Quote from SamH :

Nahh.. it's fun! Discussing religion and politics is always a dangerous pastime on internet forums, and mostly it's a really bad idea. As long as it doesn't descend into abuse, and everybody is respected for their beliefs (even if not shared), what's the harm?

SamH definitely wouldn't bring the lock in this!

As long as there's no flame war, like he said

Quote from mutt107 :

i go to church, does that count?

Nope, that doesn't count, if you don't believe..

Quote from SamH :

There have been some cases recently in the UK where politicians have been caught taking bribes to influence policy,

I'm sure every country has seen its share of scandals, but the roman church has almost certainly no need to resort to that, they have plenty of more or less subtle means to influence the decisionmakers.

Quote from SamH :

Because you want to or because your parents drag you there?

they drag me... but i do believe in god its just i don't want to be dragged to church each sunday..

Quote from mutt107 :

they drag me... but i do believe in god its just i don't want to be dragged to church each sunday..

As long as you believe in god because YOU believe in god, not just because someone else tells you to.

Quote from Hoshimodo :

I'm a submissive servant of the Mighty Space Bat

Me too.

Quote from SamH :

As long as you believe in god because YOU believe in god, not just because someone else tells you to.

Nearly everybody that believes in god have parents that believe in god too
That's how religion works... And I really don't get the parents that want to make their suns have the same beliefs when it should be the sun's choice...
There are alot of people that say that they believe in god but simply don't care about it... It's just better socially to say "I'm christian".
Yea I'm an atheist.
The "you can't prove god doesn't exist" doesn't work for me...
I can't prove that god doesn't exists... I can't prove that peter pan doesn't exists too

PS: And sorry for my english... Sometimes it's maybe hard to understand me but I'm only 17 years old

I'm an agnostic atheist

Most people don't know that agnosticism is in fact compatible with both atheism and theism. Atheism is the absence of belief in any gods, while theism is the opposite. Agnosticism means that a person claims not to have the knowledge of the existence or non-existence of any gods. Therefore, you can indeed be:

- Agnostic Theist: You believe in a god(s), but claim not to know for sure;
- Agnostic Atheist: You don't believe in any god, but claim not to know for sure;
- Theist: You believe in a god(s), and deny any doubt concerning the existence of the said god(s);
- Atheist: You don't believe in any god(s), and deny any doubt concerning the non-existence of the said god(s).

Over the years, my views on the matter changed as my knowledge of the subject increased, and I now like to refer to myself as an agnostic atheist. My common sense would tend to make me deny the existence of any gods, but since my common sense also tells me that I cannot be sure and that it would not be wise to claim with certitude the non-existence of any gods, I continue to ponder endlessly (and I don't believe my position will change, ever).

Quote from SamH :

I'm a religious non-believer, but I'm not an atheist. Commonly accepted atheism asserts anything from "there is no god" to "there probably isn't a god".

I have to disagree here. For me, atheism (allthough I hate that word, as it sounds like a religion) is the absolute denial of any diety. As soon as you add the "probaly", it is agnosticism.

Quote :

I'm an agnostic, and believe that some things are "unknowable". There may be a god, there may not be, and I don't believe there is any way for this "unknowable" to become "known".

For me, agnostics seem to be taking the "easy way out" of forming a definite opinion. For me, the topic is a binary one. There either is a god (thus, you believe. Has nothing to do with religion though, as religions are merely different sets of rules for the same phenomenon) or there is none (making you an atheist). I personally don't see a possibility for an agnostic "well, there might be."

Quote :

Most atheists I've interacted with, particularly on Youtube, are what I'd call "angry people". Their reasons for their atheism revolve around reasons why they reject particular religions, rather than revolving around their own beliefs - that there is no god (probably). That's a very negative basis for a belief, and I don't think it's healthy.

While I agree that many atheists are very polemic or even hostile, I still think that believing in a supernatural being, or rather adhereing to a ruleset circling around one, is an outdated relict of our tradition. A very interesting read of one of my most favourite writers and intellectuals: Douglas Adams in Cambridge on ... an artificial god"? I can definately recommend that read, no matter if you agree or disagree with him.

Quote from boosterfire :

I'm an agnostic atheist

Well thought-out and reasoned position!

I often describe myself as a "passive agnostic". I used to be an "aggressive agnostic" when I was seeking answers. I became passive out of sheer exhaustion, conceding that I probably won't get to know the answer until shortly after shuffling off this worldly existence.

There are two likely ways, therefore, to find the answer.. one is courtesy of time (old age onset rigor mortis), the other is fate (premature onset rigor mortis).

http://www.lfsforum.net/showthread.php?t=55357
My religion

Vast amounts of most religious dogma can be messed up by the simple question of 'Why do good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people?'

Quote from theirishnoob :

im a part time catholic ( like most everyone ) praying that my plane makes it to the airport....


train makes it down the line etc.

me too

Quote from ColeusRattus :

I have to disagree here. For me, atheism (allthough I hate that word, as it sounds like a religion) is the absolute denial of any diety. As soon as you add the "probaly", it is agnosticism.

It was actually a bunch of atheists that sponsored advertising on London Transport, with the message "There's probably no god, so stop worrying and enjoy your life"


You're uncomfortable with the term atheist, and I understand why. It sounds like a religion. In point of fact, if religions are belief systems (as they're generally described to be), atheism is indeed a religion. To be an atheist, you have to believe with conviction in the absence of a god. Regardless of whether or not you can prove a negative, the fact is that if you believe, despite the lack of proof of god's non-existence, that there is no god, then you are definitively religious in your convictions.

I know you don't want to hear that, but if we're going to (and atheists so often state that they only) apply reason then I'm afraid you'll have to accept that atheism (as distinct from agnosticism) is a religion. That's reason, and cannot be applied selectively. For example, atheists can't remain credible by using reason to defeat the theists (a popular pastime for atheists) but be exempt from reason being applied to them. That's not.. reasonable.

Quote from ColeusRattus :

For me, agnostics seem to be taking the "easy way out" of forming a definite opinion. For me, the topic is a binary one. There either is a god (thus, you believe. Has nothing to do with religion though, as religions are merely different sets of rules for the same phenomenon) or there is none (making you an atheist). I personally don't see a possibility for an agnostic "well, there might be."

I don't think there's anything easy about an agnostic position. It's simply a rational acknowledgement of the fact that you can't prove there is a god, and you can't prove that there isn't. There is nothing fence-sitting about agnosticism. Consider the three standpoints as a trinity, rather than linear. Don't focus too long on the implications of the trinity though

Interestingly, I find that both theists AND atheists are accusatory about agnosticism. They both assert that it's fence sitting, because (as you say) you have to believe one way or the other. It's a clear marker indicating that your atheism is your belief system. In your words, 'I personally don't see a possibility for an agnostic "well, there might be."'

Quote from ColeusRattus :

While I agree that many atheists are very polemic or even hostile, I still think that believing in a supernatural being, or rather adhereing to a ruleset circling around one, is an outdated relict of our tradition. A very interesting read of one of my most favourite writers and intellectuals: Douglas Adams in Cambridge on ... an artificial god"? I can definately recommend that read, no matter if you agree or disagree with him.

On this we're largely in agreement. However, while I think it's an archaic practice, I do recognise the value (and the cost) of belief systems. From a philosophical viewpoint, and in regard to social history, religions are a very significant component of who we are, and at a very basic level why our genes are the mixes that they are. Having an interest in my own genealogy, I can't ignore the importance of the role that religion has played down the centuries, to make me who I am today. Physically as well as personally

Quote from Crashgate3 :

Could God create a stone so heavy he can't pick it up?

Well as a Christian, that is a no. At first, he wouldn't be able to, then he would just make himself stong enough to pick it up no problem.

Oh yeah and another thing, I don't care what you say about me, it's NEVER going to change my mind about being Christian. I believe in having all my faith in God. No one goes through the father except through Jesus.

So god isn't all powerful if he can't make the stone in the first place...?

I can't get on with the idea of a god (although a being many orders of magnitude more intelligent than us could seem godlike), and I really dislike Religion - I'd class myself as an Atheist, but before anyone jumps on me about religion and Atheism- I don't care :P

Only a thread about this could get to 4 pages in like half a day.

I don't believe in God because a) bad shit happens to good people and b) God doesn't exist because we all evolved like everything else in life.

Up to now no rationally conclusive proof has been thought of to prove the existance or non-existance of any sort of god. Thus agnosticism is a given for any rationally thinking person. For those people the question merely is wether one tends towards theism ("I believe there is a god but I don't know exactly.") or atheism ("I don't think there is a god, but I can't rule out the possibility").
So when people answer that they're agnostic to the question wether they believe in god I think those people missed the question. Agnosticism is the right answer when you're asked wether you'd engage in sensful discussion or rather burn somebody on the stake if he didn't agree with you on your religious views.

On topic, I'm an atheist. Though of course and as discussed above, I have no proof for my opinion and am thus also agnostic.

P.S.: And something else:

Quote :

Oh yeah and another thing, I don't care what you say about me, it's NEVER going to change my mind about being Christian. I believe in having all my faith in God. No one goes through the father except through Jesus.

No one's trying to convert you. We're just exchanging opinions to gain of knowledge and understanding.

Quote from Vain :

Up to now no rationally conclusive proof has been thought of to prove the existance or non-existance of any sort of god. Thus agnosticism is a given for any rationally thinking person. For those people the question merely is wether one tends towards theism ("I believe there is a god but I don't know exactly.") or atheism ("I don't think there is a god, but I can't rule out the possibility").
So when people answer that they're agnostic to the question wether they believe in god I think those people missed the question. Agnosticism is the right answer when you're asked wether you'd engage in sensful discussion or rather burn somebody on the stake if he didn't agree with you on your religious views.

On topic, I'm an atheist. Though of course and as discussed above, I have no proof for my opinion and am thus also agnostic.

P.S.: And something else:No one's trying to convert you. We're just exchanging opinions to gain of knowledge and understanding.

http://www.lfsforum.net/showthread.php?p=1112217#post1112217

Indeed, one defines himself as being agnostic not because he believes or not in the existence of any gods, but rather because he doubts (or cannot affirm his position with absolute certainty) about his position. It does not matter if one tends to believe or disbelieve the existence of any gods, the fact is that if he isn't sure, he's agnostic by definition. As I stated in my post earlier, agnosticism can apply to both theists and atheists.

God all f***ing mighty what are you on about. Religion breeds a creed that is not welcome nor helpfull in this lifetime.

God bless happy people!

Here is my counter move to the DNA which has been linked earlier in the discussion.

http://members.tripod.com/~psychadelicbus/mymosh.txt

I'm an atheist.

Don't believe in any higher being, and simply can't stand religion all together.

Religon brings so much hatred and violence into this world.

Religion was invented by the man and is all fake in my opinion.I know science isn't 100% proved yet but bring real facts at least...not exagerated stories that religion bring to us.I'm sure one day the science will finally bring real proof to show that god doesn't exist(or any religion).I'm really sure that more people will realise it in the future.

I think it was a good thing tbh! This message is inteligent in my opinion...
Everyday I see religion propaganda and now when it's an atheist message everybody says it's a bad thing... So how does it work?
In some things atheists are still "discriminated"...

Oh and yes I'm an atheist but it's not a religion I believe in comon sens!

That sign on a bus is just like forum trolling, only there to annoy people (in this case religious ones). If someone wants to believe in god or eastern bunny, let him. It's pretty hypocritical to first complain about those religious people who show up on your door and try to convert you if you're doing exactly the same thing just in reverse.