What Is Your Religion?

[rethaired]

I would like to know more about the religious make-up of the foreigners in Chiang Mai.

PS: Practising (one or more in one week)

[bunta71]

Silly parameters. Please define practising.Praying several times to God daily yet not attending a church count? You are in over your head

[Naam]

Silly parameters. Please define practising.Praying several times to God daily yet not attending a church count? You are in over your head

indeed!

[Ulysses G.]

Warning, The poll is screwed up. You HAVE to pick: Thai, Other Asian or Foreigner even if you are not Buddhist or it won't take your vote.

[rethaired]

Silly parameters. Please define practising.Praying several times to God daily yet not attending a church count? You are in over your head

I did define practising as attending churchor a religious place, but sure praying more than once a week would make you practising, naturally! That was understood!

[bunta71]

And if there was a definition it doesn't show up on my screen...that was my point...over your head...what does it mean "one or more in a week"?

[jayhech]

Silly parameters. Please define practising.Praying several times to God daily yet not attending a church count? You are in over your head

I did define practising as attending churchor a religious place, but sure praying more than once a week would make you practising, naturally! That was understood!

I'm quite reluctant actually. I practice as I sometimes pray on emergency. I don't practice as I don't buy artifacts and I don't worship monk's images. So, which category should I choose? To me the parameters are a bit extreme.

[Ulysses G.]

I have always believed in God and I pray fairly often, but I'm not sure if JC is God, or not, even though I was brought up to think so, so I put non-practicing Catholic. That is as close as I can get.

[bunta71]

No mention of the" porcelain God"??? Been a long time for myself, but there are a lot of folks here in CM praying daily to it usually because of no practice

[taxexile]

but I'm not sure if JC is God,

nah , he was just another deranged prophet wandering around palestine at that time.

like all prophets and religions , (apart from judaism, which seeks no converts and makes no promises ) , they speak of bliss in the next world , but want power in this one.

silly poll by the way , should be consigned to the dustbin , along with broomsticks and bibles.

[Rasseru]

I suggest that you remove a bias from the poll by adding "practicing" and "non-practicing" choices for atheists.

[Ulysses G.]

taxexile (and others) Do you believe that there is a creator, or that this one big accident?

I can't truly believe in one religion over another, but it seems to me that someone or something planned life.

[bunta71]

Might not be the time to ask this UG cause looking around the last few days it has been looking like an accident Good morning by the way

[Ulysses G.]

Good morning.

To me, Songkran is one of the most spiritual experiences ever. All the happy faces for hours and hours and no violence. It could never happen where I come from!

[taxexile]

i think that one should look into the origins of religion before thinking too much about the origin of the universe.

religion has very little to do with god .

[bunta71]

Good morning.

To me, Songkran is one of the most spiritual experiences ever. All the happy faces for hours and hours and no violence. It could never happen where I come from!

Just my feeble attempt at wit

[Ulysses G.]

That is my core feeling also, but having been brainwashed by the Christian Church from birth, eternity in He11 sounds like a big price to pay for being wrong.

[bunta71]

That is my core feeling also, but having been brainwashed by the Christian Church from birth, eternity in He11 sounds like a big price to pay for being wrong.

WC Fields was a devout athiest and while on his deathbed, his buddy came to visit and caught him reading the bible, and asked him "What's up with that?"

WC replied..."Merely checking for loopholes!"

[garro]

Many Buddhists do not consider themselves to be following a religion, and they don't believe in a God. Should they select atheist in this poll?

[Allyt]

Fascinating use of a poll, to further confuse some folks but hopefully challenge other folks who may still be living within the security of their found or imposed cultural security.

From Wikipedia - Religion

"Religion has been defined in a wide variety of ways. Most definitions attempt to find a balance somewhere between overly sharp definition and meaningless generalities. Some sources have tried to use formalistic, doctrinal definitions while others have emphasized experiential, emotive, intuitive, valuational and ethical factors."

Mammals have been around for over 200 million years and plants have roots back to 500+ million years ago. To support this, there is evidence in the form of objects that can be dated and trusted.

Evolution is supported by facts. Facts of physical existence. Do any of the faiths prescribed to by so many, have facts to support their origins or just word of mouth, committed to print and widely communicated ?

If we want to start a discussion regarding accidents, then perhaps someone can define the term more precisely.

Those who think this brief existence we live, is representative of significant development, are possibly looking in the mirror too much.

Ally

[toptuan]

Silly parameters. Please define practising.Praying several times to God daily yet not attending a church count? You are in over your head

I did define practising as attending churchor a religious place, but sure praying more than once a week would make you practising, naturally! That was understood!

I'm quite reluctant actually. I practice as I sometimes pray on emergency. I don't practice as I don't buy artifacts and I don't worship monk's images. So, which category should I choose? To me the parameters are a bit extreme.

I would define "panic-button pray-ers" as "non-practicing." Even atheists pray in fox holes.

[BEENTHEREDONETHAT]

I'm a practicing agnostic but it will not accept my vote? If I don't practice will it accept my vote? But then I don't think you can be a non-practicing agnostic. To be a true agnostic you have to seriously not give a dam_n all the time. So by not doing anything I am practicing. So help me out here how doI get my vote accepted?

[Naam]

I'm a practicing agnostic but it will not accept my vote? If I don't practice will it accept my vote? But then I don't think you can be a non-practicing agnostic. To be a true agnostic you have to seriously not give a dam_n all the time. So by not doing anything I am practicing. So help me out here how doI get my vote accepted?

[garro]

I'm a practicing agnostic but it will not accept my vote? If I don't practice will it accept my vote? But then I don't think you can be a non-practicing agnostic. To be a true agnostic you have to seriously not give a dam_n all the time. So by not doing anything I am practicing. So help me out here how doI get my vote accepted?

Maybe being a non-practicning agnostic is when you 'don't think to mutt' about it. A practicing agnostic probably believes that their lack of belief is important.

[Jefferson]

So Bahai is in there but not Jewishism? That's rife in Chiang Mai.

[Puwa]

One widely acknowledged definition of religion comes from the eminent cultural anthropologist Melford Spiro http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melford_Spiro:

"Institutions consisting of culturally patterned interaction with culturally postulated superhuman beings." This opens an interesting debate about whether some forms of Theravada Buddhism, arguably lacking a superhuman being, would be considered to be religion or not. Spiro, who studied Theravada extensively in Burma the late fifties and early sixties, and wrote influential books based on this research for the next 30 years, argues that it doesn't really matter, because whether you call it religion or not is secondary. People do it and it is worth looking into and trying to understand.

Spiro's work includes the books "Buddhism: A Great Tradition and its Burmese Vicissitudes"; "Burmese Supernaturalism"; "Anthropological Other or Burmese Brother?"; and numerous scholarly articles including "Religion: Problems of Definition and Explanation."

Now where's my water gun?

[BEENTHEREDONETHAT]

Garro

To quote "Thomas Henry Huxley" the originator of the term agnostic-

"I neither affirm nor deny the immortality of man. I see no reason for believing it, but, on the other hand, I have no means of disproving it. I have no a priori objections to the doctrine. No man who has to deal daily and hourly with nature can trouble himself about a priori difficulties. Give me such evidence as would justify me in believing in anything else, and I will believe that. Why should I not?"

So Garro what does it take to be a "practicing" agnostic. I don't think I can answer that, but then I don't think I can be troubled about coming up with an answer. I can be swayed, all I need is evidnce in either direction. Until then I will continue to wonder why the poll would not accept my vote.

[ollylama]

Dudeism

The most easygoing religion in the world, man.

[Ajarn]

Good morning.

To me, Songkran is one of the most spiritual experiences ever. All the happy faces for hours and hours and no violence. It could never happen where I come from!

You mean where they play 'war' using real guns?

[amexpat]

That is my core feeling also, but having been brainwashed by the Christian Church from birth, eternity in He11 sounds like a big price to pay for being wrong.

I hear this often and I understand it's a gut feeling that overpowers reason because it is so skillfully and relentlessly beat into kids. It's all about scaring the he11 in/out of them. Best wishes for dealing with it, UG.

A popular, fear related, saw among the flock goes along the lines of "there are no atheists in foxholes".

I have been where I sure wished there was a foxhole to get into, but it hardly seemed like a time to abandon reason and start hoping for the existence of some god - be he hairy thunderer or cosmic muffin.

.