How Americans Feel About Religious Groups

[Shadow Wolf]

If it helps, noting that I have no rooting interest held within such groups, you were saying?

I note ther poor showing of adherents of the Grand Spaghetti Monster too...like that really matters.

But again allow skeptics (as a collective) to be, well, "unbelievers".

This position neither serves your views as superior to any Catholics, Jews, Muslims, or Buddhists vs. simple "unbelievers".

Hmmm, is that a good or bad idealism/vision to embrace?

The essence of "unbelief" remains solidified that any claims of supernatural interdiction or control s a mirage constructed of hopes that "any" "god" calls the shots.

A belief in some Lucifer and/or current adherents of "Satanism" seem upon a similar path of mutually assured destruction amongst any and all "believers".

From your view, for good or ill, mankind is doomed to self-destruction. Fine, and I ignore that conclusion predicated upon absolutely nothing.

OK?

I retain the informed and insightful hope that you are indeed both stupid and wrong.

Here's to an ancient unbeliever's view..

It's more that, from my experience, Agnostics tend to be viewed as immature, playing safe, sitting on the fence, undecided, and other ways that are just plain wrong and do not acknowledge that Agnostics profess ignorance of any sort of supernatural deity. I am curious as to how society in general thinks about Agnostics and if my experience is locally based or not.
As for the comment about Satanism, that was aimed at the debate of whose more hated, in which Satanist would, very likely, rank far below Atheist and Mormons.

 

[Maldini]

Here's to the day that anyone's religious or lack of religious beleifs has no impact on their social and political life.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

How Americans Feel About Religious Groups | Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project

Well, at least Atheists are now not THE most despised in America...

...woo-hoo!

Atheist party in 2250!

Smart people are nearly always generally reviled by the population-at-large. Nobody likes uppity people who have the audicity to use their brains, learn things, and think for themselves.

 

[s2a]

It's more that, from my experience, Agnostics tend to be viewed as immature, playing safe, sitting on the fence, undecided, and other ways that are just plain wrong and do not acknowledge that Agnostics profess ignorance of any sort of supernatural deity. I am curious as to how society in general thinks about Agnostics and if my experience is locally based or not.
As for the comment about Satanism, that was aimed at the debate of whose more hated, in which Satanist would, very likely, rank far below Atheist and Mormons.

I tend to agree. for the most part (sparing boring details), that "agnostics" are not quite the same level of "unbelievers", as atheists (like me). "Atheists" are even far worse than "agnostics" within the eyes of most "believers".

I'm reminded of the line from "Dumb and Dumber", where the fated love interest must inform her unwanted affections and focused attentions from her paramour, that his stated ovations towards her "about a million to one chance" of reciprocation in kind...and this leads to his lone and inevitable conclusion in saying..."so, I have a chance".

Yes....it's DUMB.

Let us all recall however, just to be clear. It is "believers" that claim that a (any) "god(s)" exist, and those claimed entity(s) retain some invisible influence upon the cosmos.THIS IS NOT a claim for "atheists" to DISPROVE.

Political "atheists" simply operate under the knowledge and certainty that ANY "god(s)" are neither to blame nor praise for our current situations or condition.

As in the case of most/any "believers" of any sort, be they spurred on by religiosity, spirituality, mythology, or just scary bed time stories....self-avowed "unbelievers" are the worst "evil" there can ever be. Even Satan at least believes in Himself as "evil". Atheists don't even believe in Satan, Go figure...

 

[samosasauce]

I feel happy for Jews

 

[RitalinOhD]

It's more that, from my experience, Agnostics tend to be viewed as immature, playing safe, sitting on the fence, undecided, and other ways that are just plain wrong and do not acknowledge that Agnostics profess ignorance of any sort of supernatural deity.

It might help if people could actually agree on a single definition of agnostic.

 

[s2a]

It might help if people could actually agree on a single definition of agnostic.

Threads pointedly addressing this question can be found in abundance.

Not that all "unbelievers" agree, but agnostic views are no mystery here.

 

[RitalinOhD]

Threads pointedly addressing this question can be found in abundance.

Not that all "unbelievers" agree, but agnostic views are no mystery here.

I'm referring more specifically to people in general, not just this forum. I was assuming her comment was also in reference to the same. Of course my assumption could be off here.

 

[StarryNightshade]

Dang, Hinduism is dead center!

Yay for lukewarm feelings!

 

[Shadow Wolf]

It might help if people could actually agree on a single definition of agnostic.

I don't think it's so much people needing to agree on a single definition (as there really isn't one), but more people being able to acknowledge and realize that the belief in god is not a simple yes/no approach for everyone.

 

[RitalinOhD]

I don't think it's so much people needing to agree on a single definition (as there really isn't one), but more people being able to acknowledge and realize that the belief in god is not a simple yes/no approach for everyone.

The problem arises when one party is of the opinion that agnostic means "Knowledge of a God is unknowable", where this can apply to both Atheist & Theist, and a different party thinks Agnostic is simply "I'm not sure what I believe". These two parties have difficulty debating, as they are running from differing platforms.

Running from the first definition, it's possible for one to be Agnostic Atheist, or Agnostic Theist. The second forms a completely seperate column for the "undecided", and this is what leads people to call them "Fence Sitters", which many times is used in a negative light.

This is the reason why "Threads pointedly addressing this question can be found in abundance".