Which religion do you affiliate with?

[micromass]

A bit of a sensitive topic, so rest assured: I will moderate this closely. So please no attacking of other people's choices, no mocking or anything. Thanks!

 

[wukunlin]

I change my views easily when I find new credible information. So affiliation simply isn't my thing.

 

[reenmachine]

None, though my background is Catholic.I'm baptized, had my first communion and confirmation.

 

[strangerep]

A bit of a sensitive topic, so rest assured: I will moderate this closely. So please no attacking of other people's choices, no mocking or anything.

I'm offended that you didn't give a explicit item for Pastafarian!

[And if anyone mocks Pastafarianism, I will be even more offended.]

 

[Matterwave]

I suppose Christian is as close as it gets to where I'm at. :)

 

[StatGuy2000]

I'm curious about the respondent who answered "Korean Shamanism". In Japan, most people can claim to be both Buddhist and Shintoist (which essentially is a form of Japanese shamanism) at the same time without contradiction, as both faiths are highly syncretic, and the two often reinforce and influence one another. I'm wondering if it's analogous in Korea as well.

Also, I've never heard of Caodaism, Hoahaoism, or Cheondoism until now. BTW, the poll misspelled the folk religion of Mongols -- it's "Tengriism", not "Tenriism".

BTW, to answer your original post, I consider myself to be an agnostic with a strong orientation/bias towards atheism, as I reject all organized religions. The only reason I hesitate to call myself an atheist is because from what I undetstand, to be an atheist means one makes the specific claim that God (or gods) does not exist, and prefer not to make any such specific assumptions.

 

[leroyjenkens]

I don't have any religious affiliation. Though, I recently called to make an appointment at the hospital, and the woman asked a bunch of questions, including what religion I am. She asked if I was still a Christian. Apparently, years ago, my mom had that as my religion when I went to that hospital as a kid. I like how parents will tell their children what religion they are, as if it's a biological trait.

I have a friend who claims to be of the Norse religion. Does he really believe in Thor? I doubt it. Maybe he just says it to be different.

If I had to choose any of the religions though, I'd go with Jainism. I've heard good things about them. I don't know much about them, except they refuse to kill ANYTHING. I don't know if I could do that. If you're a cockroach in my house, you're as good as dead. I can't just let my house get infested. So maybe I couldn't choose Jainism after all. It's the most moral, I believe, but I guess it's not for me.

 

[Jonathan Scott]

I'm a Christian atheist. I was brought up as a Christian, so it's specifically the Christian god which I don't believe in!

 

[NATURE.M]

Born and raised a christian, but now happily an atheist.

 

[dkotschessaa]

To identify as a Buddhist is a bit of a strange thing. If you want to see Buddhists arguing, just get them in a room together and ask them whether Buddhism is a religion or not. If that doesn't work, ask them whether rebirth is literal or metaphorical. Then get out.

All I know that the practice(s) involved probably kept me from turning into a drug addled loser.

-Dave K

 

[WannabeNewton]

I'm offended that you didn't give a explicit item for Pastafarian!

I too am offended that Pastafarianism did not make an appearance. It is a legitimate religion that I subscribe to. I pray to The Flying Spaghetti Monster that one day our religion will be given the same weight as all the others.

 

[micromass]

I too am offended that Pastafarianism did not make an appearance. It is a legitimate religion that I subscribe to.

I couldn't list all religions, so I simply listed the 14 largest religions of the world. You can always choose other.

 

[WannabeNewton]

I couldn't list all religions, so I simply listed the 14 largest religions of the world. You can always choose other.

It's too late, the damage has been done

 

[AlephZero]

I couldn't list all religions, so I simply listed the 14 largest religions of the world.

Largest measured by what ordering relation? Number of deities? Wealth of its institutions? Number of devotees?

 

[Doc Al]

I too am offended that Pastafarianism did not make an appearance. It is a legitimate religion that I subscribe to. I pray to The Flying Spaghetti Monster that one day our religion will be given the same weight as all the others.

Bow down before the pasta!

 

[ShayanJ]

I'm offended that you didn't give a explicit item for Pastafarian!

[And if anyone mocks Pastafarianism, I will be even more offended.]

I don't want to mock anything. I'm just curious about pastafarianism because it seems to me its something for mocking other religions. I'm just asking for some clarification. And if you're going to answer, do it via private message.

EDIT: And others are really serious about it? Or are mocking Pastafarianism? or are mocking any other religion?

 

[WannabeNewton]

Bow down before the pasta!

The magnificence of the Great Pasta never fails to bring me to my knees in tears of joy.

 

[HallsofIvy]

The list does not include "Unitarian-Universalist" which is larger than some of those listed.

 

[dkotschessaa]

I don't want to mock anything. I'm just curious about pastafarianism because it seems to me its something for mocking other religions. I'm just asking for some clarification. And if you're going to answer, do it via private message.

EDIT: And others are really serious about it? Or are mocking Pastafarianism? or are mocking any other religion?

I don't want to derail the thread so I'll answer briefly. It isn't about mocking religions, but is a somewhat humorous way of bringing attention to the problem of lack of separation of church and state in America. By saying "why can't I be granted special privilege for my religion?", it is essentially "mocking" the government."

See: Texas Pastafarian Wins Battle At DMV, Becomes First In U.S. To Wear Colander In License Photo

Last I will say on it!

-Dave K

 

[WannabeNewton]

EDIT: And others are really serious about it?

Of course it's serious. It's just as serious as any other religion.

 

[ShayanJ]

Of course it's serious. It's just as serious as any other religion.

So are serious about being religious?

 

[WannabeNewton]

So are serious about being religious?

Yes certainly. I am a devout follower of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

 

[jtbell]

The list does not include "Unitarian-Universalist" which is larger than some of those listed.

The list is apparently from Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_religious_groups#Largest_religions

The smallest of these groups (Hoahaoism) is listed as having 1.5-3 million followers.

Wikipedia's article on Unitarian-Universalism gives 800,000 followers, using this page as a reference:

http://christianity.about.com/od/unitarian/a/unitarianprofile.htm

In terms of this poll, one could argue for counting it under either "Christianity" or "Other", depending on whether the primary criterion is historical origin or current creed (or rather, lack thereof). Individual UU's are all over the map in terms of personal belief.

 

[zoobyshoe]

I voted "Nun," (misspelled as "None" in the pole). I was raised by nuns, and even though I don't believe or practice anymore, nun-ism lingers in the cracks and crevices.

 

[B. Elliott]

I look at religions in the same way I do as a hobby. Some only do it part time, while others are complete over-the-top fanatics about it. What I find humorous is when someone happens to mention something negative about a hobby (religion), and someone gets up-in-arms offended about it. As long as no one is knocking on my door trying to get me to partake in their hobby, I could care less. If, for example, someone tried to pull my young nephew into participating in their religion, I would look at it as creepily as I would someone pressuring to get him to build models, play ping pong, or dance with them. Especially from a complete stranger!

People just need to relax and keep their personal time to themselves.

None here.

 

[DrGreg]

According to the 2001 census, Jedi was the number 4 religion in England and Wales. See Jedi census phenomenon.

 

[Ben Niehoff]

I have a friend who claims to be of the Norse religion. Does he really believe in Thor? I doubt it. Maybe he just says it to be different.

Does he offer human sacrifices to Odin? No? Odin is displeased.

 

[StatGuy2000]

BTW, I realized that the spelling of Tenriism was not a mistake, but an actual separate religion founded in Japan (incidentally, I have never heard of this faith until now), that was grew out of but separated from both Buddhism and Shintoism.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenriism#Tenrikyo_centers_outside_Japan

 

[mesa]

...to answer your original post, I consider myself to be an agnostic with a strong orientation/bias towards atheism, as I reject all organized religions. The only reason I hesitate to call myself an atheist is because from what I understand, to be an atheist means one makes the specific claim that God (or gods) does not exist, and prefer not to make any such specific assumptions.

The scientific approach to theism... I like it!

 

[WannabeNewton]

According to the 2001 census, Jedi was the number 4 religion in England and Wales. See Jedi census phenomenon.

Omg this is amazing lol. In light of this, I'm going to start the Jimmy Page religion.

 

[Nugatory]

More complaining about the options

It strikes me as a fairly serious defect that there's a single "None" category instead of separate categories for atheism, agnosticism, and non-sectarian monotheism. When 73% of the respondents choose a singe answer in a 16-choice poll, we're losing a far amount of resolution.

 

[micromass]

It strikes me as a fairly serious defect that there's a single "None" category instead of separate categories for atheism, agnosticism, and non-sectarian monotheism. When 73% of the respondents choose a singe answer in a 16-choice poll, we're losing a far amount of resolution.

Your wish is my command: https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=766157

 

[NATURE.M]

It strikes me as a fairly serious defect that there's a single "None" category instead of separate categories for atheism, agnosticism, and non-sectarian monotheism. When 73% of the respondents choose a singe answer in a 16-choice poll, we're losing a far amount of resolution.

Well to be frank, I think the poll is as it should be. I wouldn't consider atheism a religion at all, nor agnosticism. And since the poll asks what religion your afflicted with, I think none is an appropriate answer given the question.

 

[Lavabug]

I like the fact the OP used "None" as an option. It's always nice to see when someone bothers to get it right, ie: not labeling atheism as a religion.

 

[Lavabug]

and non-sectarian monotheism.

The big 3 (some would say the only 3) monotheistic flavors are up there, I really don't think there's a degeneracy problem here. Atheist/agnostics are clearly the only ones that should be picking the "none" option.

 

[Nugatory]

Your wish is my command: https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=766157

Remind me to be more careful about what I wish for in the future...

 

[Evo]

Well to be frank, I think the poll is as it should be. I wouldn't consider atheism a religion at all, nor agnosticism. And since the poll asks what religion your afflicted with, I think none is an appropriate answer given the question.

I like the fact the OP used "None" as an option. It's always nice to see when someone bothers to get it right, ie: not labeling atheism as a religion.

Exactlly, it seems only the religious feel that the non religious require labeling, the non-religious do not.

 

[Matterwave]

So few Christians in here. This poll does not seem to reflect the standard demographics.

 

[jtbell]

the poll asks what religion your afflicted with

Look again. (I added the boldface.)

Micro, did you intend the word "affiliated" to mean specifically "member of some religious group" or simply "what you believe"?

There are people who have religious beliefs but don't belong to an organized church or other religious or spiritual group; and there are people who do belong to such a group but don't personally (privately) subscribe to its creed or dogma.

 

[micromass]

Look again. (I added the boldface.)

Micro, did you intend the word "affiliated" to mean specifically "member of some religious group" or simply "what you believe"?

There are people who have religious beliefs but don't belong to an organized church or other religious or spiritual group; and there are people who do belong to such a group but don't personally (privately) subscribe to its creed or dogma.

Oh, it's simply what you believe or feel most comfortable with. You don't have to be an official member.

 

[B. Elliott]

So few Christians in here. This poll does not seem to reflect the standard demographics.

The standard demographics of a Science forum?

 

[WannabeNewton]

So few Christians in here. This poll does not seem to reflect the standard demographics.

That may be because it's a website for physics...

 

[DavidSnider]

Exactlly, it seems only the religious feel that the non religious require labeling, the non-religious do not.

Non-religious is just as much of a label as atheist. Non-religious is different label than atheist though.

 

[Astronuc]

The list is apparently from Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_religious_groups#Largest_religions

The smallest of these groups (Hoahaoism) is listed as having 1.5-3 million followers.

Wikipedia's article on Unitarian-Universalism gives 800,000 followers, using this page as a reference:

http://christianity.about.com/od/unitarian/a/unitarianprofile.htm

In terms of this poll, one could argue for counting it under either "Christianity" or "Other", depending on whether the primary criterion is historical origin or current creed (or rather, lack thereof). Individual UU's are all over the map in terms of personal belief.

Indeed, Unitarian-Universalism is a small group, and it's somewhat disparate with UU's in different nations having essentially developed independently.

I have an affiliation with the UUs, but I don't restrict myself to anyone denomination. If I have what is considered a religion, it's a personal one, derived from my experiences with different religions.

The UU profile on about.com is rather deficient, since they omitted several key founders or leading theologians, such as William Ellery Channing and Andrews Norton, and later Theodore Parker (who inspired Lincoln's "government of the people, by the people, for the people," which related Parker's vision of democracy), Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and many others.

Joseph Priestly discovered oxygen independently of an earlier discovery by Carl Wilhelm Scheele, in Uppsala. Unfortunately, Priestly was a supporter of phlogiston theory, so he lost credibility as a scientist.

 

[Evo]

Is there a label for the non-fairyiest or the non-alienest? How about the non-monster-in-my-closetest? Does a person require a label for everything made up by man that they do not believe in? Or just some things? And who decides? And why?

 

[Matterwave]

That may be because it's a website for physics...

Physics is not mutually exclusive with religion...

 

[WannabeNewton]

Physics is not mutually exclusive with religion...

Well no one said it was. But you were saying the poll is not indicative of the demographic. The demographic here is of users of a physics dedicated site and it is simply true that such a demographic has a much higher concentration of non-religious people than the general population so there is nothing to be surprised about.

 

[Matterwave]

Well no one said it was. But you were saying the poll is not indicative of the demographic. The demographic here is of users of a physics dedicated site and it is simply true that such a demographic has a much higher concentration of non-religious people than the general population so there is nothing to be surprised about.

Indeed that seems to be the case. :)

But the way you phrased your response seemed like it would be self-evident that physicists would not be religious, as if the two positions are mutually exclusive.

 

[leroyjenkens]

It strikes me as a fairly serious defect that there's a single "None" category instead of separate categories for atheism, agnosticism, and non-sectarian monotheism. When 73% of the respondents choose a singe answer in a 16-choice poll, we're losing a far amount of resolution.

From what I understand, atheism refers to belief and agnosticism refers to knowledge, so they're answers to different questions.

 

[Vanadium 50]

Exactlly, it seems only the religious feel that the non religious require labeling, the non-religious do not.

I'm not sure I agree. I have an atheist friend who is very unhappy when the different flavors of non-believers get lumped together.