Which religion is the right one for you?

[bluesalamanders]

In relation to recent subjects in this topic:

The Quiz:

Wizardling said:
Kind of a fun quiz. Unfortunately it is fundamentally flawed, in that many of the yes or no questions presuppose the existence of a god. How can you reasonably answer yes or no, if you don't believe in the underlying concept on which the question is based?

Well, yes, that's the fundamental flaw with just about all religious discussions/quizzes/etc. At my previous college, I took a survey for a psychology/religious studies double major's senior thesis and was actually offended by the questions, because I promise you, he was going to get the answers he wanted. Because of the way he phrased the questions (and they were all T/F, not even the type of answers this quiz allows), it was difficult to give answers that I felt conveyed my beliefs.

To anyone who doesn't already know this (heh), I too am an atheist. I am not anti-religion or against the religious, I simply do not believe in any sort of god or gods.


Oppression:

Of the major Western religions, which is what this quiz and discussion mainly seemed to deal with, I believe that the Jews tend to have been the most oppressed in recent history and the Christians the most oppressing. Did you know that when the Jews were forced out of Europe, many took refuge in Islamic countries, since those, back then, were the open and accepting nations, as well as the intelligent and scientific ones?

Extremists:

There are extremists in every religion. It's an unfortunate fact that the extremists are the ones who are both the craziest and the most noticable, and people outside of a group tend to base their judgements of that group on the noticiable ones.

Reading fiction:

I have no comprehension of why some people find it difficult to understand how people can read fiction that involves things outside of their beliefs. Um. Fiction. Fiction? Meaning not true? Not real? I'm an atheist, I don't believe in god, demons, powers, magic, fate, heaven, hell, ESP, dragons, unicorns, talking squirrels, telekinesis...but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy reading about it. Have these people never heard the phrase "suspension of disbelief"?

(Wow, that's a long post. Sorry for the rambling/ranting/whatever )

~Pont

[Wizardling]

Originally posted by Nella:
Wizardling- are you saying that you athiest?
~Nella~

Yes, I am an atheist as it happens, but that's irrelevant.

The quiz is deeply flawed, in that the only way to reasonably answer all questions truthfully is to believe in SOME form of religion. Still, it's just a harmless funny quiz, so it's not exactly a big deal. I'm just a pedantic PITA who dislikes badly written, biased surveys using poor statistical survey methods

[worlebird]

I must say, I'm a little surprised to find so many athiests (and agnostics, but quite frankly, I consider that to be splitting hairs) here. I'm not sure why I'm surprised, but I am nontheless.

As for definitions, I think the distinction between atheist and agnostic is really, as I say, splitting hairs. Specifically, they are not mutually exclusive. You could be an agnostic theist, or an agnostic atheist.
By definition, "agnostic" implies a belief that the exsistance of god can neither be proven nor disproven. One could therefore believe in god, but simply believe that the existance of such could not be proven.
Now, by definition, "atheist" means "without god", as opposed to "theist". Therefore, anyone who's beliefs do not include god is technically an atheist. That technically includes Buddists. What most people actually mean when they say they are atheists or agnostics is that they are non-religious.

Anyway.
Carry on.

[Small town]

Hear are my results:
Buddhism

88%
Paganism

79%
Islam

75%
Hinduism

75%
Christianity

54%
agnosticism

50%
Satanism

50%
Judaism

46%
atheism

33%
I think it agres with me for the most part its cool. Gryph i like your style. Santisme at the bottom that im happy for.Im glad Pagen is #2 cuzz thats what i cononsider myself to be closest to.No offence anybody. Your actual religon is what Artemis?Char i halh to aggre im secretly getting into pagan. I came home one day and my mom freaked out cuzz i had a pentical on my hand. Iv been rased luthren too. My moms cultur was origanaly pagen but she thinks its evil.

[Tuttle]

My results

Christianity 75%

agnosticism 75%

Paganism 71%

Islam 67%

Hinduism 58%

Buddhism 54%

Satanism 33%

Judaism 25%

atheism 21%


Makes pretty good sense. I've been raised Christian. Most other similar quizzes have stuff like Buddhism near the top too though.

[Fox]

agnosticism 83%
Buddhism 71%
Paganism 67%
Islam 63%
Satanism 58%
Judaism 54%
atheism 46%
Hinduism 38%
Christianity 25%

Well what can I say! I thought I was an Atheist but it looks like Im a Agnostic instead, what ever that is! hey and who would have thought christianity would be last!! I mean My dad is a Jehovah Witness and thats how I was brought up, course I never beleived it! But still last place! I mean Satanisum is higher! Surpose i will have to go get some chickens and kill them while mubbaling!
Fox

[Emily B.]

Originally posted by db_pr:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by bluesalamanders:
Judaism is much more tolerant of the existance of other religions (in theory, anyway).

MAYBE in theory because there is no way that could be said about the current situation between Israel- Palestine.

Edit: Palestine, yeah BM, I had too much soda today :S </div>[quote]

yeah, so this is from a while ago, but I just have to correct this, since it's a pretty common misconseption. The Israel-Palistine situation isn't that the Israelis want to kill all the muslims, it's that they want the muslims to stop bombinb stores and busses. Israel has even gone so far as to pull out of Gaza and the West Bank in the hopes that Palistine will step up and get some control over hamas and other simalerly atrocious groups(look at a map of Israel and it's pretty clear how gracious a move that is. It's about a third of Israel's land.) If anyone in the situation is less than tolerant, it's hamas, who's stated goal is to kill all of the jews.

[Toni]

So I'm a practicing Catholic. The quiz gave me Christianity as my top religion, Bhuddist and Islamic tied for my second place, and Athesim was next to last and Satanisism was last.

I totally agree that there are definitely extremists in every religion who are noticed more than the people who follow their faith (beliefs) more closely....

And I read a lot- Particularly the YW Series, the His Dark Materials Trilogy, some rather anti-Catholic series, some Wiccan series, and a bunch of other stuff. I haven't really been exposed to any good literature about Bhuddists and the Islamic religion...Does anyone have any reccomendations (completely leaving the original discussion topic, my apologies...)

~Komari.

[db_pr]

Originally posted by Emily B.:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by db_pr:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by bluesalamanders:
Judaism is much more tolerant of the existance of other religions (in theory, anyway).

MAYBE in theory because there is no way that could be said about the current situation between Israel- Palestine.

Edit: Palestine, yeah BM, I had too much soda today :S </div>[quote]

yeah, so this is from a while ago, but I just have to correct this, since it's a pretty common misconseption. The Israel-Palistine situation isn't that the Israelis want to kill all the muslims, it's that they want the muslims to stop bombinb stores and busses. Israel has even gone so far as to pull out of Gaza and the West Bank in the hopes that Palistine will step up and get some control over hamas and other simalerly atrocious groups(look at a map of Israel and it's pretty clear how gracious a move that is. It's about a third of Israel's land.) If anyone in the situation is less than tolerant, it's hamas, who's stated goal is to kill all of the jews. </div>[quote]

The muslims make a few bombs and blow themselves up, the Jews wake up at 5 AM, get in their north american tanks and go kill muslims.

Kinda difference there...

[Emily B.]

[Mel]

My Scores:
Christianity

83%
Islam

46%
Judaism

46%
Buddhism

46%
Hinduism

46%
Paganism

46%
Satanism

29%
agnosticism

21%
atheism

8%



makes sense, considering I go to a Catholic middle school...

well, I don't really feel like reading the whole pages thing on this, so...

[Wilf]

Originally posted by Emily B.:
A few bombs? Israel is a recognized country defending its people.
...
Israel has time and time again offered them nearly everything they've asked for (everything short of handing over Jerusalem, which isn't really a reasonable request) and they've spat on it. How long would you stand by and watch your people get slaughtered in the streets every day before you turn around and start to fight back? Yes, Israel is fighting, but they're using an official army to do so, and they are fighting to protect the lives their people.
....
Respectfully,
Emily.

OK... I am going to disagree strongly with you here.
I am going to start with the bit I highlighted in bold. It seems to me that you think because Israel if attacked reguarly by terrotist bomb attacks, it is justified in acting the way it does toeards the Palestinians.
Consider this: I spent my childhood in a country that endured regular bomb attacks from terrorist organisations (mostly one). However, the government did not send helicopter gunships in to destroy houses housing suspected terroists, as Israel does - it arrested suspected terrorists, gave them a trial, and if found guilty by a jury, sent them to prison. The government did not have jets fly over contested regions at supersonic speeds, using the resulting as supersonic boom as a fear tactic - as Isreal does (source: BBC News). The goverement did not ignore repeated UN resolutions providing a framework for a two-state solution - as Isreal has.
The government also managed to neogotiate an end to hositilities, ensure the disputed land ended up as the residents wanted it, and got the leading terrorist group to give up its arms - unlike Isreal.

Ordinary Palestinians see their houses bull-dozed and family members killed by seemingly random attacks from Israeli millitary. Despite living in land Isreal insists is its own, they have no democratic means of changing Israeli policy. So I ask: How long would you stand by and watch your people get slaughtered in the streets every day before you turn around and start to fight back?.

Israel have never offered the Palestinians what they want. The PLA have accepted a two-state solution, with Jerusalem divided between them. Don't forget the area was peopled by the Palestinians until the end of WW2, when the victorious Allies created the state of Israel, ignoring the effect it would have the local people. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinian Arabs who lived within the current borders of Israel before 1948 were not allowed to continue to live there after the 1948-1949 war ended, and most of these Palestinians and their descendents came to reside in the current Palestinian territories or other countries.

Given Jerulsalem is an important city to both the Israelis and the Palenstinians, I would argue it is perfectly reasonable for both sides to have control.

I think many pepole agree that the state of Israel is only allowed to get away with its flagrant human rights abuses because it has the suport of the USA. (Which I personally would argue is down to the inherently corrupt nature of US politics... but that's another story).

Oh, and please don't assume all Israelis are Jews, and all Palenstinians are Moslims. About 25% of Israelis aren't Jews, and a smaller (but significant) number of Palestinians aren't Moslims.

[db_pr]

To what Wilf said, totally true.

I'm not justifying the actions of some palestinians, but you keep mentioning that Israel is defending its people by being a "Recognized Country" and having an "Official Army".

That doesn't really make a difference.

Nazi Germany was a "Recognized Country", and yes, they had an "Official Army", and they also had an "Official Genocide". Rwanda has an "Official Army" and THEY ALSO had an "Official Genocide".
Stalin's Russia was a "Recognized Country", with an "Official Army" that committed horrible crimes as all I've mentioned before.

I'm not even gonna start mentioning other names 'cause I'll never end.

But, hey, why don't you read some of the quotes by Israel's "Recognized Leaders".

David Ben Gurion
We must do everything to insure the Palestinians never do return. Their old will die and their young will forget.

Menachen Begin
Before the Palestinian's very eyes we are possesing the land and the villages where they, and their ancestors, have lived... We are the generation of colonizers.

These are just two... there are hundreds...

[Emily B.]

[Consider this: I spent my childhood in a country that endured regular bomb attacks from terrorist organisations (mostly one). [/QUOTE][/QUOTE][/QUOTE]

[Emily B.]

Originally posted by db_pr:
Nazi Germany was a "Recognized Country", and yes, they had an "Official Army", and they also had an "Official Genocide". Rwanda has an "Official Army" and THEY ALSO had an "Official Genocide".
Stalin's Russia was a "Recognized Country", with an "Official Army" that committed horrible crimes as all I've mentioned before.

I'm not even gonna start mentioning other names 'cause I'll never end.

But, hey, why don't you read some of the quotes by Israel's "Recognized Leaders".

David Ben Gurion
We must do everything to insure the Palestinians never do return. Their old will die and their young will forget.

Menachen Begin
Before the Palestinian's very eyes we are possesing the land and the villages where they, and their ancestors, have lived... We are the generation of colonizers.

These are just two... there are hundreds...

But here's the difference. In Germany, and in Russia it was an organized effort to eradicate a people, not a war, and the people they were trying to eradicate didn't attack first. Israel has been on the defense since only days after it was established, Germany and Russia were long standing countries who decided they wanted more power. Israel has proven several times that it is willing to negotiate for peace. Notice that Israel gave the Sini peninsula back to Egypt in exchange for a peace treaty. They've done the same thing with Palistine now, an offer which they've been making for years, but Arafat refused, not because it was an unreasonable offer, but because Arafat was a terrorist, who got all his power off of the fear of the palistinian people.

As for the quotes: first,Ben Guiron has been dead for 30 years, and Begin for 13, and neither has been in power for over 2 decades. Secondly, they are talking about a people who attacked and invaded them first.
You keep forgeting, this is not a fight that Israel started, and this is not a fight that Israel is unwilling to end. There is a current agreement to form a Palistinian state; Israel gave up around a third of it's land in this agreement. No, they will not give up control of the single holiest location in Judaism, and it's not reasonable to expect that they do so. Would you expect Saudi Arabia to give up control of Mecca? And do you even ask that Saudi Arabia let non muslims into Mecca? (they don't, by the way)