening if it had a god vs leprechauns scale. That is, I think on the 6 vs 6.99 vs 7 issue, people would’ve picked the same number on whether or not they think god exists, and whether or not they think leprechauns exist. Because I think theists will point to 7 and say “see, arrogant atheists think they know everything!” and it’s a bit disarming to say “see, arrogant atheists think god has the same chance of existing as leprechauns!” The ambassador to the Leprechaun Planet just called, and he demands an apology. ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2011, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dawkins-belief-scale-where-do-you-fall/599653/90 "2011-10-16T15:40:05Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > 4 - Stong agnostic. I don’t know, and neither do you. 🙂 Also a strong agnostic. But ‘impartial’ is completely wrong so I couldn’t choose 4 and I don’t consider myself a theist, really, so 5 didn’t work either. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2011, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dawkins-belief-scale-where-do-you-fall/599653/91 "2011-10-16T16:32:00Z")
I don’t really fit on the scale. I tend towards [ignosticism](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignosticism), or the belief that the very concepts in discussion are so poorly defined as to be meaningless and [apatheism](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apatheism), or the belief that it really just doesn’t matter. Basically to me, the word “god” is like the words “superintellegent shade of blue.” I have no idea what that’s even supposed to mean and I don’t think you really do, either, so why bother even talking about it? ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2011, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dawkins-belief-scale-where-do-you-fall/599653/92 "2011-10-16T16:45:06Z")
DAMN IT! Why are there so many “-isms”, I can’t keep track of them all! ---
**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:** [October 16, 2011, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dawkins-belief-scale-where-do-you-fall/599653/93 "2011-10-16T17:19:05Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > The ambassador to the Leprechaun Planet just called, and he demands an apology. “My fellow Americans, are we going to sit idly by in the depths of recession when the Leprechonians are sitting on, and hoarding, the universe’s largest pot of gold for themselves?” ---
**Author:** ![cwthree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de0a6/32.png) [@cwthree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cwthree)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2011, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dawkins-belief-scale-where-do-you-fall/599653/94 "2011-10-16T19:14:06Z")
I picked “6”, but only because “6.999…9” wasn’t an option. Given the near-impossibility of proving a negative (such as the non-existence of a deity), I don’t think that “7” is a logically possible answer. However, I have yet to be presented with convincing evidence of a deity, or even a plausible means of demonstrating said deity’s existence. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2011, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dawkins-belief-scale-where-do-you-fall/599653/95 "2011-10-16T19:21:24Z")
6.99999… Asymptotically approaching 7 but never quite reaching it. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2011, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dawkins-belief-scale-where-do-you-fall/599653/96 "2011-10-16T22:52:31Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > Basically to me, the word “god” is like the words “superintellegent shade of blue.” I have no idea what that’s even supposed to mean and I don’t think you really do, either, so why bother even talking about it? To me, “god” pretty clearly means a great magical or supernaturally powerful being that resembles us in having a personality, wants, intentions, understanding, and other aspects of person; moreover, one playing some role in the creation and guidance of the universe and human affairs, omnipotent and omniscient, and immortal. The world’s religions have all described their various gods, with some of these details varying but the general theme nonetheless well preserved by all. There seems to be a great deal of new freedom in redefining the word, for example, saying “god is love”. But these statements are usually just playing games with the words. To say “god is love” is to adopt the position of atheism in a sneaky way that seems designed to provide plausible deniability. The more traditional definition of god as the ruler of the universe, but a slave to his own petty jealousies and whims, and in the Christian tradition as an angry and/or loving father who sits in Heaven and purrs as we (his miserable worthless little children) praise him, the old Caucasian man with flowing hair and beard and robes - that’s the operative definition in the typical Occidental mind. Ummm… say, it’s a good thing this is in the forum for Humble Opinions. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2011, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dawkins-belief-scale-where-do-you-fall/599653/97 "2011-10-16T23:49:05Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > I don’t really fit on the scale. I tend towards [ignosticism](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignosticism), or the belief that the very concepts in discussion are so poorly defined as to be meaningless and [apatheism](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apatheism), or the belief that it really just doesn’t matter. > > Basically to me, the word “god” is like the words “superintellegent shade of blue.” I have no idea what that’s even supposed to mean and I don’t think you really do, either, so why bother even talking about it? Ah, yes: a unique snow flake. Look, “atheist” means lack of belief in a deity or deities. Even if you think people are fools for thinking a deity or deities are something than can be comprehended or abstractly fathomed in any way with our limited understanding of the universe, or whether such beliefs even matter at all, or whether people’s definitions of same meet your high and abstruse standards for accuracy and/or clarity,\* if you don’t believe in any of them, you’re an atheist.\* You’re at least a 6, imo. ---
**Author:** ![chizzuk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chizzuk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chizzuk)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2011, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dawkins-belief-scale-where-do-you-fall/599653/98 "2011-10-17T00:06:26Z")
1. I just have a really hard time accepting that the universe came to be this jaw-droppingly complex randomly. I know there are scientific explanations for it, and they make sense to me when I read them. But the odds just seem so small. And believing in God gives me the hope that 1) there is an afterlife and this isn’t all I get and 2) that eventually horrible people will get their just desserts, because a lot of them sure don’t seem to be getting it now. This all makes me feel better. ---
**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:** [October 17, 2011, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dawkins-belief-scale-where-do-you-fall/599653/99 "2011-10-17T00:10:10Z")
I voted “6”, but it’s really 6.99999999999999999999999 ---
**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:** [October 17, 2011, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dawkins-belief-scale-where-do-you-fall/599653/100 "2011-10-17T00:27:56Z")
> [@chizzuk](#): > > 1. I just have a really hard time accepting that the universe came to be this jaw-droppingly complex randomly. I know there are scientific explanations for it, and they make sense to me when I read them. But the odds just seem so small. What would a randomly formed universe look to you? How is it different from ours? What about the universe strikes you as “jaw-droppingly” complex anyway? There are really only a few fundamental forces, and a finite number of types of matter - things actually form a pretty regular pattern. There are stars everywhere, some rocky planets orbiting them, some gaseous planets too… How would you identify a universe that was indeed made from randomness? If you’re trying to say that the universe was designed for us, you’ve got it the other way around. It’s like shooting 100 arrows randomly around a field, then finding each arrow sticking out of the ground and painting a red circle around it, and then saying “how were the arrows perfectly made to fit into the red circles? That can’t be coincidence! Some intelligent force must be at work!” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dawkins-belief-scale-where-do-you-fall/599653.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dawkins-belief-scale-where-do-you-fall/599653.md?page=6)