The 2024 VT Belief/Non-belief Poll

[Marka Ragnos]

This is an anonymous poll. It's just one of my sociological/anthropological sorts of polls as we await the next Villa match. 

Here are some possibly helpful definitions from Collins:

An atheist is a person who believes that there is no God.

An agnostic believes that it is not possible to know whether God exists or not.

A believer is someone who is sure that God exists or that their religion is true.

The afterlife is a life that some people believe begins when you die, for example, a life in heaven or as another person or animal.

Here's some relatively recent polling from YouGov.

Quote

 

A quarter of Britons say they believe in ‘a god’. Four in ten neither believe in ‘a god’ nor in a ‘higher power’

Although the United Kingdom is a monarchy formally led by a ruler who also governs the official church – the Church of England – belief in ‘a god’ in the UK is low. Only a quarter of Britons (27%) say they actually believe in ‘a god’. A further one in six (16%) believe in the existence of ‘a higher spiritual power’, but not ‘a god’.

 

If you want to dig deeper, here is some high-quality American polling on belief/non-belief from Pew.

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Atheists make up 4% of U.S. adults, according to our 2023 National Public Opinion Reference Survey. That compares with 3% who described themselves as atheists in 2014and 2% who did so in 2007.

Here are some key facts about atheists in the United States and around the world, based on several Pew Research Center surveys.

 

 

[Follyfoot]

Good evening Mr magpie, how is your wife and children

do the washing on New Year’s Day wash a family member away

[Lichfield Dean]

I went with atheist because I don't believe in a God as such, but I'm open to the idea that this is all a simulation or an experiment and somebody "created" that.

But that person/entity wouldn't be what I'd call a God. They're probably just some bored hyper-dimensional alien teenager with a "make your own universe" science kit.

[Designer1]

We're a lucky bunch of sacks of meat and bone and that's it.

When you're gone you're gone.

[Xela]

 

[fruitvilla]

I'm a bit like Bertrand Russel with respect to this ...

Philosophically agnostic but pragmatically atheist.

This diagram I think helps describe the positions. Of course there are other takes:

[KentVillan]

Surprised by the low % for superstitions. I’m agnostic or “weak atheist” I suppose according to the above, but I touch wood and stuff like that.

Kenneth

[rjw63]

1 hour ago, Designer1 said:

We're a lucky bunch of sacks of meat and bone and that's it.

When you're gone you're gone.

This is the stuiff that makes me think of a Slayer track. Life sucks and then you die.

Guess which Slayer track (no you sick bastard it's not Necrophiliac).

[Wainy316]

 

[Mandy Lifeboats]

There is no god. 

I was "not alive' for several billion years before my birth.  There was nothing.  Death = Not alive. 

[Rodders]

No god's, meditating is a broad idea when I remember I try and do a bit of it from a mindfulness point of view, nothing religious whackjob about it.

Do succumb to superstitious behaviours though or hope in some notion of karma rewarding good deeds and bad **** getting punished but I know there's no actual supernatural idea controlling it, just wishing on my.behalf.

Have absolutely no respect or time for anything dogmatic or arbitrary doctrines taken seriously. Can happily respect people enjoying a softer idea of cultural community value from having the buildings and village centres etc. Will enjoy a wedding etc. 

But as soon the fruitloops start wielding malignant power or pleading special protections from criticism they can get in the sea.

Edited February 29 by Rodders

[Jonesy7211]

The older I get the more I'd like to believe, but then I can't believe in an all powerful deity that would give children terminal cancer. Also think I'm at that stage of my life where I'm closer to the end than the start, I'm in denial and will stop caring when I get to acceptance.

Afterlife is bs. There's no tangible soul, we're a series of electrical signals and bad impulse control.

I do respect an individual's right to believe though, just don't like organised religion in any form (except being a villa fan).

[Marka Ragnos]

6 hours ago, fruitvilla said:

I'm a bit like Bertrand Russel with respect to this ...

Philosophically agnostic but pragmatically atheist.

This diagram I think helps describe the positions. Of course there are other takes:

This is interesting. I'm way down at about 5 o'clock on this -- strong theist but on the gnostic side. Yes, believe in God, yes afterlife, yes pray, etc., yes superstitious, but don't want the state ever involved or people compelled to believe anything, hate proselytizing etc unless I get free food at the end of the spiel. My English dad is an atheist, mum RC -- fun marriage, that. It's interesting to see the results of this poll. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, because the data has been consistent on polls in the UK, but still -- I'm kinda surprised. 

Quote

 

Free Food Worthy of the Gods

After eating a vegetarian burrito given to me by a Hare Krishna on the Ave, I ventured out to Sammamish for a Love Feast.

 

 

Edited March 1 by Marka Ragnos

[fruitvilla]

33 minutes ago, Marka Ragnos said:

This is interesting. I'm way down at about 5 o'clock on this -- strong theist but on the gnostic side. Yes, believe in God, yes afterlife, yes pray, etc., yes superstitious, but don't want the state ever involved or people compelled to believe anything, hate proselytizing etc unless I get free food at the end of the spiel. My English dad is an atheist, mum RC -- fun marriage, that. It's interesting to see the results of this poll. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, because the data has been consistent on polls in the UK, but still -- I'm kinda surprised. 

 

[fruitvilla]

6 hours ago, KentVillan said:

Surprised by the low % for superstitions. I’m agnostic or “weak atheist” I suppose according to the above, but I touch wood and stuff like that.

I know what you mean ... I get taken in by essentialism sometimes ... I'm thinking of my lost father's penknife.

[Marka Ragnos]

20 minutes ago, fruitvilla said:

 

I find Jung fascinating on many levels,  but I also feel a bit embarrassed by him because I associate him with the irrational and mysticism, and I feel ultimately very attracted to those things -- and hence, exposed. I like him, but he feels weirdly immature to me always, too. It's complicated. Still, as an adult, my own approach has been one that I don't encounter in others very often. It's that I choose to believe, very much along the lines of Pascal. It's a very psychological approach to believe, perhaps, so in that sense sort of modern. But I've met almost no one in America who follows this approach to life. People think it's weird. My therapist -- an atheist -- seems to approve. I doubt England has many "choose to believe this" types, although maybe I would have had more luck there a few hundred years ago.

Quote

The philosopher, theologian, and mathematician Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) came up with a simple argument for why people should believe in God. Unlike other philosophers of his day, he didn’t try to prove that God is real. Rather, he tried to prove that any reasonable person should choose belief.

 

Edited March 1 by Marka Ragnos

[fruitvilla]

Just now, Marka Ragnos said:

I find Jung fascinating on many levels,  but I also feel a bit embarrassed by him because I associate him with the irrational and mysticism, and I feel ultimately very attracted to those things. I like him, but he feels weirdly immature to e always, too. It's complicated. Still, as an adult, my own approach has been one that I don't encounter in others very often. It's that I choose to believe, very much along the lines of Pascal. It's a very psychological approach to believe, perhaps, so in that sense sort of modern. 

The problem with Pascal's wager is that he puts zero negative value on living a lie. Also, if we wish to take Pascal, hook, line and sinker, we would likely choose to be Catholics. In my personal experience, I don't choose to believe stuff; more that I grow into beliefs or wake up one morning finding myself holding a position, I might not have admitted to the day before.

Have you read any Joseph Campbell?

[Davkaus]

The bigger problem with Pascal's wager is... Which god?

Even if we knew there was some god, you're most likely to end up pissing them off by devoting your life to the wrong one.

He considers this in his original text and disregards it based on little more than cultural arrogance.

It's a very weak argument that really doesn't deserve to live on for centuries.

Edited March 1 by Davkaus

[chrisp65]

If you accept there is no god, or that there are truly enlightened gods, that leaves you free to follow the god that works best for you.

 

 

 

 

[sidcow]

14 hours ago, Jonesy7211 said:

I can't believe in an all powerful deity that would give children terminal cancer.

Ooohhhh. I know this one.   God works in mysterious ways.  See?