Any atheists/pagans/wiccans out there? :)

krystonite

I think it's interesting a study recently conducted that showed that more atheists in America understand the bible than do devout christians.

brittanyjeanxo

I think it's interesting a study recently conducted that showed that more atheists in America understand the bible than do devout christians.

My dad, the super-atheist, can quote you verses from the bible. He likes to do his research on exactly WHY he hates religion, haha.

krystonite

What I'm about to say has absolutely nothing to do with my beliefs at all. This is just a simple point I'm stating based on the "unless there is evidence, scientific or not, that there is/are God(s), Goddess(es) or any type of deity, someone will not believe they exist", it is kind of what people used to say when it was first said the Earth was round, our planet wasn't the center of the Universe and the Sun would spin round our planet, when people didn't know about gravity, etc.

I respect and support anyone who believes in anything just as much as those who don't believe in anything at all. But when it comes about proof, not even science can deny the existence of things just because they can't explain it.

If you want a better example of what God is, God is everything. Not a guy sitting up there in the sky (heaven) watching everything we do. God is everything and all of us. Interpretation has a lot to do when it comes about manipulation of religions. Even when the statement "we are made in the image of God" has been interpreted as "we" humans, but the truth is, "we" is just everything that exist, whether is living and non-living. God is energy, just a conscious energy that keeps everything in balance.

I can respect that.

I have a problem when we have politicians - with their own limitations and agendas - attempting to interpret the bible to fit the narrative of their perspective in order to legislate discriminatory things - such as gay marriage. That's my big beef on religion.

krystonite

I think it's interesting a study recently conducted that showed that more atheists in America understand the bible than do devout christians.

My dad, the super-atheist, can quote you verses from the bible. He likes to do his research on exactly WHY he hates religion, haha.

lol hey, it makes perfect sense. Know thy enemy!

maxwellcoffeebean

Apathetic Agnostic (:

briar_rose

Folks seem a little confused about definitions of things.

Atheists aren't violently ANTI-god, we are just NON-theistic in our beliefs. For atheists, it doesn't matter whether there is a god or not, and we don't believe in praying, or worshipping, or conversations with imaginary friends, etc. etc. We just tend to believe that it's good to be good to our fellow man, not out of fear of bad things in the after-life or promises of awesome things in the after-life, but just because it's good to be good to other people.

Agnostics aren't sure yet WHICH religion, if any, to follow, but tend to believe in a higher power people often refer to as god.

I like this. I am an atheist

brittanyjeanxo

I can respect that.

I have a problem when we have politicians - with their own limitations and agendas - attempting to interpret the bible to fit the narrative of their perspective in order to legislate discriminatory things - such as gay marriage. That's my big beef on religion.

Not to mention the whole "separation of church and state" thing.

Bentley2718

What I'm about to say has absolutely nothing to do with my beliefs at all. This is just a simple point I'm stating based on the "unless there is evidence, scientific or not, that there is/are God(s), Goddess(es) or any type of deity, someone will not believe they exist", it is kind of what people used to say when it was first said the Earth was round, our planet wasn't the center of the Universe and the Sun would spin round our planet, when people didn't know about gravity, etc.

I respect and support anyone who believes in anything just as much as those who don't believe in anything at all. But when it comes about proof, not even science can deny the existence of things just because they can't explain it.

If you want a better example of what God is, God is everything. Not a guy sitting up there in the sky (heaven) watching everything we do. God is everything and all of us. Interpretation has a lot to do when it comes about manipulation of religions. Even when the statement "we are made in the image of God" has been interpreted as "we" humans, but the truth is, "we" is just everything that exist, whether is living and non-living. God is energy, just a conscious energy that keeps everything in balance.

I don't understand what you're getting at here. You believe god is everything, that's great for you, but what's the bigger point?

Bentley2718

Folks seem a little confused about definitions of things.

Atheists aren't violently ANTI-god, we are just NON-theistic in our beliefs. For atheists, it doesn't matter whether there is a god or not, and we don't believe in praying, or worshipping, or conversations with imaginary friends, etc. etc. We just tend to believe that it's good to be good to our fellow man, not out of fear of bad things in the after-life or promises of awesome things in the after-life, but just because it's good to be good to other people.

Agnostics aren't sure yet WHICH religion, if any, to follow, but tend to believe in a higher power people often refer to as god.

I like this. I am an atheist

Unfortunately, as an explanation of the philosophies behind agnosticism and atheism, the statements made above are incorrect.

krystonite

I can respect that.

I have a problem when we have politicians - with their own limitations and agendas - attempting to interpret the bible to fit the narrative of their perspective in order to legislate discriminatory things - such as gay marriage. That's my big beef on religion.

Not to mention the whole "separation of church and state" thing.

That idea got shot to hell a long time ago. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints single-handedly overturned gay marriage in California. WITH THEIR TAX EXEMPT STATUS.

Ugh. I'm gonna start going off if I get into this stuff.

Elizabeth_C34

I think it's interesting a study recently conducted that showed that more atheists in America understand the bible than do devout christians.

I know more about the bible and the Qu'ran than most of my Christian and Muslim friends do respectively. I enjoy reading religious texts and understanding them in their historical contexts.

<-- WEE bit of a history buff.

brittanyjeanxo

I can respect that.

I have a problem when we have politicians - with their own limitations and agendas - attempting to interpret the bible to fit the narrative of their perspective in order to legislate discriminatory things - such as gay marriage. That's my big beef on religion.

Not to mention the whole "separation of church and state" thing.

That idea got shot to hell a long time ago. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints single-handedly overturned gay marriage in California. WITH THEIR TAX EXEMPT STATUS.

Ugh. I'm gonna start going off if I get into this stuff.

Trust me, so will I. I'm glad I live in a state that allows it, at least. When I first moved I was so surprised at the amount of openly gay people there were (I wasn't aware it's legal in CT). I was so surprised I had to ask my fiance if it was, because where I'm from you just did NOT do that in public, it was totally unheard of.

Bentley2718

I think it's interesting a study recently conducted that showed that more atheists in America understand the bible than do devout christians.

My dad, the super-atheist, can quote you verses from the bible. He likes to do his research on exactly WHY he hates religion, haha.

lol hey, it makes perfect sense. Know thy enemy!

As an agnostic who does not personally believe in god, I don't consider Christians my enemy. However, a lot of the agnostics and atheists I know were raised religious, and studied religion carefully before deciding it wasn't for them, hence, they know whatever religion they were raised in fairly well. I also believe there is an association between being atheist or agnostic and education, which tends to also be associated with reading (even reading religious texts).

krystonite

I think it's interesting a study recently conducted that showed that more atheists in America understand the bible than do devout christians.

I know more about the bible and the Qu'ran than most of my Christian and Muslim friends do respectively. I enjoy reading religious texts and understanding them in their historical contexts.

<-- WEE bit of a history buff.

Ditto.

I'm currently reading: Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality by John Boswell

YassSpartan

I can respect that.

I have a problem when we have politicians - with their own limitations and agendas - attempting to interpret the bible to fit the narrative of their perspective in order to legislate discriminatory things - such as gay marriage. That's my big beef on religion.

Ughhhh that's a topic it always frustrates me because of how narrow minded they are and they're the ones running our country. Like Gingrich statement "It's pretty simple: marriage is between a man and a woman. This is a historic doctrine driven deep into the Bible, both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament, and it's a perfect example of what I mean by the rise of paganism. The effort to create alternatives to marriage between a man and a woman are perfectly natural pagan behaviors, but they are a fundamental violation of our civilization."

Really?

Bentley2718

I can respect that.

I have a problem when we have politicians - with their own limitations and agendas - attempting to interpret the bible to fit the narrative of their perspective in order to legislate discriminatory things - such as gay marriage. That's my big beef on religion.

Not to mention the whole "separation of church and state" thing.

That idea got shot to hell a long time ago. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints single-handedly overturned gay marriage in California. WITH THEIR TAX EXEMPT STATUS.

Ugh. I'm gonna start going off if I get into this stuff.

Which is why while I love my mormon relatives, I hate the mormon church. (Although I wouldn't say they did it single-handledly, there was a lot more than that involved in the voting, and an interesting argument to be made that Obama actually drew out first-time voters, who were more socially conservative than typical California voters.)

krystonite

I can respect that.

I have a problem when we have politicians - with their own limitations and agendas - attempting to interpret the bible to fit the narrative of their perspective in order to legislate discriminatory things - such as gay marriage. That's my big beef on religion.

Not to mention the whole "separation of church and state" thing.

That idea got shot to hell a long time ago. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints single-handedly overturned gay marriage in California. WITH THEIR TAX EXEMPT STATUS.

Ugh. I'm gonna start going off if I get into this stuff.

Trust me, so will I. I'm glad I live in a state that allows it, at least. When I first moved I was so surprised at the amount of openly gay people there were (I wasn't aware it's legal in CT). I was so surprised I had to ask my fiance if it was, because where I'm from you just did NOT do that in public, it was totally unheard of.

I'm in the opposite situation. I was born and raised in New York - very gay friendly. Move to California by West Hollywood - very gay friendly. Now I reside in North Carolina in a town where people where camouflage out to breakfast. I want to kill myself.

brittanyjeanxo

I can respect that.

I have a problem when we have politicians - with their own limitations and agendas - attempting to interpret the bible to fit the narrative of their perspective in order to legislate discriminatory things - such as gay marriage. That's my big beef on religion.

Ughhhh that's a topic it always frustrates me because of how narrow minded they are and they're the ones running our country. Like Gingrich statement "It's pretty simple: marriage is between a man and a woman. This is a historic doctrine driven deep into the Bible, both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament, and it's a perfect example of what I mean by the rise of paganism. The effort to create alternatives to marriage between a man and a woman are perfectly natural pagan behaviors, but they are a fundamental violation of our civilization."

Really?

I've never heard that. I'm not going to touch it. Let's get back on topic, though, as much as I'd like to talk about this, because this one is most definitely against forum rules, and I don't wanna get locked down.

krystonite

I can respect that.

I have a problem when we have politicians - with their own limitations and agendas - attempting to interpret the bible to fit the narrative of their perspective in order to legislate discriminatory things - such as gay marriage. That's my big beef on religion.

Ughhhh that's a topic it always frustrates me because of how narrow minded they are and they're the ones running our country. Like Gingrich statement "It's pretty simple: marriage is between a man and a woman. This is a historic doctrine driven deep into the Bible, both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament, and it's a perfect example of what I mean by the rise of paganism. The effort to create alternatives to marriage between a man and a woman are perfectly natural pagan behaviors, but they are a fundamental violation of our civilization."

Really?

Gingrich OF ALL PEOPLE really needs to just pipe down with the "sanctity of marriage" rhetoric. He's on wife number 3 after having cheated on all of them. Sanctity of marriage my *kitten*. That guy really pisses me off.

BrettPGH

Also if you like to debate about religion (there's 10 pages here, clearly some of you do) there's a group for you!

Debatable Debating! Argue with strangers about whatever you want! Join today!

I love giving plugs.

brittanyjeanxo

I'm in the opposite situation. I was born and raised in New York - very gay friendly. Move to California by West Hollywood - very gay friendly. Now I reside in North Carolina in a town where people where camouflage out to breakfast. I want to kill myself.

Yeah, I basically grew up in the sticks. If you were black or gay, you were hated for sure. -sigh- It's a lot different here, and I like it.

Elizabeth_C34

I think it's interesting a study recently conducted that showed that more atheists in America understand the bible than do devout christians.

I know more about the bible and the Qu'ran than most of my Christian and Muslim friends do respectively. I enjoy reading religious texts and understanding them in their historical contexts.

<-- WEE bit of a history buff.

Ditto.

I'm currently reading: Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality by John Boswell

That's a good one.

Have you read Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond yet? It's not really a religious history book per se, but touches on a lot of the historical context surrounding the times when certain faiths came about and when and how they propagated though the focus of the book is more on how society came to be and why we live the way we live culturally.

brittanyjeanxo

Also if you like to debate about religion (there's 10 pages here, clearly some of you do) there's a group for you!

Debatable Debating! Argue with strangers about whatever you want! Join today!

I love giving plugs.

lol already in it :glasses: do they pay you for all your advertisement?

krystonite

I can respect that.

I have a problem when we have politicians - with their own limitations and agendas - attempting to interpret the bible to fit the narrative of their perspective in order to legislate discriminatory things - such as gay marriage. That's my big beef on religion.

Not to mention the whole "separation of church and state" thing.

That idea got shot to hell a long time ago. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints single-handedly overturned gay marriage in California. WITH THEIR TAX EXEMPT STATUS.

Ugh. I'm gonna start going off if I get into this stuff.

Which is why while I love my mormon relatives, I hate the mormon church. (Although I wouldn't say they did it single-handledly, there was a lot more than that involved in the voting, and an interesting argument to be made that Obama actually drew out first-time voters, who were more socially conservative than typical California voters.)

Have you watched the documentary - 8: The Mormon Proposition? Very good.

Bentley2718

I can respect that.

I have a problem when we have politicians - with their own limitations and agendas - attempting to interpret the bible to fit the narrative of their perspective in order to legislate discriminatory things - such as gay marriage. That's my big beef on religion.

Not to mention the whole "separation of church and state" thing.

That idea got shot to hell a long time ago. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints single-handedly overturned gay marriage in California. WITH THEIR TAX EXEMPT STATUS.

Ugh. I'm gonna start going off if I get into this stuff.

Trust me, so will I. I'm glad I live in a state that allows it, at least. When I first moved I was so surprised at the amount of openly gay people there were (I wasn't aware it's legal in CT). I was so surprised I had to ask my fiance if it was, because where I'm from you just did NOT do that in public, it was totally unheard of.

I'm in the opposite situation. I was born and raised in New York - very gay friendly. Move to California by West Hollywood - very gay friendly. Now I reside in North Carolina in a town where people where camouflage out to breakfast. I want to kill myself.

I feel you, I moved from West LA to Texas.

YassSpartan

What I'm about to say has absolutely nothing to do with my beliefs at all. This is just a simple point I'm stating based on the "unless there is evidence, scientific or not, that there is/are God(s), Goddess(es) or any type of deity, someone will not believe they exist", it is kind of what people used to say when it was first said the Earth was round, our planet wasn't the center of the Universe and the Sun would spin round our planet, when people didn't know about gravity, etc.

I respect and support anyone who believes in anything just as much as those who don't believe in anything at all. But when it comes about proof, not even science can deny the existence of things just because they can't explain it.

If you want a better example of what God is, God is everything. Not a guy sitting up there in the sky (heaven) watching everything we do. God is everything and all of us. Interpretation has a lot to do when it comes about manipulation of religions. Even when the statement "we are made in the image of God" has been interpreted as "we" humans, but the truth is, "we" is just everything that exist, whether is living and non-living. God is energy, just a conscious energy that keeps everything in balance.

I don't understand what you're getting at here. You believe god is everything, that's great for you, but what's the bigger point?

There's no bigger point, my point is that in a certain way someone saying they don't believe in God because there is no evidence or it hasn't been proved, it makes me think of all the times people didn't and still don't believe in events or facts just because science doesn't have the tools to "prove" the origins and its existence. In that sense I like more Quantum physics.

krystonite

I think it's interesting a study recently conducted that showed that more atheists in America understand the bible than do devout christians.

I know more about the bible and the Qu'ran than most of my Christian and Muslim friends do respectively. I enjoy reading religious texts and understanding them in their historical contexts.

<-- WEE bit of a history buff.

Ditto.

I'm currently reading: Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality by John Boswell

That's a good one.

Have you read Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond yet? It's not really a religious history book per se, but touches on a lot of the historical context surrounding the times when certain faiths came about and when and how they propagated.

Yes!!!!!! I absolutely love that book.

MarCarCas

I can respect that.

I have a problem when we have politicians - with their own limitations and agendas - attempting to interpret the bible to fit the narrative of their perspective in order to legislate discriminatory things - such as gay marriage. That's my big beef on religion.

Ughhhh that's a topic it always frustrates me because of how narrow minded they are and they're the ones running our country. Like Gingrich statement "It's pretty simple: marriage is between a man and a woman. This is a historic doctrine driven deep into the Bible, both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament, and it's a perfect example of what I mean by the rise of paganism. The effort to create alternatives to marriage between a man and a woman are perfectly natural pagan behaviors, but they are a fundamental violation of our civilization."

Really?

What's funny to me about that is that in the Old Pagan cultures, marriage was only between a man and a woman. :laugh: Homosexuality was openly practiced in Greece and Rome, but as far as I know only a man and woman could actually marry.

Elizabeth_C34

I think it's interesting a study recently conducted that showed that more atheists in America understand the bible than do devout christians.

I know more about the bible and the Qu'ran than most of my Christian and Muslim friends do respectively. I enjoy reading religious texts and understanding them in their historical contexts.

<-- WEE bit of a history buff.

Ditto.

I'm currently reading: Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality by John Boswell

That's a good one.

Have you read Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond yet? It's not really a religious history book per se, but touches on a lot of the historical context surrounding the times when certain faiths came about and when and how they propagated.

Yes!!!!!! I absolutely love that book.

You should also check out Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything. Great book on the history of science (also includes remarks on science and religion and how most of our understanding came about).

karinaes

atheist.
edit: everyone in my family is Catholic. A lot of my closest friends are devout Christians as well. I also have friends of various religious backgrounds. just not me. I'm more into to the sciences and believe their theories