Poll: Do Star Trek fans believe in a Supreme Being?
- Thread starter Duane
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Lord Garth
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I believe I won't know the answer until I die and I'm not in a hurry to die.
A blend of one with a dash of two - A Supreme Being who is not absent by any means, but is far less interventionist than many appear to think.
To all intents and purposes I am a Christian in that I beleive in the existence & divinity of Jesus Christ. However I do not beleive the Bible (or indeed any scripture written by man) to be the literal 'Word of God', and I have a list of unorthodox beliefs which exclude me from most official denominations.
To all intents and purposes I am a Christian in that I beleive in the existence & divinity of Jesus Christ. However I do not beleive the Bible (or indeed any scripture written by man) to be the literal 'Word of God', and I have a list of unorthodox beliefs which exclude me from most official denominations.
I went with three though I can't quite shake early brainwashing that makes me cling to one, with the caveat that He is a borderline psychotic egomaniac. The Bible is a fucking scary book.
As far as I'm concerned, there absolutely is a God. He has made his presence and influence known to me and my life. That said, I voted for #2. I think letting us deal with the world more or less on our own is what free will is all about. I do also believe in the addage the Lord helps those who help themselves. So, the less we ask, the more we try to do on our own, I think the more likely it is for some divine intervention. Before I start sounding too much like a religious zealot, as much as I believe in God, I certainly have a problem with organized religion. So it's God I believe in, but not so much religion.
Hope I didn't offend anybody. These are my views, either accept or reject them. You don't have to agree.
Hope I didn't offend anybody. These are my views, either accept or reject them. You don't have to agree.
My personal theology comes pretty close to yours. I'm a firm believer in free will and ascribe to Calvin's concept that Scripture is not so much the literal word of God so much as it is a reflection of God. God wants us to make our own decisions and leaves us to make those decisions--for good or ill.
I do not believe in anything spiritual, mystical or supernatural, so I may well say that I do not believe in God.
However, the formulation in ambiguous. I prefer to state that I do not think that God exists. Saying "I believe" has the problem that it carries also the meaning of "I affirm that something is true beyond the need of a proof", "I refuse to accept the thought that something could be false", while I use logics and reason to determine my position, not personal witness or incontrovertible faith. The key concept of faith is that it doesn't need proofs: if you have proofs that God exists, the question ceases to be a matter of faith and it becomes a matter of fact.
Saying "I do not believe that God exists" is too easily confused with "I believe that God do not exists", that is the reason why many theists argue that atheism is a "belief" or a "religion" in itself. (Which is not: as someone else said, "If atheism is a religion, then not collecting stamps is a hobby!")
Moreover, where is the choice for polytheists? There is more than monotheism in the world, people!
However, the formulation in ambiguous. I prefer to state that I do not think that God exists. Saying "I believe" has the problem that it carries also the meaning of "I affirm that something is true beyond the need of a proof", "I refuse to accept the thought that something could be false", while I use logics and reason to determine my position, not personal witness or incontrovertible faith. The key concept of faith is that it doesn't need proofs: if you have proofs that God exists, the question ceases to be a matter of faith and it becomes a matter of fact.
Saying "I do not believe that God exists" is too easily confused with "I believe that God do not exists", that is the reason why many theists argue that atheism is a "belief" or a "religion" in itself. (Which is not: as someone else said, "If atheism is a religion, then not collecting stamps is a hobby!")
Moreover, where is the choice for polytheists? There is more than monotheism in the world, people!
Yeah, but he'll be too dead to care.
I believe the universe was created by a giant teapot.
^"Short and stout, here is my handle, here is my WORSHIP ME OR BURN FOREVER MOLTEN HELLFIRE!"
That's my religion, too!
That's my religion, too!
That's a great topic for debate.
Mmmm Im more two mixed with a three - I believe something created the universe whether it knows it did or not is a different matter - I do know that whatever did create the universe didn't necessarily create the Earth directly, nor does it care about what happens on our tiny little world.
That is if reality exists further than my consciousness - but as in The Algebraist by Iain M Banks - any false reality that is indistuingishable from actual reality must be treated as reality as there is really no difference. That is The Truth.
That is if reality exists further than my consciousness - but as in The Algebraist by Iain M Banks - any false reality that is indistuingishable from actual reality must be treated as reality as there is really no difference. That is The Truth.
I tend to fall into the #1 with a dash of #2... but being steeped in theology, I tend to find none of the nuance necessary in the above-proffered options that actually hit the nail on the head.
I believe in a real God who exists and cares for creation, who knows the beginning and the end of all things, but who respects our free will.
Rob+
I believe in a real God who exists and cares for creation, who knows the beginning and the end of all things, but who respects our free will.
Rob+
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