What do you believe?

[OnceConvinced]

One of the difficult things about debating on a site such as this is trying to keep track of who believes what. Sometimes you can be arguing a point with say a Christian, only to find out that person has a different opinion to what you assumed. Eg Debating the concept of eternal suffering in Hell and finding out the Christian you debated with doesn’t believe Hell is eternal suffering.

I thought it would be handy to create a questionnaire that we can all answer (not just Christians all though it mainly revolves around biblical philosophies) that tells everyone our stance on certain issues. I’m hoping it might be a database we can refer to, to jog our memories of a person’s particular stance. I know I enjoy doing surveys like this, so perhaps there are others here too. It may be that people don’t want to do it, it may be that only a few will even bother, but I thought I’d try it out anyway.

The idea is to answer the questions with very basic answers. Hopefully one word answers, but no more than a sentence. (I have given sample answers, but you aren’t limited to those). No need to back up your views with scripture or anything. The idea of this thread is not to debate issues but just to allow people to know where each of us stands. Some of the questions do assume there is a God, but an atheist should still be able to answer them eg if the question is “Is God omniscient� then you can answer “no� based on the fact you don’t believe in God. Or you can answer based on what you believe God would be according to your observations.

Feel free to skip any questions you don’t want to answer or just can’t answer.

1. Do you believe in God? Yes/No/Uncertain Who?
2. Do you blame God for what’s wrong in your life and in this world? Yes/no? How can I blame something I don’t believe in?
3. The only way to God is through Jesus Christ yes/no/Unsure/Not relevant to me
4. Christianity is a religion Yes/No
5. Christianity is a relationship with God Yes/No
6. Catholics are Christian Yes/No
7. Believing in Christ is a choice Yes/No/You can’t choose to believe something, you either do or you don’t believe.
8. The Bible is… The infallible word of God/Inspired by God/Man’s beliefs about God
9. It requires the holy spirit to understand scripture. Yes/No
10. There are contradictions in the bible Yes/No
11. The gospels are eye witness accounts Yes/no/It’s all heresay
12. The creation story is literal history Yes/No
13. Noah’s Ark and the great flood is a true story Yes/No
It was a local flood Yes/No
It covered the entire world Yes/No
14. God is omniscient (knows everything there is to know including future events) Yes/No
15. God is omnipotent (all powerful) Yes/No
16. God is omnipresent (everywhere) Yes/No/If he chooses to be
17. God is loving Yes/No
18. God is just Yes/No
19. God is merciful Yes/No
20. God is perfect Yes/No
21. God answers prayer Yes/No/Some times
22. God protects his followers Yes/No/Some times
23. God requires works rather than faith Yes/No
24. God violates freewill yes/no/some times
25. God always keeps his promises: Yes/No
26. God sins (based on the bible definition of what sin is) Yes/No
27. Morals: Come from God/Come as a result of evolution
28. Miracles do happen these days Yes/No
29. Hell is… Eternal suffering/Death by fire/the Grave/On Earth
30. God created Hell Yes/No
31. God created Satan Yes/No
32. Young children and babies will go to hell if they are not saved Yes/No
33. People who have never heard the gospel will go to Hell Yes/No
34. Suffering is: God testing us/A result of Satan’s activities/Adam and Eve’s fault/A result of evolution
35. The earth is: around 6-7000 years old/Millions of years old
36. God used evolution to create life Yes/No/Evolution has no intelligence behind it.
37. Sin = Evil things that people do/Actions God hates/ Actions religious leaders hate/Human nature
38. Homosexuality is a sin Yes/No
39. Atheists are evil Yes/No
40. Salvation = Once saved always saved/Requires actions to maintain/There is no such thing
41. You must be baptized to be saved: Yes/No/Unsure
42. Ex Christians were: Never true Christians to begin with/Were Christians but deconverted for some reason
43. Rank in order of importance: Faith, Knowledge, Critical thinking, Belief, Hope
44. What is the purpose of the Holy Spirit = (describe in one or two sentences if possible)
45. What does it take to consider yourself a true Christian? (Try to keep your answer as brief as possible)

[Jester]

Okay, jumping in as well...

God
1. Do you believe in God?
Yes

2. Do you blame God for what’s wrong in your life and in this world?
There's a great deal more that I like about the universe existing than not.

14. God is omniscient (knows everything there is to know including future events) I think so. All I know for sure is that I am not.

15. God is omnipotent (all powerful)
No, but rather close to it, I'd say.

16. God is omnipresent (everywhere)
Yes, I believe so.

20. God is perfect
Yes. Else, he's not God

23. God requires works rather than faith
I don't see how we can separate the two - or either from love.


Jesus
3. The only way to God is through Jesus Christ
I'm not certain what "through Jesus Christ" means.

7. Believing in Christ is a choice
Believing or not believing is always largely a matter of choice.


Salvation/Damnation
34. Suffering is:
A result of evil and the process by which we either learn to be good or grow more bitter and distant from that which is good.

37. Sin =
Failing to live up to perfect internal and external moral standards.

40. Salvation =
A reconnection/relationship with the divine that can be maintained or abandoned at will.

29. Hell is…
Separation from the divine.

33. People who have never heard the gospel will go to Hell
My guess is that they get the same option of being with God as everyone. Whether or not they take it is up to them.


The Bible
8. The Bible is…
Near as I can tell, a record of personal experiences with God.

10. There are contradictions in the bible
It seems so to me, but none that I'd consider terribly relevant.

12. The creation story is literal history
No


Daily Life
27. Morals:
Are simply opinion unless God happens to exist.

28. Miracles do happen these days
Miracles are extremely rare in any era.

39. Atheists are evil
We all have evil in us; atheists no more or less than any other group.

45. What does it take to consider yourself a true Christian? (Try to keep your answer as brief as possible)
Being in relationship with God.

43. Rank in order of importance:
My understanding of these terms:
Belief - Axioms
Critical thinking - Valid means of reaching conclusions via axioms.
Knowledge - Conclusions
Faith - Willingness to commit to axioms and conclusions in one's actions
Hope - Committing enough to feel that there's a reason to get out of bed in the morning.

I don't see how a human can function properly without all of these.

[ForkieUK]

My Answers:


1. Do you believe in God? No
2. Do you blame God for what’s wrong in your life and in this world? No
3. The only way to God is through Jesus Christ. Not Relevant
4. Christianity is a religion. Yes
5. Christianity is a relationship with God. Apparently
6. Catholics are Christian. In some form
7. Believing in Christ is a choice. Yes
8. The Bible is… An old book written by various scribes at various times.
9. It requires the holy spirit to understand scripture. No
10. There are contradictions in the bible. Yes
11. The gospels are eye witness accounts. Possibly embellished versions of events.
12. The creation story is literal history. No
13. Noah’s Ark and the great flood is a true story. No
It was a local flood No
It covered the entire world No
14. God is omniscient (knows everything there is to know including future events) No
15. God is omnipotent (all powerful) No
16. God is omnipresent (everywhere) No
17. God is loving No
18. God is just No
19. God is merciful No
20. God is perfect No
21. God answers prayer No
22. God protects his followers No
23. God requires works rather than faith God does not require anything
24. God violates freewill No
25. God always keeps his promises: Not relevant
26. God sins (based on the bible definition of what sin is) Yes
27. Morals: Are complicated!
28. Miracles do happen these days. No - nor in any other days
29. Hell is… Ficticious
30. God created Hell No
31. God created Satan No
32. Young children and babies will go to hell if they are not saved. No
33. People who have never heard the gospel will go to Hell. No
34. Suffering is: An unfortunate part of life
35. The earth is: Approx. 4.5 billion years old
36. God used evolution to create life. Evolution has no intelligence behind it.
37. Sin = The name a priest gives to actions he doesn't approve of
38. Homosexuality is a sin No
39. Atheists are evil. No
40. Salvation = There is no such thing
41. You must be baptized to be saved: No
42. Ex Christians were: Were Christians but deconverted for some reason
43. Rank in order of importance: Knowledge, Critical thinking, Hope, Belief, Faith
44. What is the purpose of the Holy Spirit = Does not exist
45. What does it take to consider yourself a true Christian? I don't know

[sickles]

1. Do you believe in God? I believe in Gods. More like the spirit of places and things, as they evolved /emerged.
2. Do you blame God for what’s wrong in your life and in this world? no.
3. The only way to God is through Jesus Christ no
4. Christianity is a religion Yes
5. Christianity is a relationship with God No
6. Catholics are Christian Yes
7. Believing in Christ is a choice Yes
8. The Bible is… propaganda for our culture's world view
9. It requires the holy spirit to understand scripture. No
10. There are contradictions in the bible Yes
11. The gospels are eye witness accounts It’s all heresay
12. The creation story is literal history No
13. Noah’s Ark and the great flood is a true story No
It was a local flood Yes
It covered the entire world No
14. God is omniscient (knows everything there is to know including future events) No
15. God is omnipotent (all powerful) No
16. God is omnipresent (everywhere) There is a god for everwhere. No one god.
17. God is loving No
18. God is just Yes
19. God is merciful No
20. God is perfect No
21. God answers prayer No
22. God protects his followers No
23. God requires works rather than faith Yes
24. God violates freewill no
25. God always keeps his promises: No
26. God sins (based on the bible definition of what sin is) not applicable
27. Morals: Come as a result of evolution
28. Miracles do happen these days No
29. Hell is… no such thing
30. God created Hell No
31. God created Satan No
32. Young children and babies will go to hell if they are not saved No
33. People who have never heard the gospel will go to Hell No
34. Suffering is: God testing us
35. The earth is: billions of years old.
36. God used evolution to create life Yes and there is no intelligence behind it (strange, yes?)
37. Sin = Things our culture tells us are wrong.
38. Homosexuality is a sin No
39. Atheists are evil No
40. Salvation = a theory that people are born flawed and in need of guidance.
41. You must be baptized to be saved: No
42. Ex Christians were: Were Christians but deconverted for some reason
43. Rank in order of importance: Knowledge, Critical thinking
44. What is the purpose of the Holy Spirit = to allow people to think that everything is going according to plan.
45. What does it take to consider yourself a true Christian? belief in christ

[Drolefille]

1. Do you believe in God? Undecided.
2. Do you blame God for what’s wrong in your life and in this world? No
3. The only way to God is through Jesus Christ. If he exists, the answer to this is independent of my thoughts on it. I do believe that if so, it's probably not worth it.
4. Christianity is a religion Yes
5. Christianity is a relationship with God - It's an aspect of the religion
6. Catholics are Christian Yes
7. Believing in Christ is a choice - I don't think that all people can choose what they believe. It'd be easier of I could choose something, but I wouldn't really believe it.
8. The Bible is Christianity's scripture.
9. It requires the holy spirit to understand scripture. I'd say define holy spirit first.
10. There are contradictions in the bible Yes
11. The gospels are eye witness accounts - No, at least not according to what I learned from my Jesuit theology class. I found the evidence to be compelling.
12. The creation story is literal history No
13. Noah’s Ark and the great flood is a true story No
It was a local flood Possibly
It covered the entire world No
14. God is omniscient (knows everything there is to know including future events) Maybe
15. God is omnipotent (all powerful) Maybe
16. God is omnipresent (everywhere) Maybe
17. God is loving Not by his descriptions, but maybe
18. God is just - Not by his descriptions, but maybe
19. God is merciful Not by his descriptions, but maybe
20. God is perfect Not by his descriptions, but maybe
21. God answers prayer Depends on the definition of answering prayer, some people do feel their prayers have been answered, but whether that is self-delusion or reality I don't know.
22. God protects his followers In the aggregate, perhaps. Although it seems being "chosen" is rarely a good thing for one's health.
23. God requires works rather than faith Presuming he exists and expects either, yes I think you have to be good not just believe.
24. God violates freewill No
25. God always keeps his promises: Depends on how you understand/interpret them I suppose.
26. God sins (based on the bible definition of what sin is) He kills, and he tells other people to do so but it always seems to be justified when God says so. convenient that.
27. Morals: Are based evolutionarily and societally and have developed to be adaptive to both. They do not require a religion to have or enforce.
28. Miracles do happen these days Maybe.
29. Hell is a possibility
30. God created Hell If he created everything then, I suppose, yes. If he didn't and it doesn't exist then no. Other options available based on the reality of things.
31. God created Satan See above
32. Young children and babies will go to hell if they are not saved If so, he's a deity I would never worship
33. People who have never heard the gospel will go to Hell See above
34. Suffering is part of life
35. The earth is a planet
36. God used evolution to create life Maybe
37. Sin is something that is considered "wrong" as framed through a religious lens.
38. Homosexuality is a sin Is it wrong? No. Do some people consider it a sin? yes.
39. Atheists are evil Not because they're atheists. Some might be.
40. Salvation Something everyone is apparently in need of according to some religious people
41. You must be baptized to be saved: If so, it's not a system I'd ever take part in due to the exclusions above.
42. Ex Christians were mostly people who believed, who were Christians, and who no longer believe.
43. Rank in order of importance: Critical Thinking, Knowledge, Hope, Belief, Faith
44. What is the purpose of the Holy Spirit = Within the religion, to be an unseen purveyor of wisdom. Looking from the outside in, the holy spirit is a way to create a deity that all can relate to - some relating to a parental figure, some to the person who has suffered and some to the less corporeal spirit
45. What does it take to consider yourself a true Christian? Belief in Jesus of Nazereth as the Messiah, the Christ. The Nicene Creed summarizes things well, but excludes people who would 'count' but for one 'heresy' or other.

I'm very bad at following directions it seems, but I'm leaving it

[Baz]

1. 1. Do you believe in God? Yes
2. Do you blame God for what’s wrong in your life and in this world? no
3. The only way to God is through Jesus Christ Defiantly untrue
4. Christianity is a religion Yes
5. Christianity is a relationship with God I suppose it is to Christians
6. Catholics are Christian You would have to ask them.
7. Believing in Christ is a choice Saying you believe is, being honest with your self could be something different.
8. The Bible is… Mans Inspired beliefs about God
9. It requires the holy spirit to understand scripture. No but it would probably help
10. There are contradictions in the bible Yes, lots just as in life
11. The gospels are eye witness accounts Some possibly, most are story’s
12. The creation story is literal history You ask if a story something other than what you have stated it to be?
13. Noah’s Ark and the great flood is a true story Not literally It was a local flood Most likely
It covered the entire world I would sagest is was very wide spread, it was reported in many cultures
14. God is omniscient (knows everything there is to know including future events) Yes but not the future
15. God is omnipotent (all powerful) No
16. God is omnipresent (everywhere) Yes
17. God is loving Yes and no
18. God is just Not relevant to my view of God
19. God is merciful As above
20. God is perfect As above
21. God answers prayer Yes some times
22. God protects his followers Not in the way some believe
23. God requires works rather than faith God REQUIRES nothing
24. God violates freewill No
25. God always keeps his promises: His? God makes no promises
26. God sins (based on the bible definition of what sin is) Unclear question
27. Morals: Come from social and religious cultural upbringing
28. Miracles do happen these days Yes depending on your definition of a miracle
29. Hell is… To be avoided
30. God created Hell No
31. God created Satan No
32. Young children and babies will go to hell if they are not saved No
33. People who have never heard the gospel will go to Hell No (I note a lot of Hell and no Haven here!)
34. Suffering is: Also to be avoided
35. The earth is: Millions of years old
36. God used evolution to create life Evolution is an intelligent way to make the most of life
37. Sin = Things that some people believe to be wrong
38. Homosexuality is a sin Only to those who believe it to be wrong
39. Atheists are evil As above
40. Salvation = Requires the RNLI in England anyway
41. You must be baptized to be saved: No they pick up everybody
42. Ex Christians were: Were Christians before they became Ex
43. Rank in order of importance:,
1/Critical thinking, 2/Knowledge, 3/Belief, 4/Hope, 5/ Faith,
44. What is the purpose of the Holy Spirit = (describe in one or two sentences if possible)
45. What does it take to consider yourself a true Christian? (Try to keep your answer as brief as possible)

44-45 don’t apply. Please note that my answers are a bit brief and sketchy. This reflects the nature of the pole but could be of some use in a very generalised way.

[Baz]

Well that took a bit longer than I would have thought, as with all general questions I can never answer all of them, but thanks OnceConvinced it was actually fun to read through what others had put and to attempt to do myself.

[cnorman18]

Thought I'd check out my answers to see if any have changed. Nope, not a one.

1. Do you believe in God? Yes.

2. Do you blame God for what’s wrong in your life and in this world? No.

3. The only way to God is through Jesus Christ No.

4. Christianity is a religion Yes.

5. Christianity is a relationship with God No.

6. Catholics are Christian Yes.

7. Believing in Christ is a choice Yes.

8. The Bible is… Man’s beliefs about God

9. It requires the holy spirit to understand scripture. No.

10. There are contradictions in the bible Yes.

11. The gospels are eye witness accounts No.

12. The creation story is literal history No.

13. Noah’s Ark and the great flood is a true story No.

It was a local flood Maybe the story started with one.

It covered the entire world No.

14. God is omniscient (knows everything there is to know including future events) Unknown.

15. God is omnipotent (all powerful) Unknown.

16. God is omnipresent (everywhere) Unknown.

17. God is loving Unknown; probably not.

18. God is just We hope so.

19. God is merciful Ditto.

20. God is perfect Unknown.

21. God answers prayer Maybe, but don't count on it.

22. God protects his followers No.

23. God [strike]requires[/strike] prefers works rather than faith Yes.

24. God violates freewill No.

25. God always keeps his promises: What promises?

26. God sins (based on the bible definition of what sin is) Unknown.

27. Morals: are built into reality, like physics & logic.

28. Miracles do happen these days maybe, but don't count on it.

29. Hell is… Fictional.

30. God created Hell No.

31. God created Satan Another fiction.

32. Young children and babies will go to hell if they are not saved Duh. No.

33. People who have never heard the gospel will go to Hell No.

34. Suffering is: An aspect of existence.

35. The earth is: [strike]Millions[/strike] Billions of years old

36. God used evolution to create life No. Evolution works on its own. The precise meaning of "Creation" is unknown.

37. Sin = Different in Judaism than in Christianity. "Not recommended."

38. Homosexuality is a sin No.

39. Atheists are evil No.

40. Salvation = From what?

41. You must be baptized to be saved: No.

42. Ex Christians: Were Christians but deconverted for some reason

43. Rank in order of importance:

Critical thinking

Knowledge

Belief (specifics optional)

44. What is the purpose of the Holy Spirit = (describe in one or two sentences if possible)

What's that?

45. What does it take to consider yourself a true Christian? (Try to keep your answer as brief as possible)

Beats me. Not being a Jew, for starters. Otherwise I don't particularly care.

[charris]

1. Do you believe in God? No
2. Do you blame God for what’s wrong in your life and in this world? No? How can I blame something I don’t believe in?
3. The only way to God is through Jesus Christ Not relevant to me
4. Christianity is a religion Yes, by definition
5. Christianity is a relationship with God Yes, because you're communicating with God. Every religion is also a relationship.
6. Catholics are Christian Yes
7. Believing in Christ is a choice You can’t choose to believe something, you either do or you don’t believe.
8. The Bible is… Not very reliable
9. It requires the holy spirit to understand scripture. No
10. There are contradictions in the bible Yes
11. The gospels are eye witness accounts Not at all
12. The creation story is literal history No
13. Noah’s Ark and the great flood is a true story No
It was a local flood Yes
It covered the entire world No
14. God is omniscient (knows everything there is to know including future events) Not relevant
15. God is omnipotent (all powerful) Not relevant
16. God is omnipresent (everywhere) Not relevant
17. God is loving Not relevant
18. God is just Not relevant
19. God is merciful Not relevant
20. God is perfect Not relevant
21. God answers prayer Not relevant
22. God protects his followers Not relevant
23. God requires works rather than faith Not relevant
24. God violates freewill Not relevant
25. God always keeps his promises: Not relevant
26. God sins (based on the bible definition of what sin is) Not relevant
27. Morals: Come as a result of evolution and logic and rational thinking
28. Miracles do happen these days No
29. Hell is… imaginary
30. God created Hell Not relevant
31. God created Satan Not relevant
32. Young children and babies will go to hell if they are not saved Not relevant
33. People who have never heard the gospel will go to Hell Not relevant
34. Suffering is: A result of evolution; natural
35. The earth is: 4.5 billion years old
36. God used evolution to create life Evolution has no intelligence behind it.
37. Sin = a misconception propagated by religion
38. Homosexuality is a sin Not relevant
39. Atheists are evil No
40. Salvation = There is no such thing
41. You must be baptized to be saved: Not relevant
42. Ex Christians were: Were Christians but deconverted for some reason
43. Rank in order of importance: Knowledge, Critical thinking, Belief, Hope. Faith is unimportant.
44. What is the purpose of the Holy Spirit = Not relevant
45. What does it take to consider yourself a true Christian? I'm not a christian in the slightest.

[jmvizanko]

1. Do you believe in God? No
2. Do you blame God for what’s wrong in your life and in this world? How can I blame something I don’t believe in?
3. The only way to God is through Jesus Christ No, if there is an intelligent god, he wouldn't be so arbitrarily unfair
4. Christianity is a religion Yes
5. Christianity is a relationship with God No
6. Catholics are Christian Yes
7. Believing in Christ is a choice You can’t choose to believe something, you either do or you don’t believe.
8. The Bible is… Man’s beliefs about God
9. It requires the holy spirit to understand scripture. No
10. There are contradictions in the bible Yes
11. The gospels are eye witness accounts It’s all heresay
12. The creation story is literal history No
13. Noah’s Ark and the great flood is a true story No
28. Miracles do happen these days No
32. Young children and babies will go to hell if they are not saved No
33. People who have never heard the gospel will go to Hell No
34. Suffering is: what it is, natural and random.
35. The earth is: Billions of years old
36. God used evolution to create life Evolution has no intelligence behind it.
39. Atheists are evil No
40. Salvation = There is no such thing
42. Ex Christians were: Were Christians but deconverted for some reason
43. Rank in order of importance: Critical thinking, Knowledge, Hope, Faith & Belief

[Darias]

I feel it's time for me to update my list.

My Updated responses will be in Purple.

1. Do you believe in God? Who? First, what is meant by "God"? In any case, I don't hold any beliefs in any gods at this time, but I don't claim there are none.

2. Do you blame God for what’s wrong in your life and in this world? No. How can I blame God for my own faults much less the brutality committed by humans past and present?

3. The only way to God is through Jesus Christ. Assuming God exists, this cannot be known. Although assuming God is benevolent, I suspect He would not damn countless humans to an everlasting torture by only allowing such a narrow and relatively new path to him(human kind has been on Earth far longer than Christianity -- not to mention a specific version of that faith)

4. Christianity is a religion. Yes

5. Christianity is a relationship with God. This is what is believed in many areas of Christianity. I believe such emotional relationships exist only in the mind

6. Catholics are Christian. Yes.

7. Believing in Christ is a choice. Belief, more often than not, is usually a childhood instruction than a conscious and sudden decision

8. The Bible is… A series of man-made works, spanning various time periods and cultures - the authors of which were inspired by their respective conceptions of God, and therefore errant - thus accounting for unscientific texts and immoral cultural customs.

9. It requires the holy spirit to understand scripture. No. An education helps.

10. There are contradictions in the bible. Yes - Many.

11. The gospels are eye witness accounts. No. They are most likely variations/copies of an original document known as "Q".

12. The creation story is literal history. Absolutely not.

13. Noah’s Ark and the great flood is a true story. Perhaps. Most myths are based on some level of fact; most cultures have a flood story similar to the Genesis account.
It was a local flood. Most likely; "The Known World" was just a small region at the time.
It covered the entire world. No; there has never been enough water on earth for that to possibly occur.

14. God is omniscient (knows everything there is to know including future events). The assumption that God exists without knowledge and evidence is far enough. Nothing can be known concerning the assumed nature of this assumed being.

15. God is omnipotent. Nothing can be known concerning the assumed characteristics of this assumed being.

16. God is omnipresent (everywhere). Nothing can be known concerning the assumed nature of this assumed being.


17. God is loving. Nothing can be known concerning the assumed nature of this assumed being.


18. God is just. Nothing can be known concerning the assumed nature of this assumed being.


19. God is merciful. Nothing can be known concerning the assumed nature of this assumed being.


20. God is perfect. Nothing can be known concerning the assumed nature of this assumed being.


21. God answers prayer. Assuming there is a god, his/her divine intervention is yet to be verified.

22. God protects his followers. Assuming there is a god, his/her divine intervention is yet to be verified.

23. God requires works rather than faith. Nothing can be known concerning the assumed desires of this assumed being.

24. God violates freewill. Assuming there is a god, his/her divine intervention is yet to be verified.

25. God always keeps his promises. Nothing can be known concerning the assumed nature of this assumed being.



26. God sins (based on the bible definition of what sin is). Nothing can be known concerning the assumed behavior of this assumed being.



27. Morals: Are man-made ethical/cultural norm constructs that are being improved upon by each generation for the betterment of freedoms and peace for humanity (hopefully).

28. Miracles do happen these days. A miracle is a matter of statistics. No divine intervention neccesary.

29. Hell is… A myth that creates a great deal of fear-based coercion to religion and emotional trauma for the individual.

30. God created Hell Assuming there is a god, his/her divine intervention regarding the creation of anything is yet to be verified.

31. God created Satan. Assuming there is a god, his/her divine intervention regarding the creation of anything is yet to be verified.

32. Young children and babies will go to hell if they are not saved. No.

33. People who have never heard the gospel will go to Hell. No.

34. Suffering is: A.) a bi-product of choice, which is caused by sentience, which we developed via Evolution.
B.) an unavoidable consequence of our physical existence on this earth, within this natural habitat.

35. The earth is: around 6-7000 years old/Millions of years old

The age of the Earth has been determined to be 4.54 billion years. . .

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_the_Earth

36. God used evolution to create life. Evolution does not explain how life arose from non-life. God, in no way shape or form "assisted" the processes of evolution. Evolution is a natural phenomenon, as was abiogenesis. No magic required.


37. Sin = Anything religious teachers, scriptures and doctrines claim. As for the nature of what these undefined galactic crimes are, your guess is as good as mine.

38. Homosexuality is a sin. LOL

39. Atheists are evil. No, but are just as capable of evil as anyone else.

40. Salvation Of what? From what? Why? What is there left of a person to be saved after the brain dies? What is the point of an eternal hell existing? Why has most of mankind been supposedly condemned to this fate because our "ancestors" ate some fruit because they didn't know any better?

41. You must be baptized to be saved: Baptism is nothing but a ritual involving water. The only thing that happens, aside from any emotional reaction, is the act of becoming wet. That's it.

42. Ex Christians were: Were once sincere believers, but decided to de-convert for specific, legitimate reasons -- not just "some" reason.


43. Rank in order of importance:
1. Knowledge
2. Critical thinking
3. Hope
4. Belief
5. Faith

44. What is the purpose of the Holy Spirit? Nothing can be known concerning the assumed purpose of this assumed being.

45. What does it take to consider yourself a true Christian? If you don't love others and don't at least try to practice the golden rule by tolerating, respecting, and not unfairly condemning your fellow man, you are not, in any way shape or form, a follower of Christ -- at least not by his attributed standards mentioned in the Bible[/quote]