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Are you religious?
- Thread starter izzy88
- Start date
Agnostisch
Egyptian Man
Sometimes 
izzy88
Active Member
What does that mean?Sometimes
Agnostisch
Egyptian Man
First of all, what is the meaning of the word religion?
izzy88
Active Member
If you don't know the meaning, how come you already answered the question? How do you know that you are "sometimes" religious if you don't actually know what "religious" means?
As has been shown already your working definition of the word 'religious' has to be defined. Traditional formal religions? Self-styled religious beliefs? What?
I am not religious. But I like to discuss various aspects of religion because it has such a strong bearing on how many people act. I am also trying to support rational discussion and evidence based belief, which I often find religion to be directly opposed to. So, if I can discuss this with people who actually believe, I might learn from them and them from me.
Voted no of course - taking the accepted definition of 'religion'. Philosophy forums - where I might be as interested in the quality of discussion - are a little beyond me now, if they ever were a reasonable prospect given my engineering background and not having an education suited to philosophy, apart from my having an amateur interest. And we all have to live in this world where religions tend to dominate even if some of us don't appear to have any of such, so why wouldn't we try to understand how it comes to be that so many do believe such things, although not seemingly to agree that much. Religions play a very big role, and are often quite fundamental to one (but often not for the best) within most societies, but that hardly gives them therefore the right to command what is debated or criticised, even if a few faiths seem to take exception to this, or the more fundamentalist ones at least.
So, one can get a variety of different views on all sorts of things related to beliefs plus there is plenty of non-religious stuff here as well.
- are a little beyond me now, if they ever were a reasonable prospect given my engineering background and not having an education suited to philosophy, apart from my having an amateur interest. And we all have to live in this world where religions tend to dominate even if some of us don't appear to have any of such, so why wouldn't we try to understand how it comes to be that so many do believe such things, although not seemingly to agree that much. Religions play a very big role, and are often quite fundamental to one (but often not for the best) within most societies, but that hardly gives them therefore the right to command what is debated or criticised, even if a few faiths seem to take exception to this, or the more fundamentalist ones at least.So, one can get a variety of different views on all sorts of things related to beliefs plus there is plenty of non-religious stuff here as well.
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Why do I spend time here?
Entertainment, information, to get outside of the bubble to see the views of people that have no vested interest in agreeing with me. To practice my mediocre debate skills.
Humor, there is a lot of humor/sarcasm about that I enjoy.
Also, RF is a place where I can have my opinions evaluated and sometimes corrected for free.
Agnostisch
Egyptian Man
I am asking about the meaning of the word religion For you.
Cannot answer for the OP but I would personally say that religion can be defined by orthodoxy (belief) and/or orthopraxy (practice).
Thus, it's possible to be a "believer" (and thus religious in the first sense) but to be non-practising and so not "religious" under the second definition.
Alternatively, it's possible to be a "religious fictionalist" which means that you are not a believer (not religious under first definition) but you are "religious" under the second because you partake of religious community or individual rituals, such as church, mosque, synagogue, kosher, meditation etc.
Then, you get people who are religiously observant - like practising orthodox Catholics, or Torah-observant religious Jews - who are religious under both senses.
So, 'tis complicated.
izzy88
Active Member
Why do we have dictionaries if we're required to define every term we use every time we use it anyway?
You're making this more complicated than it needs to be.
Because dictionaries are often just a first approximation to current usage. They tend to be poor descriptors when it comes to any technical discussion. And, in the context of religion, even those specializing in the study of religion often disagree about the definition.
From Definition of religion - Wikipedia
"The definition of religion is a controversial and complicated subject in religious studies with scholars failing to agree on any one definition. Oxford Dictionary defines religion as the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods.[1] Others, such as Wilfred Cantwell Smith, have tried to correct a perceived Judeo-Christian and Western bias in the definition and study of religion. Thinkers such as Daniel Dubuisson[2] have doubted that the term religion has any meaning outside of western cultures, while others, such as Ernst Feil[3] even doubt that it has any specific, universal meaning even there. "
Messianic Israelite
Active Member
What I have found is that many people no longer identify themselves as religious. You'll find another word popping up which is 'spiritual'. People who may believe in the Almighty in that they believe one exists, but in terms of living their lives, they are not bound to any laws or principles except what they themselves see fit. They see all religion as simply man-made which gives them the right to act in a licentious way, only dictated by their past experience and the evidence they see around them, even if that evidence is biased. I'm afraid such a weak principled person isn't going to meet Yahweh's standards to make it to the Kingdom. I consider myself religious and spiritual and don't see how anyone could believe that Yahweh would put us on a planet without direction (Bible).
And, to be clear, I am neither religious, nor spiritual (in the sense of believing in spirits).
If you cannot be interested in religion without being religious, can you be interested in politics without being a politician? What about being interested in science without being a scientist? Interested in music without being a musician?
Why on earth do so many religious people time and time again ask why non-religious people are interested in religion? That's the real question. Not why non-religious people are interested in religion, but why so many religious people ask what they ask?
Why on earth do so many religious people time and time again ask why non-religious people are interested in religion? That's the real question. Not why non-religious people are interested in religion, but why so many religious people ask what they ask?
Mostly, I imagine, on here it annoys certain religious people who post a topic aimed primarily at other religious people, but atheists come in and drag it down to 'but science' &c. instead of even hypothetically accepting a certain premise as a given and working from there. It brings a lot of religious discussion down to 'PROVE IT!!!' or 'BUT MUH SCIENCE!'
The dictionary will show multiple definitions.
True. But that's why we have DIRs.
izzy88
Active Member
I don't understand your hostility; what's wrong with asking someone why they're interested in something that they're interested in? I thought it would be a good way to get to know people better. And I only asked the non-religious why they're here because it seems silly to ask a religious person why they're on a religious forum, doesn't it?