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I am religious and believe in free will

71 (27.7%)

I am religious and do not believe in free will

10 (3.9%)

I am not religious and believe in free will

114 (44.5%)

I am not religious and do not believe in free will

61 (23.8%)

Total Members Voted: 251

[penguinofhonor]

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[TD1]

In the case of God, though, it's different. The simpler the god, the less likely it is to have a part of the great big glaring issues with religion, e.g. problem of evil. If you give me a diety riddled with such flaws and a simpler one which avoids them, I'll take the one that's simpler but less flawed. Neither is correct, but the on with less holes is still more likely to be cotrect.

[Urist McScoopbeard]

Religion doesn't make sense to me. Mostly because I really don't have a religion... does that count as a religion?

[TheDarkStar]

Religion doesn't make sense to me. Mostly because I really don't have a religion... does that count as a religion?

If you believe there is no higher power, you're an atheist. If you don't believe in a higher power, you're an agnostic.

[Urist McScoopbeard]

Religion doesn't make sense to me. Mostly because I really don't have a religion... does that count as a religion?

Generally: If you think/believe that God/gods/some other higher power doesn't/don't exist, you're an atheist. If you don't have a reason to think He (or She/They/It) does or does not exist, you're an agnostic.

No no, sorry. Let me clarify, I get religion from that standpoint. In fact, I would generally classify myself as an atheist, but i'm loathe to use that because what REALLY confuses me is belief. Or rather faith, I don't see how billions of people can blindly believe in their respective belief systems to varying degrees of rigidity. I was "raised christian", so to speak, and I went to CCD. My parents never prefaced religion in any way. As far back as i can remember I questioned how people could believe in something that was just told to them. This isn't a rag on christianity, I just happen to be most familiar with it.

It's not even that i'm a empirical hardliner either. I still have hopes and dreams and believe in promises made by many people, but still, it seems to me almost brainwashing. Thoughts?

[Frumple]

You'd probably classify as some variation on irreligious, then, if you wanted to classify things. The thing worth note is that a person's stance on religion can differ from their stance on theism/spirituality... metaphysics in general, really.

[Urist McScoopbeard]

You'd probably classify as some variation on irreligious, then, if you wanted to classify things. The thing worth note is that a person's stance on religion can differ from their stance on theism/spirituality... metaphysics in general, really.

Yes, but what is a person's drive to develop and continue that stance?

[Frumple]

Which stance? Irreligion, or religious belief?

[Urist McScoopbeard]

Which stance? Irreligion, or religious belief?

religious belief I suppose. Although I can'y say that I am entirely aware of the reasons that I reject religion.

[Frumple]

*shrugs* Well, welcome to being in the common believer's position. Most people don't really think too hard on it, from what I've seen -- it's what their parents/community taught and they've had no significant reason to deviate. Other people believe because it's comforting. Others because they believe it's a/"the" truth. Still others believe because others believe. More because they feel it makes them a better person. Some because it's not safe/otherwise disadvantageous for them to express otherwise (and, as sometimes happen, if you express something often enough and long enough, you might start believing it even if you didn't start out that way). Or some or all of the above, and still more. The list just kinda' goes on, and can vary heavily between individuals.

... if you're looking for a simple or singular answer, you're not going to find it, heh.

[Urist McScoopbeard]

that sounds incredibly awful. For some of these reasons, why bother to call yourself religious if you're essentially not caring?

[Frumple]

... well, see the list of reasons I just gave. Comfort, tradition, safety, belief, etc. Beyond that, if you're essentially not caring then you generally want to go with the most advantageous position for yourself... which in many (most) places is going to be calling yourself religious. Even if you're not. Especially if you're not, many times.

Beyond that, with the exception of the safety bit it's... usually not really awful, especially considering how little religion really interacts with most people's lives. You get an easy social group, comforting and group-affirming ritual, and a facade of metaphysical certainty for what is often relatively little cost. It's... not really difficult to see why people would go that route, especially if it's not something they find themselves conflicted about, for whatever reason. Sometimes if they do, too.

[TD1]

I'm curious as to what a theist would say to the question-whether or not they'd agree with Frumple's assessment.

[Arx]

Frumple has it pretty much down. People who aren't religious tend to, in my experience, significantly overestimate the impact religion has on people's day-to-day lives as well. If I were to suddenly decide that Christianity's all bunk, I would pretty much continue as I do now, except for stopping studying the Bible so much and maybe doing some things more - like I might be more interested in, say, dating. I'm not sure.

And it is a nice social group. You're pretty unlikely to meet the really twisted types, you can sing along without people giving you weird looks, and it's actually pretty good for business networking if that's your thing.

[4maskwolf]

What Frumple and Arx have said.  While I usually go by atheist, I'm actually a more religious person then I let on, but religion doesn't play a huge role in my day-to-day life, even though I go to a Jesuit school and am taking a theology class.

Obviously how much religion plays into a person's life will vary by faith and by person, so take this with a grain of salt.