posted 11-15-98 02:52 AM ET            

I'm not sure that god doesn't exist. I just find it quite unlikely. I'm pretty sure that christianity is all wrong as it is now, but it is just my current opinion. I can be persuaded. By that definition of atheism, I don't feel I'm an atheist. And I'm sure as hell not a theist.

So I'm sorry for breaking all your rules, but:

posted 11-15-98 06:53 AM ET            

I would just have people post whatever.

"Side"
Nihilistic Atheism
Other Atheistic belief systems (existentialism, etc.)
Agnosticism
Spiritualists (non-deity)
Deist
Theists
Other (mixes, etc.)

posted 11-15-98 06:59 AM ET            

Deist: Belief in a single divine "entity" or deity which began the process of the universe and perhaps life but has no other contribution to the universe. (Aristotle's "Un-moved mover". This concept was believe by many during the enlightenment, notably Voltaire)

Nihilistic Atheist: A belief in a complete lack of deities, spirituality, anything supernatural, or any source of "meaning" to the universe.

Existentialistic and other atheist belief systems: Athestic (or not believing in a supernatural "god", a divine entity, or even perhaps spirituality), but believing that some meaning is provided to the universe by some other means (by humans in the case of humanistic existentialism)

posted 11-15-98 10:58 AM ET            

I don't believe in god and I find the chance of him existing negligible. I'm sure that I've evaluated all the evidence to the best of my abilities. With that in mind, I'm an atheist.

However the chance is still there, and no matter how unlikely, some god(s) may exist. Some laws of physics we haven't observed yet may exist. Our personality could be also stored in a back-up medium in the realm of physics we haven't observed yet (ie we might have a soul). All this I can imagine to be possible. I think this makes me agnostic.

But as I've said earlier, as till now I've seen NO credible evidence to support any of the theist claims. Which probably makes me:

'agnostic atheist' :-)

posted 11-15-98 11:09 AM ET            

2)Prysbeterian, the liberal branch (not evangelical, which is what a lot of those Southern fundementalist televangelist types are)

posted 11-15-98 02:21 PM ET            

I do trust science more than religion though, when science can prove god doesn't exist, I'll probably stop believing.

posted 11-15-98 11:11 PM ET            

Most religions are good. Catholics, Christians, Muslims, Jews - we all worship the same God. Science is God's tool to keep the universe in order.

posted 11-16-98 02:31 AM ET            

I sold my soul to Santa.

posted 11-16-98 10:58 PM ET            

Interesting question-what religion would you be if your current religion were
disproved.

posted 12-18-98 06:00 AM ET            

Actually, If forced to choose (by whom?), I'd probably define myself as an agnostic with leanings matching Arnelos' description of himself.

posted 11-17-98 03:19 PM ET            

Don't believe in a single supreme entity but I like to entertain the thought that there is something along the lines of the three fates (Clotho, Lachesis, ?? oops, forgot the third) who guide us.

posted 12-19-98 03:48 PM ET            

You might be surprised at the amount of "free" thought that goes on in a "fundamentalist" denomination.

posted 12-20-98 01:29 AM ET            

'Petter', huh? Shall I be allowed to keep no mask?

It makes sense that nihil is Russian, though. Shoulda thought of that...!

posted 11-18-98 09:05 AM ET            

As a consequence of the above (and solemn belief that conciousness and other emergent attributes of matter and energy can never be 100% accounted for by (hard) science), I'm a

posted 11-18-98 11:47 AM ET            

First, as a small child I was dragged to church and sunday school by my mother. For whatever reason, I HATED it. Had absolutely no use for it and once I was old enough to realize that throwing a tantrum would get me out of going, I stopped getting dragged there.

Later, when I discovered books and started reading up on history and mythology I started forming an opinion that went like this: Every great civilization seems to have a religion. The purpose of most of these religions seems to be explaining things that the science at the time cannot explain. For example, volcanic eruptions were unexplainable scientifically, so a lot of cultures invented gods (e.g. Vulcan) to explain these occurances. (In Egyptian mythology, there isn't a volcano god that I know of, but there also aren't any volcanoes in Eqypt that I know of...)

To make a long story short, I decided that the Christian god is basically used nowadays to explain only two things: where "we" (as a lifeform) come from/what our purpose is and were we (as individuals) go when we die. Coincidentally, these are about the only things that science can't explain, or doesn't explain in a nice, comforting fashion. (Most people have a problem accepting that they just turn into dirt when they die and are forgotten completely within a couple generations.)
The other role that religions still play is in telling people what is moral and what is immoral. I guess that I like to think I'm intelligent enough to figure that out for myself and so I don't particularly like some figure in a far off country telling me what is right and what is wrong.

posted 11-19-98 05:42 PM ET            

A useful definition of nihilism might be: "A doctrine or belief that conditions in the social organization are so bad as to make destruction desirable for its own sake independent of any constructive program or possibility." It's somewhere near anarchism, but without most anarchists' belief in mankind's inherent goodness - anarchists usually point out that they are NOT to be seen as nihilists.

posted 12-18-98 06:01 AM ET            

Actually, If forced to choose (by whom?), I'd probably define myself as an agnostic with leanings matching Arnelos' description of himself.

Petter: 'nihil' is Russian. (Surprise, surprise!?!?)

posted 12-20-98 01:30 AM ET            

'Petter', huh? Shall I be allowed to keep no mask?

It makes sense that nihil is Russian, though. Shoulda thought of that...!

DCA,
Humanity's first sin was faith; the first virtue was doubt.

posted 12-20-98 03:03 PM ET            

with a little science and Polish Catholisem thrown in.