A complex yes, no question. I thought it would be interesting to see how this community views the existence (or lack there of) of God.
OTB
OTB
Do You Believe in God?
- Thread starter onthebottom
- Start date
The astronomer Kepler
looked at the stars. His belief in God was strong. He didn't know - couldn't possibly know - that those stars were in fact suns. Like everyone else, he thought they were all teeny tiny glimpses of heaven.
Based on this view - that stars were teeny tiny glimpses of heaven - he concluded that these glimpses couldn't possibly be random - he concluded God must have put them in some order - an order that, with hard work, could be understood by humans.
Out of his conviction for the existence of God, Kepler then developed his laws of celestial motion.
That was the last time postulating the existence of a supreme being was of any use.
Faith, by definition, is irrational. Rationality is defined as refining your degree of belief (or conviction) as the evidence comes forth. The more evidence in favour, the stronger your conviction. The more evidence against, the weaker your conviction. Faith, on the other hand, is something that should be believed even in spite of evidence to the contrary. It is, then, by definition, irrational. (By and large, I'm paraphrasing and interpreting Frank Ramsey here.)
Insofar as Marx was right about anything it was about religion (opium for the masses).
looked at the stars. His belief in God was strong. He didn't know - couldn't possibly know - that those stars were in fact suns. Like everyone else, he thought they were all teeny tiny glimpses of heaven.
Based on this view - that stars were teeny tiny glimpses of heaven - he concluded that these glimpses couldn't possibly be random - he concluded God must have put them in some order - an order that, with hard work, could be understood by humans.
Out of his conviction for the existence of God, Kepler then developed his laws of celestial motion.
That was the last time postulating the existence of a supreme being was of any use.
Faith, by definition, is irrational. Rationality is defined as refining your degree of belief (or conviction) as the evidence comes forth. The more evidence in favour, the stronger your conviction. The more evidence against, the weaker your conviction. Faith, on the other hand, is something that should be believed even in spite of evidence to the contrary. It is, then, by definition, irrational. (By and large, I'm paraphrasing and interpreting Frank Ramsey here.)
Insofar as Marx was right about anything it was about religion (opium for the masses).
Really? And here I thought I would point to it as proof, the next time the JW come knocking...darn.TQM said:
Clearly, I think the results will show just how biased this community is compared to Canada and the US as a whole.TQM said:
In the US 91% of people believe in God http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17879317/site/newsweek/
In Canada it's 84% : http://www.chp.ca/arc-CHP-Communique/communique_12_23.htm
OTB
otb
No.
The poll won't show you that.
the poll is completely unscientific. it won't show you anything about this community. So you can't then compare to society.
Obviously, the sample isn't being randomly generated amongst terbites. Only those motivated to respond will respond - and there's no way that will be "random" as properly defined.
So to repeat - you won't get an accurate picture of terbites to begin with.
No.
The poll won't show you that.
the poll is completely unscientific. it won't show you anything about this community. So you can't then compare to society.
Obviously, the sample isn't being randomly generated amongst terbites. Only those motivated to respond will respond - and there's no way that will be "random" as properly defined.
So to repeat - you won't get an accurate picture of terbites to begin with.
Find me a good stat if you don't like that one.Ranger68 said:
Is this better, 81% - does Time bring a tear to your eye....
http://post.queensu.ca/~jameswc/SpiritualSearch.html
OTB
No, but unscientific polls do.onthebottom said:
LOL
You're a piece of work, OTB. You design your own poll and post it in here. Then, when the results don't go your way, you complain about the legitimacy of it.
ROTFL
Nice!
Religious thinkers around the world would be proud.Its a conspiracy...Ranger68 said:No, but unscientific polls do.
LOL
You're a piece of work, OTB. You design your own poll and post it in here. Then, when the results don't go your way, you complain about the legitimacy of it.
ROTFL
Nice!
Not surprised about the poll at all...look at the audience..a bunch of pooners in a semi socialist country...know thy audience...LOL
Looks like I am the only knucklehead that voted I don't know.....that's the thing about believe..you either do or you don't....
Looks like I am the only knucklehead that voted I don't know.....that's the thing about believe..you either do or you don't....
you might start
here: http://www.statcan.ca/english/freepub/11-008-XIE/0040211-008-XIE.pdf
Here's another:
http://www.statcan.ca/english/freepub/11-008-XIE/11-008-XIE2006001.pdf
here: http://www.statcan.ca/english/freepub/11-008-XIE/0040211-008-XIE.pdf
Here's another:
http://www.statcan.ca/english/freepub/11-008-XIE/11-008-XIE2006001.pdf
Clearly, most people in the nation are slipping away from mainstream religious beliefs, towards a more Deist notion of God. Soon, they will gravitate towards the fully scientific, Einsteinian notion, which will not be God as most people today would acknowledge.
I have no idea what those people would answer to the question "Do you believe in God?", but I'm quite certain that they'll be more enlightened than they are today. And, it'll be just one more, small step to take ........
I have no idea what those people would answer to the question "Do you believe in God?", but I'm quite certain that they'll be more enlightened than they are today. And, it'll be just one more, small step to take ........
