[hide=]Forum Username: Intriguing Age: 17 State (US only, do not give a city): N/A Nation (do not give a city): Australia Educational level: HSC (Completion of Grade 12) -if secondary or below, what level? -If at a university/college, what level and what is your major/minor course of study? 1. Have you ever attended a worship of any religion? Yes. -by choice? Yes. -What kind of worship? Non-Denominational Christianity. -Did you regularly attend this worship, by choice or parental guidance? By choice, but driven by a self-imposed sense of obligation. 2. Do you consider yourself religious? No. -Please explain in two or three sentences. I would call myself Agnostic, in that I do not feel that I have ound sufficient evidence to bring myself to believe in the existence of any deity. I would also call myself Atheistic, in that until I find such evidence, I choose not to believe in the existence of any deity. 3. Is there a god, gods, or a supreme deity? There could very well be, but if so, they have not manifested themselves to me in such a way as to make me believe in them. -Did said god, gods, or supreme being create the Universe, according to your belief? No. 4. Is there an afterlife? I don't know. 5. How do you believe that existence came about? (in a nutshell) Through Evolution. However, I have done no individual research in this area as of yet, so I'm not really in a position to answer. 6. Have you ever attended a worship of any religion that you do not consider yourself a part of? Yes. -What? Christianity after renouncing the religion. -Your thoughts on the experience: I found it to be overly organised and manufactured, in that the program reflected much more on weekly "rituals" than on "listening to the Holy Spirit". 7. What are your thoughts on non Judeo-Christian Western religions? Remember that religion is a broad term so please be specific. I haven't spent very much time looking at them. I find that most, if not all religions have aspects of truth and wisdom in them, but an equal amount of foolishness as well. I must reinforce, though, that I haven't spent much time looking at them. 8. What are your thoughts on Judeo-Christian religions? Remember that religion is a broad term and that both of these groups have many subdivisions that have radically different beliefs and practices. Same as above, with the exception that I have spent a fair amount of time looking at Christianity. 9. What are your thoughts on Asian religions? Remember that religion is a broad term so please be specific. I haven't spent enough time looking at them to form an educated opinion. 10. What are your thoughts on African religions? Remember that religion is a broad term, so please be specific. Same as above. 11. What are your thoughts on South American religions? Remember that religion is a broad term, so please be specific. Same as above. 12. What are your thoughts on Aboriginal religions (any native group that was displaced, such as Native Americans, Maori, Aborigines, etc)? Remember that religion is a broad term, so please be specific. Same as above. 13. What are your thoughts on pagan religions (Wiccan, alternative, Satanic, and other non-traditional forms of worship)? Remember that religion is a broad term, so please be specific. Also note that many alternative and pagan practices are not affiliated with Satanic worship. For the most part, same as above. However, I have found myself to agree with quite a few aspects of LaVeyan (non-theistic) Satanism. With that said, I find the rituals curious, and I doubt I would ever follow the religion. 14. What are your thoughts on atheism, the belief that there is no supreme being(s)? Please remember that there are degrees to this belief, and that not all share the same thoughts. I of course agree with it to an extent. However, I find some foolishness to the mind-set of most Atheists in completely rejecting even the posibility of a Supreme Being. 15. What are your thoughts on agnosticism, the belief that a supreme being(s) exists, but the individual chooses not to worship it/them? I view that particular branch of Agnosticism to be ignorant. However, I feel it relevant to mention that there are other branches of Agnosticism, and I find myself following one of those other branches. 16. Have you ever publicly chastised someone who believes in a religion/school of thought different than yours? No. -elaborate -what group were they? what group were you? 17. If you belong to a religion or non-religion, please identify. -Did you consciously choose to follow this belief? Yes. -Did you belong to another belief, by choice or force, before following this belief? Yes. -Did you personally research (as in personally in the first person) options before coming to this belief? Yes. 18. Is intelligence (not IQ, but actual intelligence) correlated to one's belief in a religion or non-religion? Keep in mind that intelligence can not be measured by any science, this is simply your judgment call. I don't think so. To be breif, there are a lot of stupid Christians and other theists, but there are also a lot of stupid Atheists. (I mentioned Christianity only because it is the most dominant religion where I live.) 19. Does religion, in your observation, do good in the world? Please cite specific groups or denominations. Yes. In a physical sense, there are numerous charities, safe-houses, and the like that have been formed by Catholic or Christian organisations. In a non-physical sense, it gives guidelines, meaningfulness, and hope to its followers. 20. Does non-religion, in your observation, do good in the world? Please cite specific groups or denominations. Yes, though perhaps not as much as religion does. I struggle to think of any charity organisations formed by Atheists. However, in a non-physical sense, it gives reason and a healthy questioning attitude. 21. Does religion, in your observation, do bad in the world? Please cite specific groups or denominations. Yes. Intense discrimination against homosexuals (from Islam and Christianity) and people of other races (Westboro Baptist Church, for an extreme example). Many wars have been started due to religion, both in the past and recently. Though it has without a doubt made contributions in the area, religion has also been a road-block for scientific progression, both in the past (Galileo?) and recently (Stem Cell Research). 22. Does non-religion, in your observation, do bad in the world? Please cite specific groups or denominations. Yes, though perhaps not as much as religion does. Neo-Nazis and other race-hate groups often have an Atheistic affiliation. 23. Please list your experience with sexual education, including but not limited to: lectures by parents, schools, religion, or non-education. Please do not list your sexual experiences. Parents, religion, and personal research (I'm not being seedy with that one). 24. Have you engaged in sexual intercourse of any kind? Please do not list your sexual experiences. A yes or no will suffice. Yes. 25. What, in your opinion, defines "love?" To care so deeply for someone that you would still jump in front of a bullet for them even after they had done something to make you stop "liking" them at the time. 26. Have you ever been in, or are now in, a relationship? Yes. -Is sex involved? Yes, though it is a small part of the relationship to be honest. 27. Are you single/committed relationship/married? Commited relationship. 28. What, in your opinion, is sex's place in a relationship (or lack of relationship)? It is special, and bonds people emotionally, or "spiritually" if you want to put it that way. Most people (myself included, regrettably) undervalue sex. 29. Have you ever partaken in an illicit substance (excluding alcohol or marijuana)? No. -if so, what? -Have you ever lost control of your actions while under the influence of an illicit substance? 30. Have you ever partaken in marijuana? No. -Do you habitually use this substance? -Have you ever been "stoned?" -Have you ever lost control of your actions while under the influence of marijuana? 31. Have you ever partaken in the consumption of alcohol? Yes. -Do you drink socially or alone? Or both? Both, though I prefer to drink in small groups, and I now refrain from drinking at large gatherings. -Have you ever been drunk? Yes. -Have you ever lost control of your actions while under the influence of alcohol? Regrettably, yes. For this reason, I now no longer drink at large gatherings. 32. Have you ever regretted a sexual encounter? To an extent. I have only had sex with one person, but I wish we had waited a bit longer. 33. Have you ever regretted using an illicit substance? (excluding hangovers) N/A. 34. Have you ever regretted using alcohol? (excluding hangovers) Yes, on one occasion. 35. Have you ever given serious thought (longer than 30 minutes in a year) to the existence of a supreme being(s)? Yes, I think about it and discuss it with others quite frequently.[/hide] Any chance you can expand the definition of Agnosticism somewhat?