Poll; theist, atheist or agnostic

Actually, they can. A good chunk of those theists are evolutionists.

---

"These monkeys are at once the ugliest and the most beautiful creatures on the planet./ And the monkeys don't want to be monkeys; they want to be something else./ But they're not."
-- Ernie Cline

Most theists think that a Creator set it all in motion, don't they? That would be interesting broken down further anyway.

i vote atheist

Yeah, I'm wondering how they reconcile it. But that is for another thread.

---

"Your friends, if they can, may bury you with some distinction, and set up a monument, to let posterity see that your dust lies under such a stone; and when that is done, all is done. Your place is filled up by another, the world is just in the same state it was, you are blotted out of its sight, and as much forgotten by the world as if you had never belonged to it."--William Law

That's not true at all. This list has nothing to do with the creation/evolution debate. As you can see, the Theist list contains many prominent theistic evolutionists. And of those that voted as Theists, there are only a handful who are Christian and creationists. There are very few here.

---

“If chance be the father of all flesh then disaster is his rainbow in the sky. And when you hear of, state of emergencies, sniper kills ten, youths go looting, bomb blasts school, it is but the sound of man worshipping his maker” -Steve Turner

THEIST
1. Nemesis Juggernaut
2. Faith
3. Mjfloresta
4. Catholic Scientist
5. Percy
6. Iano
7. Arachnophilia
8. Buzsaw
9. Phat
10. Jazzns
11. Trixie
12. Tal
13. GDR
14. Anglagard
15. PurpledawnAGNOSTIC
1. Creavolution
2. Omnivorous
3. Schrafinator
4. MangyTiger
5. Rail Bird
6. Rick JB
7. Inflixion
8. Tusko
9. Ekman
10. ReverendDGATHEIST
1. Robinrohan
2. Ramoss
3. Subbie
4. Annafan
5. Chronos
6. Corpagyps
7. Randy Feagley
8. Crashfrog
9. Mutty6969
10. CK
11. Chiroptera
12. Michael
13. Nighttrain
14. NosyNed
15. Jaderis
16. Parasomnium
17. Quetzal
18. NeuroCycle
19. MickNONE OF OUR BUISNESS
1. DrJonesRINGO-- IN A CLASS BY HIMSELF
1. RINGO (there can only be one Ringo to rule them all)

The poll is limited to the simple question "do you believe in God or possibly in gods?"There are four ultimately discrete answers:1. No
2. Undecided
3. Yes
4. No commentAll responses have reasons behind them, some of which are easily, if not completely, traced in this forum.

quote:

---

Most theists think that a Creator set it all in motion, don't they? That would be interesting broken down further anyway.

---

As to your second point, while there may be reasons why one does or does not believe in God, once belief is presumed, there are many ways how one believes in God. There is pretty much only one way how one does not believe in, or is undecided, about belief in God. The 'how' of belief automatically becomes irrelevant. The 'how' of belief, as it is personal and not subject to scientific proof, to paraphrase Einstein, becomes as diverse as the personal characteristics of the beliver, provided one does not become overly enraptured by other personalities, be they living or presume to speak from a position of absolute and unquestioning authority for their interpretation of past events. Therefore it should be no surprise there is a tremendous variety among self-described theists.Yes, it would be interesting, as IMHO there are many ways to God, to each according to our understanding.As to your first point, not all belief systems assume a completely linear relationship between creator and created, however I have digressed enough. Perhaps the best place to elaborate upon one's 'how' is through the thread of the personal belief statement rather than a poll with a limited number of discrete outcomes.Edited by anglagard, : forgot backslash in quote

I beg your pardon? "Ways" and "how" don't exactly go together.

Intended to mean, although not exclusively meaning, there is a difference between the Western "Judeo-Christian-Islamic" concept of God and that of many other societies. The "way" means "different" the how means "in both philosophic belief and in practice."Admittedly, it may not be proper English. Sorry for the breakdown in communication.

Agnostic, defaulting to atheist.Having no reason to be a theist, I default to atheist.I suspect most to all filed under "atheist" are also "by default" atheists. I suspect many filed under "agnostic" are actually "by default" atheists.I think that most of the "theists" still have a lot of "agnostic" in them.To be honest with ones self is to say "I really don't and can't know for sure".Moose

---

Professor, geology, Whatsamatta U
Evolution - Changes in the environment, caused by the interactions of the components of the environment. "Do not meddle in the affairs of cats, for they are subtle and will piss on your computer." - Bruce Graham

​

"The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness." - John Kenneth Galbraith

​

"I know a little about a lot of things, and a lot about a few things, but I'm highly ignorant about everything." - Moose

I be Agnostic, if you please.Gonna have to disagree with Moose here. I tend to think that, at a push, most atheists would agree that they cannot totally deny the possibility of the existence of God/Gods without moving into almost a "faith" position. So technically, one could regard them as agnostics as well.Maybe this is true of some theists as well (that God/Gods might possibly not exist), somewhere in the dark recesses of their minds...this would of course swell the agnostic camp substantially

---

"The good Christian should beware the mathematician and all those who make empty prophecies. The danger already exists that the mathematicians have made a covenant with the devil to darken the spirit and to confine man in the bonds of hell." - St. Augustine

Don't know if you want to count my vote I think I have only made two or three posts in the three years I have been reading this board. But if you do it would agnostic leaning to theism. Almost a Quaker.

I don't think you really are disgreeing with him, in fact you seem to be saying something pretty similar but you have just come to a different conclusion as to which label should be applied to those with no compelling belief in, yet who recognise that they can't know for certain that there is no, god.I suspect that Moose's classification is more in line with the thinking of a number of the theists on the board. I'm sure Ray (Herepton) would classify a large proportion of those who have described themselves as agnostics as atheists.This may be one reason for the disparity in views on atheists outnumbering theis that NJ brought this up to solve, a lot of those who self identify as agnostics obviously appear to be atheists to many of the theist members.As for me, I am another who is philosophically agnostic but functionally atheist. So I would put myself in the agnostic category.TTFN,WK

quote:

---

Specifically why is it not applicable to agnosticism?

---

Saying that Agnostics "don't know what to do" with what we do or don't know seems to imply that;1) one must "do" something with such knowledge at all, and2) that Agnostics are having trouble or difficulty making up our minds.It would be more accurate to say that Agnostics take the position that it isn't possible to make up one's mind.

quote:

---

Nicely put summary of the agnostic viewpoint (well at least mine as well as yours).

---

Thank you!