if these limits may, at any time, be passed by those intended to be restrained?"
-- Chief Justice John Marshall, Marbury v. Madison, 1803
Losing My Religion
by Lee
Some religious website has a quiz up where you can find out what church or faith is right for you. Check out the Belief-O-Matic.
It turns out I’m a Unitarian Universalist, followed by a Secular Humanist, and Non-Theist. Surprisingly “Christ-Punching Leftist” wasn’t on the list.
Comments
It put me at 100% Quaker.
I’m still laughing......
Oh, and 91% Protestant. That works. BUT Quaker? No way.
OT - dude, Lee, did you catch South Park just now? Brilliant
What the frell? Liberal Protestant??
Bah Faith....
oh well…
I’ll watch south Park tommorow, I wonder if Darth Cheif will return?
Mainline to liberal christian protestant(100%)
Lucky they put mainline in front of that. The next four were weird.
2.Unitarian Universalism 86%
3.Bah’ai’ Faith 84%
4.Liberal Quakers 81%
5.Thervado Buddhism 69%
Hey RepMom, Quakers aren’t so bad. I think Nixon was raised a Quaker. But yeah, I’m laughing too.
Boy, it’s enough to make you think that perhaps it’s rigged a bit. (cricket, cricket)
For some odd reason atheist wasn’t an option, ergo, it wasn’t designed properly.
For some odd reason atheist wasn’t an option, ergo, it wasn’t designed properly.
Of course it was, because atheists wouldn’t be wondering which religion they are most closely matched to… If you are interested in religion AT ALL, you aren’t an atheist, you’re an agnostic at worst.
Well, they do have a “nontheist” section, and I only got an 83%. What a crock.
I couldn’t remember all the results, so I did it again, with same answers as before, and got this -
1. Orthodox Quaker (100%)
2. Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (88%)
3. Seventh Day Adventist (81%)
4. Eastern Orthodox (80%)
5. Roman Catholic (80%)
So, I seem to have dropped 3% on the Protestant.
1. Unitarian Universalism (100%)
2. Theravada Buddhism (94%)
3. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (92%)
4. Neo-Pagan (89%)
5. Mahayana Buddhism (89%)
6. New Age (89%)
7. Liberal Quakers (88%)
1. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (100%)
2. Unitarian Universalism (91%)
3. Secular Humanism (88%)
4. Liberal Quakers (84%)
5. Nontheist (67%)
...
16. Scientology (39%)
Hilarious.
1. Eastern Orthodox (100%)
2. Roman Catholic (100%)
3. Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (90%)
4. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (83%)
5. Seventh Day Adventist (73%)
Seemed to do pretty well on me.
Let me second the Southpark recommendation. It was an episode that makes you believe in Southpark. The coverage of San Francisco and the attitudes here was absolute brilliance.
Interesting, I am Jewish, somewhere between reform and orthodox, and got this as a result:
1. Reform Judaism (100%)
2. Orthodox Judaism (91%)
3. Sikhism (90%)
4. Islam (88%)
5. Bahá’í Faith (83%)
1. Neo-Pagan (100%)
2. Reform Judaism (97%)
3. Unitarian Universalism (97%)
4. Sikhism (96%)
5. Orthodox Judaism (95%)
OOODDDDIIIINNNN!!!!
Still, I feel excluded because the test’s “cause of terrible wrongdoing” question had no option for “because of meddling liberals”.
1. Orthodox Quaker (100%)
2. Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (98%)
3. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (89%)
4. Eastern Orthodox (74%)
5. Roman Catholic (74%)
I’m glad it had “mainline” in the protestant one. Though I’m not sure about the Quaker one.
And the “Smug” episode of South Park was very good, really liked the George Clooney acceptance speech cloud, nice touch.
1. Unitarian Universalism (100%)
2. Secular Humanism (98%)
3. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (95%)
4. Liberal Quakers (92%)
5. Theravada Buddhism (87%)
6. Nontheist (85%)
So why no agnostic? I’ve often categorized myself as “hopeful agnostic”. Maybe that explains my results.
I’m gonna have to agree with SO that the test is really fucked up, because I got:
1. Reform Judaism (100%)
2. Sikhism (94%)
3. Bah�’� Faith (94%)
4. Neo-Pagan (92%)
5. Orthodox Judaism (89%)
6. New Age (88%)
7. Unitarian Universalism (86%)
8. Liberal Quakers (83%)
9. New Thought (83%)
10. Mahayana Buddhism (79%)
11. Islam (78%)
12. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (78%)
13. Hinduism (76%)
14. Jainism (74%)
15. Scientology (74%)
16. Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (61%)
17. Theravada Buddhism (61%)
18. Orthodox Quaker (55%)
19. Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (47%)
20. Taoism (46%)
21. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (46%)
22. Secular Humanism (43%)
23. Eastern Orthodox (38%)
24. Roman Catholic (38%)
25. Seventh Day Adventist (33%)
26. Nontheist (32%)
27. Jehovah’s Witness (23%)
I mean, really.........Sikhism?
There are probably lots of people around who would be good Sikhs and don’t know it, but this list should also include Deism and Zoroastrianism, both of which would probably be fits for a lot of libertarian/conservative types.
Agnostic? That has got to be the stupidest thing anybody has ever said about me. Seriously - your psychological skills are just nonexistant.
‘Course, you don’t really believe there is such a thing as an atheist, they’re all just faking it because EVERYBODY knows that god is real.
Why is it that every antagonist I’ve ever had online is your exact clone? You know, in insufferable evangetard?
If you are interested in religion AT ALL, you aren’t an atheist, you’re an agnostic at worst.
Entirely factual. You are not at all interested in religion (as you have repeatedly shown). The moment you should start wondering if there might actually be something to religion (which requires a belief of Something that atheism specifically denies), you make that transition to agnosticism, like it or not.
Scientologist made the list at 24, lol!
Of course it was, because atheists wouldn’t be wondering which religion they are most closely matched to… If you are interested in religion AT ALL, you aren’t an atheist, you’re an agnostic at worst.
Entirely factual. You are not at all interested in religion (as you have repeatedly shown). The moment you should start wondering if there might actually be something to religion (which requires a belief of Something that atheism specifically denies), you make that transition to agnosticism, like it or not
No Drum you have it completly the wrong way round. Atheists are interested in religion because to be an atheist you are making a statement that you do not believe God exists. This is a religious statement because it is as untestable by science as being a Christian is. Being an atheist is a matter of “faith” not science.
An agnostic however is someone who does not know or care about the existance of God. This is not to say they are not interested in the topic - they may be or they may not be, but this is the belief of someone who thinks it is impossible to “know” about whether God exists or does not exist.
Someone who never even thinks about religion and has no opinion on the subject is an agnostic, not an atheist which requires a strong (religious) viewpoint.
My results:
1. Unitarian Universalism (100%)
2. Secular Humanism (84%)
3. Liberal Quakers (84%)
4. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (83%)
5. Theravada Buddhism (71%)
this test is just stupid.....mailine liberal christian protestant????!!!! wtf!!
I can’t afford to be a scientologist. Why no wicca? Rastafari? Pastafari?
Eastern Orthodox and Catholic----both 100%
Well...don’t know for all of you, but it hit right on the money for me.
Eastern Orthodox and Catholic----both 100%
Catholic was only 9% for me JC. I guess we’re polar opposites.
Unitarian Universalist is another title for Christ punching leftist.
1. Unitarian Universalism (100%)
2. Theravada Buddhism (93%)
3. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (90%)
4. Secular Humanism (85%)
5. Liberal Quakers (84%)
Secular Humanism is basically atheist. Someone was saying they didn’t see atheist.
Just for DW, so he can sleep easy at night about us eeeeeeevvvviiiiiillll nonbelievers:
Atheism, in its broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of gods. This definition includes both those who assert that there are no gods, and those who make no claim about whether gods exist or not. Narrower definitions, however, often only qualify those who assert there are no gods as atheists, labelling the others as agnostics or simply non-theists.quote]As you can see, intellectual interest or curiosity about religion(s) is not involved as that does not make you a believer. Sort of like reading X-Men and not believing that superheros wander the planet shooting ray-beams out of their eyes.
An agnostic however is someone who does not know or care about the existance of God.
Do you even know what those words mean, or where they came from?
In Latin, the prefix “a-” is the negator (i.e., “no” or “not"). The “theism/theist” refers to the mere existence of a God or gods, and the ”Gnostic” refers to the ability to “know the divine”
“a-” + “theism” = “no God(s)”
“a-” + “Gnostic” = “no knowledge of God(s)”
An agnostic however is someone who does not know or care about the existance of God.
No, agnosticism is the belief that we can never know about God, which also explains the apathy ("a-" + “pathos” = “no feeling") they exhibit when it comes to religion. Why bother trying to study something you can never know?
Look through the etymology of the various words and you can see the differences for yourself.
Yet again, Dru, show his superiority. Can we have a new category, “Drumism”? Now I will sit bakc and wait for the lightning to srike me from on high.
As you can see, intellectual interest or curiosity about religion(s) is not involved as that does not make you a believer.
And that does nothing to disprove what I have said above, but hey, who needs the dictionary definitions when we have you two to tell the world that you are right and the dictionaries/encyclopedia are wrong?
And I never said you were evil, I just said you were an idiot for being scared to even use the letter sequence ‘c-h-r-i-s-t’. But if you want to be an aXt, that’s your problem.
As the saying goes, “If you act as though there is no God, you had better be right!”
This is a religious statement because it is as untestable by science as being a Christian is. Being an atheist is a matter of “faith” not science.
Actually, it’s not a religious statement. “Untestable by science” is not a qualification of religion.
As for being a matter of faith, that much is true—but what atheists don’t often seem to realize is that it takes more faith to be a non-believer than a believer. Having faith in religion (or God, or however you want to qualify it) means accepting that there are questions about the nature of life, spirituality, existence, etc. that you don’t yet know the answers to, and that can’t be proven; being an atheist, you assume that you know all the answers already and there’s nothing more to be learned.
Ironic, isn’t it.
Scientologist made the list at 24, lol!
Ya, since when is Scientology even a religion?
Well put, Partridge. Very well put, indeed.
Ya, since when is Scientology even a religion?
Maybe you should ask Xenu… Or Tom Cruise ;-)
In other news, Kill Carroll is really going out of her way to “make sure people know” that her captors treated her well. “They never hit me. They never even threatened to hit me.”
That’s nice to know, especially after they held a gun to her head, forced her to state their demands on international TV, caused her to plead for her life and threatened to execute her.
Oops, I meant Jill.
I can’t afford to be a scientologist.
I think you can donate children. Think Tommy boy will get a promotion now that he has given the cult a new woman and chld?
Scientology meets all the qualifications for a religion.
1) It relies on faith in something that cannot be shown to be true, or even possible.
2) It purports to explain the nature of the universe and the “afterlife”.
3) It generates large quantities of income for those running the organization.
4) It actively recruits new members.
5) It was started by someone of highly questionable sanity.
6) It has a large member base even though the founder is dead.
Based on that, it is entirely compatible with most major religions, including nearly all sects of christianity, islam, and various guru organizations.
I’ve also decided that since DW knows of islam, he must be a muslim. By his own reasoning, if he was really a christian he wouldn’t even know the existance of islam. Therefore, DW is an islamofascist. Or just an egotistical prick - you can be the judge.
Having faith in religion (or God, or however you want to qualify it) means accepting that there are questions about the nature of life, spirituality, existence, etc. that you don’t yet know the answers to, and that can’t be proven; being an atheist, you assume that you know all the answers already and there’s nothing more to be learned.
This is one of the most common and misguided perceptions about atheism. My best guess is that it comes from not being able to comprehend the thought processes of someone totally unconcerned with religious or “spiritual” matters except as cultural curiosities.
Scientology meets all the qualifications for a religion.
Yes, but it also only exposes the “secrets” of it’s doctrine to those who have reached certain levels (i.e.: paid enough money). Isn’t that a defining charactaristic of a cult. Add in the handlers, the brainwashing, etc...not a religion. A fine line, perhaps.
I can go into a Catholic church and ask the priest all kinds of questions for free. He may say I need to learn this or that first before he can effectively answer but there are really no restrictions.
He may also tell me to come back later because he has a 4pm tee time.
By his own reasoning, if he was really a christian he wouldn’t even know the existance of islam.
You really don’t get it, do you? I mean, really, do you have to study hard to be this stupid?
You are an atheist. You deny the existence of any Divine Being or even an Impersonal Power (call it “What goes around comes around”, if you wish). Good for you, and here’s your fucking cookie.
The moment you start trying to understand a religion - AS OPPOSED TO SIMPLY READING ABOUT WHAT THE ADHERENTS BELIEVE - you will, by definition, be accepting the main proposition of religion, which is something that atheists SPECIFICALLY DENY.
Quit wasting my time. If you don’t know the particulars of what you believe, try a little research first next time. Or spend a little skull sweat, and maybe you’ll get into the habit, and you’ll quit sounding so pathetic.
No, agnosticism is the belief that we can never know about God, which also explains the apathy ("a-" + “pathos” = “no feeling") they exhibit when it comes to religion. Why bother trying to study something you can never know?
Which is exactly what I said.
An atheist is someone who is making a statement that God does not exist.
You where wrong when you said:
Of course it was, because atheists wouldn’t be wondering which religion they are most closely matched to… If you are interested in religion AT ALL, you aren’t an atheist, you’re an agnostic at worst.
An atheist is very interested in religion, an atheist has a religion - that is that no God exists.
Actually, it’s not a religious statement. “Untestable by science” is not a qualification of religion.
Calling yourself an atheist is a religious statement, what other type of statement can it possbly be?
As for being a matter of faith, that much is true—but what atheists don’t often seem to realize is that it takes more faith to be a non-believer than a believer. Having faith in religion (or God, or however you want to qualify it) means accepting that there are questions about the nature of life, spirituality, existence, etc. that you don’t yet know the answers to, and that can’t be proven; being an atheist, you assume that you know all the answers already and there’s nothing more to be learned.
What utter rubbish. No atheist claims they know the answers to everything, they just think those answers *can* be answered by science and do not rely on books or prayer to reveal those answers - the onl thing an Atheist is climaing is that there is no God - as I have said I think this is a religious statemnt and somewhat hypocritical to the way most atheists think, which is why I am an agnostic. I think the world can be completly explained by science - eventually; even if there is a God then that God can be explained by science as well.
My best guess is that it comes from not being able to comprehend the thought processes of someone totally unconcerned with religious or “spiritual” matters except as cultural curiosities.
“Totally unconcerned” people don’t bash religious people at every opportunity, and in your zeal to sling an ad hominem, you completely ignore the fact that he is right.
You KNOW - with a fervor that approaches orgasm - that God does not exist. You cannot prove that. Therefore it is not something you KNOW, it is something you BELIEVE.
Belief without proof is called “faith”.
Welcome to religion, asshole.
No atheist claims they know the answers to everything, they just think those answers *can* be answered by science and do not rely on books or prayer to reveal those answers - the onl thing an Atheist is climaing is that there is no God
Well, yeah...and having faith that there is NO God requires more faith than believing that there IS a God: Athiesm is absolute and finite; Belief is anything but. By being an athiest, you claim to know where the “end” of learning is; in your case, you think science will eventually completely explain the world and the nature and existence of God. And as such, you put finite conclusions on something that is, by definition, infinite: God itself.
It was a mediocre movie, but there’s a very illustrative line in “Contact” where Matthew McCouanghey asks Jodi Foster to “prove” that she loved her father. Unless you believe that science will eventually be able to quantify the depths of human emotion, your assumptions—and those of an atheist—break down very quickly.
Calling yourself an atheist is a religious statement, what other type of statement can it possbly be?
First of all, you can easily make the argument that you can’t have a religion without a diety, although the denotative meaning of the word doesn’t limit it to just that. Nevertheless, you stated that it is a religious statement ”because it is as untestable by science as being a Christian is.” Religion doesn’t require something to be scientifically proven or disproven; it’s based on faith, which, circling back to what I said above, doesn’t have limits that can be quantified by science anyway.
Actually, I bash YOU Drumwaster, and only after you started an unwarrented tirade against me. Since you started to insult and mock me at every opportunity, I have merely responded.
You might want to engage your miniscule intellect at some point and consider that if you shut your gob this would all end. You won’t though, because to do so would indicate that you weren’t perfect and also put an end to your outlet for hatred, bigotry, ignorance, and general tendency to be a loudmouthed asshole.
Still waiting for you be original, you derivitive poser.
Seattle, while you do have some good comments, when it comes to religion you are a hostile, infatile jerk.
Oh, yeah - you don’t understand shit about atheism in the slightest bit.
You sort of half-assed get some of the technical definitions of it, but the rest of it appears to be completely beyond your comprehension. The main problem would appear to be that you are incapable of actually conceptualizing a lack of theistic faith as it is such a basic foundation how you relate to reality.
Like I told DW - this is merely in response to his actions. Previous to his attacks my commentary on religion was neutral. As he refuses to engage in basic manners and discuss things reasonably, this is what he gets.
Lee, if you ended up a Universalist Unitarian, that means one thing. You’re as LIBERAL as they get! Check your politics!
No SO, it is not. You use “X” in stead of “Christ” in Christian in several post and exihbit a hostility to all religion in general. This is nost definitely not the first time.
I’m a jew?
Wow
Previous to his attacks my commentary on religion was neutral.
You can’t even type the WORD ‘Christian”, using your pathetic ‘Xian” instead. Oh, has that slipped your mind? You want to be so scared of a concept that you can’t even use the word, that’s your problem. But when you started bashing people, that’s when I smacked you down, and I continue to smack you down every time you pull your shit, but you’re so self-leftious that you think you’re just being persecuted.
Poor you.
Quit bashing religion (which you don’t understand and cannot understand - but you want to be praised for your intellectual conceit) and I’ll quit smacking you around.
See how simple it is?
1. Orthodox Judaism (100%)
2. Reform Judaism (95%)
3. Sikhism (92%)
4. Islam (92%)
5. Bahá’í Faith (87%)
I’m a jew and never knew it...wow
Oh, yeah - you don’t understand shit about atheism in the slightest bit.
Yeah, that’ll prove him wrong… *rolleyes*
Tell Us, O Half-Vast One, what is atheism if not the denial that there is a God? (Belief without proof = faith)
Does not the intellectual burden of that beief-without-proof cause you to espouse your belief-without-proof to others as the “only REAL way to believe”? (Evangelism and conversion of others)
Did not your belief structure have its origins in a man of questionable sanity? (Nietzsche) Is he not now dead? (any history book)
Does it not purport to explain what happens to the id after we die?
Sounds like it fits your own definition of “religion” to me, but you’ll just deny it again…
I’m not even shitting you, the test put me at 100% Mormon, I was born and raised Mormon, but I’ve been against their teachings for quite some time and I love to mock them. Thats a trip I got that for #1.
Maybe this test really is accurate and I should go repent to my bishop and be active again..... nah. Anyways, WEIRD!
Like I told DW - this is merely in response to his actions. Previous to his attacks my commentary on religion was neutral. As he refuses to engage in basic manners and discuss things reasonably, this is what he gets.
I saw the beginning of your little tiff with Drum, SO. His attack began as a response to your hostility and derogatory comments to anything of a religious matter. Your comments were anything but neutral and that’s why he went after you and your irrational attacks on religion.
an Atheist is climaing is that there is no God - as I have said I think this is a religious statemnt and somewhat hypocritical to the way most atheists think, which is why I am an agnostic. I think the world can be completly explained by science - eventually
I’m like that too. Faith is filler.
In my travels, atheists tend to be some of the most militant in their beliefs. It’s almost laughable. How do they know for sure anymore than a Christian, Jew or whomever? Anyone who is that sure makes me nervous.
I’m not saying their wrong, mind you. I don’t know for sure so niether do you.
For some odd reason atheist wasn’t an option, ergo, it wasn’t designed properly.
Secular Humanism is where you will find many atheists/agnostics.
Lee, if you ended up a Universalist Unitarian, that means one thing. You’re as LIBERAL as they get! Check your politics!
Lee, don’t want to freak you out, but I tested @ 100% Unitarian Universalist also! And yeah, I did some reading and it’s a pretty diverse set of beliefs (which is another way of saying liberal...)
That is a truly facinating website.
Secular Humanism is basically atheist. Someone was saying they didn’t see atheist.
Jabba,
I was trying to manuever around Drum laying waste to SO and missed the above post. Sorry :-0
Drum said:
“a-” + “theism” = “no God(s)”
“a-” + “Gnostic” = “no knowledge of God(s)”
Don’t forget-- “a-” + “sshole” = Drumwaster!
/duck
ha! Just kidding, Drum. Couldn’t resist.
As for my results:
1. Scientology (205%)
2. Eastern Orthodox (100%)
3. Roman Catholic (100%)
4. Orthodox Quaker (92%)
5. Hinduism (87%)
6. Seventh Day Adventist (83%)
Something’s FUBAR. I think ScienTOMogy is trying to recruit me.....
Two hundered and five percent? How the hell can you believe the scientology doctrine, and THEN some? Something tells me its the survey.
Or maybe I was having a bit of fun.. ;) Notice how scienTOMogy has a typsetting error the others don’t....
Don’t forget-- “a-” + “sshole” = Drumwaster!
{pokes Neth in the eye}
Nethicus, would you like to take a personality test? It’s free.
Lee, don’t want to freak you out, but I tested @ 100% Unitarian Universalist also! And yeah, I did some reading and it’s a pretty diverse set of beliefs (which is another way of saying liberal...)
I’m a UU, and, yes, we are a liberal religious lot. I posted about it once, and no one here could understand how you could be “liberal” and “religious”...made some pointy heads explode, as best I can remember.
Next entry: Kids and Guns
Previous entry: Hot for Teacher, Yet Again
Here’s the top 5 that the Belief-O-Matic thinks I would fall into:
1. Orthodox Judaism (100%)
2. Islam (92%)
3. Sikhism (88%)
4. Bahá’í Faith (87%)
5. Reform Judaism (82%)
Islam? What the heck it up with this crazy computer?