Religion What's your religion ?

[Maciamo]

=> Elizabeth

Your text is full of contradiction.

Science and paganism are obviously incompatible

Really ? Do you know what paganism means ? It means having a religion that is not the mainstream. Nowadays, when we look back at history, we could say that Ancient Greeks were pagan, because nobody now believes in Greek polytheism. However, all the basis of science and philosophy have their root there. I guess you knew that biology and physics were "invented" by Aristotle in the 4th century BC. He also came up with the idea of causality and developed geometry, that he learnt with his master, Plato. All of Plato's students had to know geometry to be accepted in his "Academy". They, along with other philosophers are the fundaments of Western rationality and scientific thinking. A bit before them Democritus came up with the atomic theory, that is the theory that everything in the universe is made of tiny imperceptible particles (atoms), from which he bases his explanation of the creation of the world (without God).

but it is also a priori incompatible with religious or belief systems that don't conceive of time as linear or think in terms of cause-effect relationships in nature. That have an organismic view of nature which says that everything is alive. That believe the heavens to be alive or divine. That don't see man as fundamentally and qualitatively different from other species on and on. There has to be a balance between faith and reason or all explanations inevitably turn to an all-powerful, absolutist conception of God or the divine (perhaps one reason the scientific method wasn't conceived in Islamic countries before Europe). Which to my understanding some or all of these notions can be found in aspect of Hinduism, Buddhism and even Islam.

Do you mean that Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam cannot be scientific because they possess some of the above conceptions ? But some are also present in Christianity. Christians :
- believe the heavens to be alive or divine.

Cause and effect is not more present in Christianity than in Buddhism or Hinduism. Islam and Christianity have the same conception for all of the above.

But the argument was about Protestanism being more "scientific" than Catholicism and you are trying to escape talking about other religions. Well, I understand that not everybody is a scientist or an historian (or both at the same time).

 

[Elizabeth]

But the argument was about Protestanism being more "scientific" than Catholicism and you are trying to escape talking about other religions. Well, I understand that not everybody is a scientist or an historian (or both at the same time).

Well I'm obviously not an expert or even passionately interested in most of this -- it just seemed like an interesting point for discussion on which I was trying to find some common ground before getting more specific.

 

[Haivart]

Maciamo, I've been sick the last few days, but I'll be back.

 

[abhi]

I put Hindu and am the only one here, But I ain't no devote one . As long as you live life how you want it and don't hurt no one and yourself , then you are living a good life.

 

[Ami]

Sikhism is my religion. Too bad it wasn't up there in the POLL. :happy: :spray:

 

[Maciamo]

Hi Ami,

I will add Sikhism and change your vote (did you vote "other", right ?)

So how does it feel to be Sikh and healthy at the same time ?
Just kidding. :sorry:

 

[Maciamo]

Which category of Christian ?

In this poll, it's easy to know if waht to vote you're Catholic, but it doesn't seem that evident for lots of people to know whteher they are Protestant or "other" Christianity.

I guess the main point of contention is for Anglican Christian and all its branches (I might be mistaken, but from the encyclopedia : Methodism, Puritanism, Episcopalism, Baptism, Quakers, etc.). Then among these, other sub-branches. E.g. Puritans can be divided in Presbytarians, Separatists, Independent and Congregationalist (please correct me if I am wrong). These are all supposed to be Protestant, but Anglican and Episcopal Protestant are actually nearer from Catholicism as they don't oppose a form of hierarchy (they just want their own, separate from the Pope in Rome). Consequently, lots of Anglican don't consider themselves "Protestant".

In this poll, however, Protestant include all forms of Christianity that have seceded from Catholicism, that is Calvinists (Reformists), Lutherans and Anglicans, as well as Fundamentalists, Adventists, Mormons, Jeovah's Witnesses, the Salvation Army, Hussinites, Huguenots, etc. Check this online encyclopedia for more Protestant denominations (209 listed)

I created the "Other Christian" category for Greek and Russian Orthodox or Middle Eastern Christians (Coptic...).

I hope it's clearer now.

 

[Meo]

I was raised in a Protestant Christian family, but I identify myself mostly as Agnostic. I also have scattered beliefs, some going into the Buddhist and Pagan categories.

 

[Ami]

LOL okay.... -_-' Sikh not Sick!_!

 

[Navi]

i'm sikh. being honest here. punjabi sikh. but i've never been to india.

 

[maji]

atheist, though my brother and father are russian-orthodox (dont know the english name for that) (the mother of my father was russian) and my sister and mother are evangelic. my parents tought me about religion and gave me the possibility to choose myself. too, even though im atheist, i had religion as one of my major subjects back in schooldays, though i dealt there mostly with proofs against/for the existence of god or scientific-religious problems.

 

[Dream Time]

Rock is my religion.

 

[Nanahara]

Frankly speaking, i'd rather see a global ban on religion, since it causes more problems then good. But that's a rather utopian thought. I can't expect other people to be as down to earth as i am.

I totally agree! Specially cos I live in Northern Ireland...known for the troubles and fights between Protestants and Catholics....

 

[Frank D. White]

Unitarian

I like being a Unitarian. We believe in everything and nothing; kind of wishy-washy and non-commital.

 

[Satori]

Maciamo,

I'm not quite sure where I fit on your poll ... probably Buddhist? But I thought you might like this link, just for fun: http://www.selectsmart.com/RELIGION/

Believe it or not, according to this test, I am 100% Neo-Pagan, whatever the hell that is! (I had to look it up), but I guess it's me...

Tests like this may not be accurate, but they are a lot of fun, nonetheless, so I thought you might find it interesting.

Satori

P.S. Here are my results from the test:

* 1. Neo-Pagan (100%)
* 2. New Age (97%)
* 3. Mahayana Buddhism (95%)
* 4. Unitarian Universalism (91%)
* 5. Hinduism (81%)
* 6. Theravada Buddhism (81%)
* 7. New Thought (79%)
* 8. Liberal Quakers (71%)
* 9. Scientology (70%)
* 10. Taoism (70%)
* 11. Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (62%)
* 12. Mainline - Liberal Christian Protestants (59%)
* 13. Sikhism (59%)
* 14. Jainism (57%)
* 15. Secular Humanism (55%)
* 16. Orthodox Quaker (49%)
* 17. Reform Judaism (47%)
* 18. Orthodox Judaism (33%)
* 19. Bah?'? Faith (30%)
* 20. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (30%)
* 21. Non-theist (27%)
* 22. Seventh Day Adventist (26%)
* 23. Mainline - Conservative Christian Protestant (24%)
* 24. Eastern Orthodox (22%)
* 25. Islam (22%)
* 26. Roman Catholic (22%)
* 27. Jehovah's Witness (18%)

 

[Kat]

Protestant Christianity.

 

[Satori]

Hi Maciamo!

Well, this is weird. I just took the test again, only this time I changed my priority selections (the bar at the bottom of each question) to "high" in some places, instead of keeping them all at "medium," and here's what I got!! So I guess I was right about being Buddhist, although I do agree a lot with "New Age," even though I hate the term. Maybe I can take your poll after all!

* 1. Mahayana Buddhism (100%)
* 2. Neo-Pagan (96%)
* 3. Unitarian Universalism (96%)
* 4. Hinduism (93%)
* 5. New Age (86%)
* 6. New Thought (82%)
* 7. Liberal Quakers (79%)
* 8. Theravada Buddhism (74%)
* 9. Scientology (71%)
* 10. Taoism (70%)
* 11. Jainism (70%)
* 12. Sikhism (66%)
* 13. Reform Judaism (64%)
* 14. Mainline - Liberal Christian Protestants (62%)
* 15. Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (61%)
* 16. Secular Humanism (60%)
* 17. Bah?'? Faith (51%)
* 18. Orthodox Quaker (47%)
* 19. Orthodox Judaism (44%)
* 20. Islam (37%)
* 21. Non-theist (33%)
* 22. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (22%)
* 23. Mainline - Conservative Christian Protestant (22%)
* 24. Seventh Day Adventist (19%)
* 25. Eastern Orthodox (14%)
* 26. Roman Catholic (14%)
* 27. Jehovah's Witness (12%)

I got this in a Buddhist Forum that I recently joined, and the man who posted it said: "I have seen many a sworn Buddhist who failed to take this test and prove their "buddhadharmatva", while a man convinced that he is atheist, turned out to be a 100% Mahayana Buddhist." A lady I met online at Webshots, who is a devout Catholic, ended up being 100% Mormon! (Of course, third on her list was Roman Catholic.) Makes me wonder what my Mormon friend's score will be. Another friend who was raised Jewish ended up being 100% Unitarian, and she said she wasn't surprised, as all of her friends while growing up were from Unitarian families. I was raised Seventh-Day Adventist (I know, a very weird religion) but rejected it when I was 14 and took to Eastern philosophies like a duck to water! Have you tried this test yet?


Satori

:happy:

 

[kirei_na_me]

Interesting little test.

Here are my results:

1. Unitarian Universalism (100%)
2. Secular Humanism (97%)
3. Theravada Buddhism (88%)
4. Liberal Quakers (84%)
5. Neo-Pagan (75%)
6. Mainline - Liberal Christian Protestants (67%)
7. New Age (67%)
8. Non-theist (66%)
9. Mahayana Buddhism (63%)
10. Taoism (62%)
11. Reform Judaism (55%)
12. Jainism (50%)
13. Orthodox Quaker (44%)
14. Sikhism (43%)
15. New Thought (41%)
16. Bah?'? Faith (40%)
17. Scientology (36%)
18. Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (35%)
19. Hinduism (32%)
20. Orthodox Judaism (24%)
21. Islam (21%)
22. Mainline - Conservative Christian Protestant (20%)
23. Seventh Day Adventist (18%)
24. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (17%)
25. Eastern Orthodox (11%)
26. Roman Catholic (11%)
27. Jehovah's Witness (10%)

From the looks of it, I have the least in common with the Jehovah's Witnesses and my stepmother is one. Isn't it weird that she married a self-proclaimed agnostic?!

 

[Satori]

Hi kirei_na_me!

I have the least in common with the Jehovah's Witnesses too! No surprise I have always hated them at my door... Interesting marriage for your stepmother!

Satori

 

[Maciamo]

Here are my results for this funny little test :

1. Secular Humanism (100%)
2. Unitarian Universalism (89%)
3. Non-theist (81%)
4. Liberal Quakers (70%)
5. Theravada Buddhism (68%)
6. Neo-Pagan (64%)
7. Mainline - Liberal Christian Protestants (55%)
8. Taoism (49%)
9. New Age (43%)
10. Reform Judaism (42%)
11. Orthodox Quaker (33%)
12. Mahayana Buddhism (32%)
13. Sikhism (30%)
14. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (24%)
15. New Thought (24%)
16. Bah?E?EFaith (21%)
17. Scientology (20%)
18. Mainline - Conservative Christian Protestant (18%)
19. Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (18%)
20. Seventh Day Adventist (17%)
21. Jainism (16%)
22. Eastern Orthodox (12%)
23. Islam (12%)
24. Orthodox Judaism (12%)
25. Roman Catholic (12%)
26. Hinduism (12%)
27. Jehovah's Witness (3%)

Only the 7 first are above 50% (against 17 for Satori and 12 for Kirei_na_me), and only the 3 first above 70%.

But this test's flaw is that it doesn't have more general belief systems like atheism, deism, agnosticism, pantheism or animism.

So I am a non-theist humanist. No big news. What I don't understand is why I got 89% for Unitarian Universalism, which is a form of Christianity, though I strongly denied the existence of God or religion (not aplicable) for all questions.