General question to all siblings...

[Vita Curator]

I was raised Catholic and went to a parochial school through eighth grade and still practice Catholicism today.  I go to church weekly and my faith helps me enormously in my profession. 

Today, I consider myself a moderate to liberal Catholic. 

When I have the time I will post my thoughts and what I agree/disagree with in regards to the teachings.

[beagle]

Which isn't very strange, because the Czech Republic is actually the least religious (ore on of the bottom ten, I think) countries in the world.

I had a Czech school friend (his family was out of the country when the Soviets dropped in in 1968, and they decided not to go home). He was definitely one of the most atheist of my contemporaries.

[Kiyoodle the Gambrinous]

Concerning atheism in the Czech Republic, I've found this thing:

Atheism in the Czech Republic
As I reported here a while ago, the Czech Republic appears to be one of the most disbelieving nations in Europe. According to one poll, only 33.6% of Czechs belong to a religion and only 11.7% attend services once a month or more. That's the lowest rate for any country in Europe aside from Estonia.

(the whole article is quite interesting http://atheism.about.com/b/a/082332.htm )

[beagle]

(the whole article is quite interesting http://atheism.about.com/b/a/082332.htm )

Hmm. Do I detect a teensy implication from that article that religion is bad for you .

[Kiyoodle the Gambrinous]

Hmm. Do I detect a teensy implication from that article that religion is bad for you .

I would never claim that. And I don't think the author of the article is trying to say that, although it might get misinterpreted in that way.

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

But I though atheism was synonym with social decomposition and roasted babies (mmm... tasty!) or so the fundies claim all the time...

[DeadPoet]

I was probably brought up in a similar way as Kiyoodle. my parents werre only vaguely religious, but I went through all the 1st communion/confirmation stuff (because everybody else did it..), but since my confirmation (I think I was 14) I do not think I went to church more than once a year (at Christmas, with my relatives, who are far more religious than me; at least the French half of my family).

Religion has never played a significant role in my life; I'm still Catholic out of pure laziness and I don't back half of "my" religion's teachings. But then, (western) European Catholicism, at least the one I experienced, seems to differ a lot from the North American church. In half a century of (irregular, I admit  ) church-going, I can't recall having heard particularly strict dogmatic (homophobic/"pro-life") stuff.

[Scriblerus the Philosophe]

Wish I could say the same. I had to go to Confirmation Jesus camp last weekend, and yay for dogma!

Raised Catholic by my mother, who has become increasingly religious and more dogmatic over the last few years. My father is a non-practicing Lutheran, though he occasionally attends a Southern Bap church with my step-mother.

[Sibling Chatty]

But I though atheism was synonym with social decomposition and roasted babies (mmm... tasty!) or so the fundies claim all the time...

Feh. If we took the fundies seriously on ANYTHING, hell, if ANYBODY took the fundies seriously on anything, all our heads would explode.

And that would be ooky.

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

But I though atheism was synonym with social decomposition and roasted babies (mmm... tasty!) or so the fundies claim all the time...

Feh. If we took the fundies seriously on ANYTHING, hell, if ANYBODY took the fundies seriously on anything, all our heads would explode.

And that would be ooky.

Now, if we could only somehow REVERSE the exploding head effect.

Yeah, it'd be a bit of a mess, but in MY experience, what you'd mostly get is IMplosions, which is much neater.

This is likely due to the well-known fact that fundies' heads are mostly composed of vacuum ...

(Except for the "hardened" sort, like Hovind and his ilk.  It's been pretty much established that their heads contain a black hole ...)

[Griffin NoName]

Do I detect a smidgeon of antagonism towards Fundies? 

Tolerance for everyone please, even those less fortunate in the brain department 

[Opsa]

Thank you, my dear NoName!

We try not to say too much against fundamentalists, but they do make themselves an easy target by insisting that they are unquestionably correct and the rest of us are going to hell.

If hell is a place without fundamentalists, then maybe it lines up with another person's idea of heaven. Ahem. but bless 'em, anyway! Why not?

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

An afterlife full of fundies would certainly be hell for me, that place may be heaven... 

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

Do I detect a smidgeon of antagonism towards Fundies? 

Tolerance for everyone please, even those less fortunate in the brain department 

Naaah.  What you detect is derision. 

All kidding aside, what I really feel for fanatics (and fundamentalists are almost always fanatics) is pity.

Like extremests of any stripe, their view of reality is severely hampered by their fanaticism.

(Of course, my view is crystal clear--no pre-concieved notions at all, at all......riiiiiggght. )

[Swatopluk]

The theoretical fundies are not the real problem. Those who try to apply their theories are.