Religion Gender and belief in god

I noticed on Maciamo's Code of the Strong Atheist thread that I seemed to be the only female professing to be an atheist (I'm sure I'm not actually the only one here!), and it reminded me that women are supposed to be more likely to believe in a god - of Americans, 93% of women believe in a god, but only 86% of men. I wonder what the proportions are here, so please vote in the poll!

By "God" do you mean the religious version or just some belief in a designer of the universe?

Tsuyoiko said:

I seemed to be the only female professing to be an atheist (I'm sure I'm not actually the only one here!),

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Now how can you look at your beautiful rabbit and not believe it to be one of "God's creatures". And wouldn't it be nicer to picture you and Simon sitting side by side on a cloud, playing harps and watching the world go by beneath your feet, happy for eternity? I have to admit, I'm not sure what to believe, but why not think of something real pleasant ahead for us? (guess a "GOD" doesn't have to be a part of it?)

Uncle Frank

:wave:

Brooker said:

By "God" do you mean the religious version or just some belief in a designer of the universe?

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I mean any god, religious or not. I thought about splitting it up, but decided to keep it simple.

I believe in the possibility of a higher being or at least intelligent design, but there are both creditable and uncreditable support for both sides of the issue. Therefore, I am unsure on what to believe.

Doc :wave:

Similar to Doc, I'm torn. I grew up in a catholic household, but became quickly disillusioned and disenfranchised with the catholic church as an institution once I reached my late teens. It's no coincidence that this is when I not only started thinking more critically, went to college, got out of the country for an extended period of time, and priest-alter boy incidents all occurred in a relatively short period of time. An ex-alter boy myself, I can only imagine just how weird it would be for a priest to advance on one. The way the Church handled the situation more or less sealed my departure from organized religion.

That being said, I have no problem with a god. I think religion as a whole is a double-edged sword, a phenomenon that can bring about endless charity and goodwill while simultaneously pitting people against each other in blind and never-ending war. Would a god let that happen? Would a god ENCOURAGE it? I don't know...

Doc said:

I believe in the possibility of a higher being or at least intelligent design, but there are both creditable and uncreditable support for both sides of the issue. Therefore, I am unsure on what to believe.

Doc :wave:

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I'm kind of where you are Doc, but I think my beliefs lean more towards the possiblity of a higher being. It's really hard for me to take one side at times because if you really think about it, religious fanatics believe evolution is a load of crap, and a very strong athiest believes that mankind being created by a higher being is a load of crap. It can be hard to choose a side.:?

I went for, as most of you probably already know, male and agnostic.

I feel this would make a good neuro-psycho-biological study.

I would categorize myself as an atheist, but then I probably follow more closely the atheism of most Japanese, rather than the reactionary flat out refusal of God. I'm not about to be converted, as I just think that we can never know whether higher powers exist or not, and therefore it just seems irrelevant. Would that place me as an agnostic?

Anyhow, I am a male agnostic on the poll.

Is there God? Maby, maby not. It's easier to belive that there is God, and that there is life after death. There's no evidence that God exists, but when you think about it something had to make all of this. When I look at the evolution of a man I wonder, who made the monkey, the earth, the stars, etc... and if the big bang theory is correct then who made the universe, or the elements that got together and made something. The questions go on, and on...

In my opinion, which I know is valued at about 1 yen (if even), there is a God. I believe in the Christian God. My reasons for believing are somewhat complex, and I've seen the atheist point of view on the world, and I found (again this is in my opinion I don't mean to offend anyone) that the atheist view is not as believable as my view (which is almost borderlining heresy :relief: ). My belief comes from some of the new, developing scientific theories that would require a God to be present to start things off.

P.S. - I'm a male, too. ^_^

Clawn said:

My belief comes from some of the new, developing scientific theories that would require a God to be present to start things off.

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What theories are those, if I may ask?

kumo said:

Which would be?

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A theory of the "multiverse" which contains an infinite number of universes, each one different. This multiverse was, in my opinion, created be God.

Clawn said:

A theory of the "multiverse" which contains an infinite number of universes, each one different. This multiverse was, in my opinion, created be God.

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I fail to see how your previous statement on how this theory would "require a god to be present" is even remotely close to what you said now. From what I know about the multiverse theory, there's not a single mention of a god, gods, the easter bunny or the Flying Spaghetti Monster in it, and that won't be changing any time soon.
Believe whatever you want, but at least admit your "opinion" has no scientific base for it, or any base at all for that matter.

kumo said:

I fail to see how your previous statement on how this theory would "require a god to be present" is even remotely close to what you said now. From what I know about the multiverse theory, there's not a single mention of a god, gods, the easter bunny or the Flying Spaghetti Monster in it, and that won't be changing any time soon.
Believe whatever you want, but at least admit your "opinion" has no scientific base for it, or any base at all for that matter.

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I thank you respecting my beliefs.:bow:

Clawn said:

I thank you respecting my beliefs.:bow:

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Do I sense some irony here? :relief:

kumo said:

Do I sense some irony here? :relief:

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Your Kumo senses are tingling! Yes, some irony, but not much.