'What religion are you?' poll discussion

Gareth_Lazelle

Crabman wrote: »

I don't quite understand how "A. Not practising - 3,142 votes (21 %)" can be grouped with 'no religion' in the tips email summary.

If they don't live by the tenets of their claimed faith, can they really be said to follow that religion?

Would you really want to claim them as belonging to your faith if they presumably can't even be bothered to try to save their own souls?

It would be a bit like Catholics claiming Satanists as Catholics in the poll, because to be a Satanist you have to believe in god, etc right!

Biggles

Crabman wrote: »

I don't quite understand how "A. Not practising - 3,142 votes (21 %)" can be grouped with 'no religion' in the tips email summary.

By definition, 'not practising' signifies those with a belief/faith who do not 'practise' (i.e. attend religious services).

I too was interested to see how high the percentage of 'No religion' votes was (and initially pleased to see that I was part of such a large majority!).

When I looked at the detailed breakdown, it was obvious that 'A. Not practising' had been included.

The actual question was 'Are you a practising member of any faith' so, to anyone voting, 'Answer A' would have inferred that you were a member of a faith, eg were christian, but that you were not currently practicising it.

Anyone who did not have a faith of any kind would only have ticked 'K' or 'L'.

It's not a matter of whether they 'can really be said to follow their religion' or not, it's a matter of which of the predetermined answers you would give, given the original question.

The summary should be revised to take this into account. I'm afraid that, as it stands, it represents a completely false picture.

snowmaid

yo007mo wrote: »

Please read..

God exists and this proof is Nobel Quran. Holy Quran have several Scientific Miraculous.

Big Bang:

"A new start forming out of a cloud of gas and dust (nebula), which is one of the remnants of the "SMOKE" THAT WAS THE ORIGIN OF THE WHOLE UNIVERSE" [The Space Atlas, Hearther and Hencest, page 50]

1500 years Ago Allah Almighty says this in Holy Quran:

"Then He(God) turned to the Heaven when it was SMOKE..." [Quran, 41:11]

Only Islam claims that the universe was originated from Dust, and Hot Gas, or Smoke!

Its really interesting to know that the Big Bang Theory suggest that the Universe is still expanding until today, because this is EXACTLY what Allah Almighty also claimed in Holy Quran:

"And the firmament, We constructed with power and skill and and verily WE ARE EXPANDING IT" [Quran, 51:47]

The word "Samaa" was used for "firmament". "Samma" as I mentioned above means either "heaven", or "Universe" depending on how it is used. Certainly, the meaning word "Samma" in Quran 51:47 is "Universe"

So here its mentioned about the Universe.

Note: In Quran God referred Himself as "We" its plural royality.

See >> "verily WE ARE EXPANDING IT(Universe)" [Quran, 51:47]

According to Big Bang Theory and Modern Science the Universe still Expanding! Allah Almighty says it 1500 years ago in Holy Quran!

An important point:

God Almighty says in Quran: "And when the heaven splitteth asunder and becometh ROSY LIKE PAINT" [Quran, 55:37]

The explosion of galaxies are shaped like roses mentioned in Quran and confirmed by modern Science!


"It is HE who created the Night and the Day, and the sun and the moon: all (the celestial bodies) rotate, each other in their celestial spheres" [Quran 21:33 from Yushuf Ali]

"(God is) the one who created the night, the day, the sun and the moon. Each one is traveling in an orbit with its own motion" [Quran, 21:33]

"And the earth, moreover, hath He made egg shaped" [Quran, 79:30]

This verse in Arabic "Waal-arda baAAda thalika Dahaha" [Quran, 79:30]

Here Arabic word "Dahaha" is derived from "Dahhyah" which means "Egg"

The Arabic word for egg here is dahaha which mean an ostrich-egg. The shape of an ostrich-egg resembles the geo-spherical shape of earth.

Thus the Quran correctly describes the shape of the earth, though the prevalent nation when the Quran was written revealed was that the earth flat. So Quran is truth.
Source(s):

Quran says Moonlight is reflected Light:

Science now tell us that the Light of the moon is reflected light. However this fact was mentioned 1500 years ago in Quran!

"Blessed is He Who made Constellations the skies, and placed therein a Lamp and a Moon giving Light." [Quran, 25:61]

"See ye not how Allah has created the seven heavens one above another, And made the moon a (reflecting) light in their midst, and made the sun as a Glorious Lamp?" [Quran, 71:15-16]

"Did you see how Allah created seven heavens, and and above the other, and made in them the moon a light and the sun a Lamp?" [Quran, 78:12-13]

The Quran distinguishes between them by the use of different terms: Light (Noor) for the Moon, and Lamp (Siraaj) for the Sun.

In Arabic word Noor mean: "be revealed, TO RECEIVE LIGHT, to be lighted"

This is clearly mean reflecting to light, because it RECEIVES LIGHT FROM SUN and it is lighted and revealed by it.

"It is He who made the sun to be a shining glory and the moon be a light (of beauty)." [Quran, 10:5 from Yushuf Ali]

Why Quran not says moon also a shining glory unto sun? The verse have clear difference between sun and moon lights. This mean He created the sun with its shining light, and the moon with its reflected light.

Now we know moon have no lights and its the reflected light from sun. Quran says same 1500 years ago.

"Do the unbelievers not realize that the heavens and the earth were Joined together, then I clove them asunder and I MADE EVERY LIVING THING OUT OF WATER" [Quran, 21:30]

This is a dramatic affirmation of the modern idea that the origin of life is aquate. Now we know Cytoplasm 95% is water.

Botany:

Progress in botany at the time of Muhammad(pbuh) was not advanced enough in any country for scientists to know that PLANTS HAVE BOTH MALE AND FEMALE parts, Nevertheless, we may read the following in the Quran:

"(God is the one who) sent down rain from the sky and with it brought forth a variety of plants in pairs" [Quran, 20:53]

Today we know that fruits comes from plants that have sexual characteristcs even when they come from unfertilized flowers, LIKE BANANAS. In the Quran we read the following:

"...And of all fruits (God) placed (on the earth) TWO PAIRS.." [Quran, 13:3]
Source(s):
Now See what God Almighty says:

"We will show them(humans) OUR SIGNS IN THE UNIVERSE and INSIDE THEIR SELVES, until it will become quite clear to them that it is truth. Is it not sufficient as regards your LORD that He is a witness over all things" [Quran, 41:53]

Many people easily can understand the truth, even by "ONLY ONE SIGN" but we also have many people among of us who will never accept the truth, even if we give them thousands of proof! As God Almighty says about those peoples:

"Deaf, dumb and blind, they will not return to the path" [Quran, 2:18]

Thanks for sharing this. I enjoyed reading it.

Biggles

adrian_clark wrote: »

Scientific theories have not and cannot uncover the mystery of Creation, the goo to zoo to you theories are as nonsensical as they seem.

But none of them are as nonensical as the whole lot being made in 6 days by a magic man in the sky with a frock and a beard, who then took the 7th day off and went to the pub. No contest!!

adrian_clark

Biggles wrote: »

But none of them are as nonensical as the whole lot being made in 6 days by a magic man in the sky with a frock and a beard, who then took the 7th day off and went to the pub. No contest!!

I agree and thank goodness our God is not the caricature that you have been offered. He's a God of Love and Justice who gifted you with the free will to accept or reject Him. The choice is to accept the religions, scientific theories, philosophical speculation and mix of ideas the world offers or Him, which is why He came into human history as Jesus Christ around whom, intriguingly, world history revolves.

The thing is that if we really did come from nothing and have nothing to look forward to what's the point of living? why fear death? All we have to look forward to in this life is struggle, pain, old age and most likely uncomfortable death. No amount of hedonism will ease the pain of living. This probably explains the tortuous increase in the number of teenage suicides, as an increasing number of our young believe the secular world's atheistic ideas. They decide to end it prematurely and save themselves the trouble of facing an bleak future.

However, most do persevere, because in our souls we know that there is more to this life than the physical world, that the intelligent cannot evolve from the unintelligent, and the goo to zoo to you theories do not add up. Death is feared and there are good reasons why it should be. The good news is that God did not send his Son to condemn the world but to save the world. The tomb is empty and there is ample historical and anecdotal evidence to support the miraculous events surrounding Jesus Christ, our redeemer, saviour, comforter and God. Take a look at mars hill church of Seattle they have some useful material that will provide a better understanding of the character and nature of God.

bulletproof_1979

adrian_clark wrote: »

The option of Jesus being a good guy who spoke a lot of sense simply isn't available. He claimed he was God, "I am the truth, the light and the life nobody comes to the father but through me". He healed the sick and cast out demons. If He wasn't who He said He was that makes him out to be a cruel hoaxer.

Say's who? Who's to say he wasn't a good guy who genuinely believed what he was saying?

adrian_clark wrote: »

The choice is to accept the religions, scientific theories, philosophical speculation and mix of ideas the world offers or Him.

Not so. Although I'm an atheist there are many who find that science and religion can happily co-exist. The vast majority of Christians believe in evolution for one thing.

The thing is that if we really did come from nothing and have nothing to look forward to what's the point of living? why fear death? All we have to look forward to in this life is struggle, pain, old age and most likely uncomfortable death. No amount of hedonism will ease the pain of living.

What a disturbing view of the world you have.

So life without God amounts to struggle & pain, and the only way to try and ease the pain is through hedonism? Do you really see no point to living unless you get the lovely reward of eternal life at the end of it? What about the awesomeness of the universe, sharing joy and laughter with loved ones, appreciating the beauty and complexity of the natural world? The simple joy of being, existing, experiencing at all. Is this really worthless?

What a dim view of the world your God created and the people that live in it you seem to have.

and the goo to zoo to you theories do not add up.

This is simple ignorance, I'm afraid. You realise the majority of the religious believe in evolution, don't you?

Death is feared and there are good reasons why it should be.

Death is feared, but only by some. Generally by those who've been indoctrinated to believe they'll be going to an eternity of pain in hell, for some slight misdeed. Another reason to fear death? Well generally life is nicer, to put it simply.

Harry_Flashman

I'm happy to go to hell - all my mates will be there anyway (and all the hot women )

mojomozzer2010

Harry_Flashman wrote: »

I'm happy to go to hell - all my mates will be there anyway (and all the hot women )

That's really sad Harry Flashman, you are right about it being hot though! Truth is, Hell won't be a wild party, you will be alone and in torment, unable to communicate with anyone , burning hot and with an unquenchable thirst and for all eternity will be falling into a bottomless pit, check out what the Bible says about the place. You can avoid it though, please study God's Word to see what it says and then Repent and Trust in the Saviour. I don't want you to go to hell, please reconsider, tonight God may run out of patience with you and then it will be too late!

[Deleted User]

mojomozzer2010 wrote: »

That's really sad Harry Flashman, you are right about it being hot though! Truth is, Hell won't be a wild party, you will be alone and in torment, unable to communicate with anyone , burning hot and with an unquenchable thirst and for all eternity will be falling into a bottomless pit, check out what the Bible says about the place. You can avoid it though, please study God's Word to see what it says and then Repent and Trust in the Saviour. I don't want you to go to hell, please reconsider, tonight God may run out of patience with you and then it will be too late!

So, you're saying that everyone who doesn't believe Jesus was the son of g-d, is due to go to hell? So, that'd be all the Hindus, Buddhist, Jews, Scientologists and Athiests ect?

It seems to me that the diversity in religions is evidence enough that none of them are true... otherwise one of them would be adopted by all because it would be so powerfully 'right'

immoral_angeluk

Too late to vote but I'm 'other' - Pagan!