Study finds contradictions among Americans' religious beliefs »
Posted By TechnologyExpert 3 months, 2 weeks ago in NewsAmericans remain heavily religious, but their views rarely conform to dogma, according to a massive new survey released this morning.
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memestryker3 months, 2 weeks ago
A big problem with the survey is bias in the questions, including the wording used, the assumptions made about meanings of words, etc. So the answers they reported don't really have the weight people give them in some (or many) cases.
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CRYMTYPHON3 months, 2 weeks ago
I knew a man that said he was called by God to be an atheist.
In Brave New World, the barbarian asks Mustapha Mond, do you believe in God, and Mond says yes, but that in the modern world God manifests himself as a kind of absence.
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AtheismIsRealityComment removed: User banned.1 Reply
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wonderwhat13 months, 2 weeks ago
IF YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF A CHRISTIAN AND LIVE ONLY BY A FEW OF THE "RULES" YOU WILL BE SHOWING GREAT COMPASSION AND LOVE TO FELLOW MANKIND. AFTER ALL IF THERE IS NO HEAVEN WHAT HAVE YOU GOT TO LOSE BY BEING , KIND, COMPASSIONATE, GIVING, LOVING, AND OH YES, TOLERANT OF OTHERS, CHRISTIANS OR NOT. SOUNDS LIKE A WIN WIN TO ME.,
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toph19733 months, 2 weeks ago
Maybe i'm misinterpreting your post. I'm an athiest and I am Kind, Compassionate, giving, loving, and tolerant of "most" others. I am not tolerant of people that do not use their minds. Somehow an Atheist is a moral person. How can this be? There can be no morality without religion. Which is total BS.
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newbie04203 months, 2 weeks ago
Ya know I saw this article on Google News and not one had such a negative title:
Survey Shows U.S. Religious Tolerance
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/24/us/24religion...
Americans see truth in a range of faiths, massive study finds
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/...
Study: Most Americans say many religions can lead to eternal life
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/new...
Of course what do you expect from the anti-religion SFgate....
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bigurn3 months, 2 weeks ago
I don't think this article should be that much of a surprise to many. Throughout history, we have combined or used traditions from other disciplines to explain our beliefs. It should then be no surprise to see a mixture in religious thought.
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dunkirk3 months, 2 weeks ago
Well when you look at what most religions tenets its Love they fellow Man and when you look at what most fundies follow, exploit and hate thy fellow man, is this a surprise? We condone torture, we believe if your different you should be punished, we believe you should not question what we tell you, etc etc etc.
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newbie04203 months, 2 weeks ago
and you negged my post which says the US shows religous tolerance so you must not be tolerant of religion, right???
I neg Neo's posts/submission whenever I see them, it's my right and why the feature is here, he does the same to me.
Now feel free to throw the "turn the other cheek" at me....
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antibrainwasher3 months, 2 weeks ago
Here's what the headline should have read: Despite the fact that there has never been one shred of proof of any of the thousands of gods humans have created, gullible american continue to brainwash their children to believe in this insane lie.
There is no such thing as salvation. Salvation? Salvation for what? An afterlife.
Again, not one shred of evidence for the thousands of versions of afterlife humans have dreamed about for the hundreds of thousands of years humans have been living and dying on the planet.
What the headlines should have read is: Americans are still insanely brainwashed, and are incapable of thinking rational thought.
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antibrainwasher3 months, 2 weeks ago
Americans believe that they posses a "soul" which is some invisible version of their body, probably at age 25, that floats around and records all their thoughts and actions, so when they die, it floats up to some version of a court room, whereby an invisible jew pronounces them a member of the christian golf and country club, or burns them for eternity in a lake of hell fire.
This is actually what most americans, including Cheney/Bush believe.
Most americans believe jeeesus was a half man/half jew demigod right wing conservative rich status quo worshipping republican war monger.
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memestryker3 months, 2 weeks ago
abw, I was surprised that so many believe in an "afterlife." But dogma and indoctrination die hard, and the reason we have people like Dobson and Hagee pulling in millions in the U.S., and residents of Muslim countries allowing so-called Islamic "scholars" telling them how to live is because human beings are gullible animals.
I'm not sure people really do believe it so much as it's what they've been taught to say and they just say it without giving it a lot of thought.
I've listened to Ann Coulter, Al Sharpton, and other pop extremists argue they are "Christians" right in the middle of hate-filled vitriolic diatribes. Some people go to church to have someone get in their face and shame and ridicule them. My cousin said he doesn't like preachers who are positive--he thinks people need to hear what's wrong with them.
But I don't think most Americans believe as you suggest.
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memestryker3 months, 2 weeks ago
abw, people steeped in dogma and doctrine don't see it--they believe you are attacking them, and they take it personally.
Think about it--most people have been intimidated to believing they should believe "just in case" it's true. They want to be covered. They really don't see it objectively, since they are inside it.
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KISA452a3 months, 2 weeks ago
Try taking a positive view. It shows that religion is not some monolithic grouping in the united states. There is no real need to fear that "those religious folks" are all going to gang up and decide the same thing on basically any issue. Interestingly, even the atheists seems to be somewhat diverse :D
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fishifanb3 months, 2 weeks ago
This fits right in with so many Evangelicals who label themselves "Conservative" when in reality they are radical theocrats who would usurp our secular government in favor of a theocracy.
They sincerely beleive that by simply giving a label to something you can change what it its.
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fishifanb3 months, 2 weeks ago
You twist my words.
I speak of what many Evangelical Christians profess to beleive (that we are a Christian nation, our laws should be biblical, God is on our side and we have a divine mission to "save" the world, etc).
These ideals are anything but conservative but if you ask most evangelicals that is what they will tell you they are.
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DropkickaLib3 months, 2 weeks ago
Actually, moral Conservativism certainly is tied to religion.
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memestryker3 months, 2 weeks ago
Wolfie2007, don't mix those who are conservative with those who believe that, to be conservative, you have to have certain religious beliefs (many are neo-conservatives). There are very conservative atheists.
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Albmore3 months, 2 weeks ago
I can say one thing, anyone knowing just a little about end time proph. does not need to think very long where we are presently in Gods plan. Never has America the land that has stood with Isreal ever been so with a loss of morals. Never have we allowed the lands of Babylon and Persia to invade our lives so. For them who has an ear let him hear. Jesus is comming soon. This generation will see his comming. The bible tells us we dont know the hour, but we will know the generation. Never have the factors been so in place. As many are falling away as proph. now is the time to stand fast. I pray for all your souls.
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Coatl3 months, 2 weeks ago
Since the birth of cristianity at least someone has said the following to each generation:
"This generation will see his comming."
"Never have the factors been so in place."
So it kind of disproves the hole prophecy idea, if it's so much of a good prophecy, then how come that everytime someone has read it, it thinks that somewhat describes the current situation of the world?
It is as acurate now as it was in 1998 or 1940 or 1900 or 1500 or 100 or 500 or 80 ac. And as acurate as it will be in 2100, 2500, 3000, etc.
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HanymanComment removed: User banned.
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markmawn23 months, 2 weeks ago
Everyone, if you have not seen this program, now would be a good time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlbIYTjeQP4
For those fearful of offending the religious paradigm, please ignore.
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MurphyStout3 months, 2 weeks ago
First line of the story: "...but American views often defy categorization and contradict the teachings of their faith".
This is definitive evidence that the natural (i.e. naturally occurring) reasoning/faith is often not in accord with standard teachings. We have to realize that standards teachings evolved from ancient times, and to be fair, they should still be evolving, as people should be comfortable with all that they believe, and not have those beliefs thrust upon them.
Dogmatists do not feel similar sentiments, and wish to write in stone all that must be believed, reasoned, or taught.
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DropkickaLib3 months, 2 weeks ago
It's one survey that simplifies a complex topic. It is in no way "definitive".
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markmawn23 months, 2 weeks ago
Technically, because we have allowed freedom of religion from the very beginning, there has been room to experiment. Some experiments have failed (David Koresh). Some have thrived and grown, like the New Thought Movement. Since we do not have an officially sanctioned state religion like much of Europe, there is still much room for exploration, and/or perversion of Spiritual ideas, and the equal risk if dogmatizing ideologies into mind-controlling entities, which defies the very freedoms our forefathers fought for.
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truthiness3 months, 2 weeks ago
it bears pointing out for various reasons that a majority of muslims (in america) feel that there is more than one way to reach heaven and more than one way to interpret their religion.
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chuck-the-canuck3 months, 2 weeks ago
I think the major difference between the Christians and the non-believers is that non-believers have no stake in the truth. It isn't important for me to be right. I don't need to be right. My belief system doesn't hinge on whether the earth is 4 billion or 4 thousand years old. My belief system doesn't hinge on whether God created the world and everything in it in 6 days or aliens cooked us up in a microwave. It doesn't matter to me if Darwin is right or wrong.
It's the system of true believers that hinges on the details. For them is all or nothing. Either they are absolutely right or it is all smoke. Tough system to defend given the biblical "facts" they are forced to work with.
Given that, why does this debate go on? A simple analysis of the" facts" should suffice. Here's the rub, some people are unwilling to accept the implications of the "facts". And so it goes.
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chuck-the-canuck3 months, 2 weeks ago
It isn't about me being right, it's about anyone who has bought into the biggest con game on earth, religion, being delusional.
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memestryker3 months, 2 weeks ago
Chuck, I think the reason the debate goes on is because human brains are wired such that sharing belief has (or had) survival value. And we are gullible about belief. For some reason, we take metaphor, allegory, myth, legend, and folklore and treat it as if it is truth. And clever individuals (Moses, Paul, Joseph Smith, Mohammed, Mao, etc.) see how it works and build their own systems of human control where they are in charge.
Most "sacred" teachings weave together history and myth and pass them down through generations. And the human brain, especially when very young, is easily indoctrinated. Dogma and indoctrination are easily planted in suggestible brains.
People are looking to others to make sense of their world, so most people blindly follow the religion they are born into. Clerics tie up positive experience such that people come to associate it with religion (but it really stands on its own). It amounts to a brainwash.
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truthiness3 months, 1 week ago
isnt this a quote from dude who wrote The God Delusion, an interview he gave, I think. quoting scripture now, are we?
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tkyrchncs3 months, 2 weeks ago
"The survey found that there are Catholics who meditate" Kinda does this article in for me-have these fools never heard of a ROSARY? Essentially all Catholics who pray the Rosary meditate: it's a meditational prayer cycle using a physical meditational aid! And it seems surprising to say that Catholics MEDITATE??? Sheesh.
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ekklesiawarrior3 months, 1 week ago
Someone at Propeller took our original comment off, so much for the Bill of Rights, and the 'voice of dissent!'
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Albmore3 months, 1 week ago
The problem is if your going to talk bible proph. then you need to look at all what it says. I say that we are now in the last days for good reason. One fact thats was often over looked was Isreal had to become a nation again. This did not take place until 1948. Since the 1940s man has for the first time the capabilty to destroy the world himself with the introduction of the nucleur bomb. Since the 1940 the word of God can be spred to the 4 corners of the earth via satilites. The introduction of the European union and the euro. Micro chipping humans, and the rising of Islam . Alot of signs of the end days. Even if your not Christian, the Inca calander also stops at 2012 with out reason.
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Coatl3 months, 1 week ago
"One fact thats was often over looked was Isreal had to become a nation again."
Before the zionist movement, the mayority of the christians didn't spect an Israel nation to rise, they thought it was refering to the holy land.
"Since the 1940 the word of God can be spred to the 4 corners of the earth via satilites."
Actually the bible was already spread to the whole world during the European Expantion, so if you take in account the land, I'd say that before 1800 the bible was already known in the whole world. If you talk about people, then that hasn't happened yet, remember the tribes they just found in the middle of the Amazonas?
"Micro chipping humans"
The bible says a mark, could be anything, a scar, a tatoo, a chip, a credit card, anything.
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Coatl3 months, 1 week ago
"and the rising of Islam."
The real rise of Islam was in the middle ages, when the did conquer a lot of the kown world.
"Even if your not Christian, the Inca calander also stops at 2012 with out reason."
So does the Maya, so? It has to do with their astronomical observations. And the constant destruction and reinvent of the earth acording to most mesoamerican cultures.
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Albmore3 months, 1 week ago
Coat 1. this is the second rise of Islam we are seeing now. 2. You contrdicted your own point as the bible being known world wide by your comment after that. As far as the Mark well I think most people will agree it has something to do with a chip. Also invented after the WII.
You know it is not my intention to argue Gods existance with you. As christians we are told to spread the good news not to debate it. It is up to you to except it or not. God has given us free will and it is not up to me to try to take that will away. It also tells us of those who can look to the sky and say how the weather will be tomorrow but cant see the sign of the times. May God Bess .
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