NationStates Jolt Archive

Jus wanted to know where all the Athiest and believers live after starting my God thread. It might mean something If I could tell where most Athiest are from. For European Votes, I mean Europe as All Russia, All Caucasus, and All Turkey, Iceland, and Greenland. The Americas mean both North and South America, because I could only have 10 votes. BTW, I'm from the Americas, and I'm a believer

An educated background? :D

I don't know, I live in New Jersey and there are a lot of Atheists here.

I'm from Reykjavík, Iceland.

Religion is not a big thing over here...

Well, it's like this. A mummy and a daddy, who love each other very much, make whoopee and then nine months later a child is born. If the child has a logical mind and is educated with science, then it decides that the unprovable nature of God makes it almost certain any story about him is ficticious and thus God hiself is nought but a fallacy. OK?

"Where Are all these Athiests coming From?"

Obviously I can't speak for all of them, but I strongly suspect that many Atheists became so because "Christians" don't practice what they say they believe.

Hmn...from the mind of a teenager who has a cynical view of the world and decides that there is no God because her mother is an uber bitch who tries to convince her intelligent daughter that her opinion is wrong? *snicker* the same kid who is now 21 and hasn't changed her beliefs? *snicker* :D

You should probably specify what it is you are asking us we believe in. If it's the Christian idea of what a god is, then I must count myself amoung the non-believers.

Disaffection? Dissatisfaction? Disillusion?

You should probably specify what it is you are asking us we believe in. If it's the Christian idea of what a god is, then I must count myself amoung the non-believers.

Any god at all. Dosen't matter.

Je suis un Atheist.

Ich bin ein Atheist.

I am an atheist (in Bitish stereotypical accent)

Answer yer question?

Eu sou ateu.

One more for the collection.

Io sono un "atheist".

(I don't know the Italian word for "atheist", sorry)

I should also add that I'm not an atheist. I just wanted to contribute.

Why are so many Athiest from Europe? :headbang: You have lost your ways... Never mind, I just figured out how America became a Superpower, and now we dominate all you. :p We are a punishment from god!

Edit: Hmm, this forum should have a tongue stick out smilie...

An educated background? :D

I don't know, I live in New Jersey and there are a lot of Atheists here.

Finally someone with some sense!

Why are so many Athiest from Europe? :headbang: You have lost your ways... Never mind, I just figured out how America became a Superpower, and now we dominate all you. :p

Yeah man! God's chosen nation! The holy empire!

Well, the most atheistic demographic is 18-24 year old males. They are also the most computer/internet literate demographic. So there's no surprise here!

Why are so many Athiest from Europe? :headbang: You have lost your ways... Never mind, I just figured out how America became a Superpower, and now we dominate all you. :p We are a punishment from god!

Edit: Hmm, this forum should have a tongue stick out smilie...

Don't say shit like that, it gets confusing.

Yeah man! God's chosen nation! The holy empire!

You better believe it! God sent the Mongols to punish you, and straighten you out. Now, God must teach you the lesson again. America was also chosen to free the oppressed people of Iraq! And punish evil dictators! Yes, I really believe this.

There is our first European believer, there might be some hope for your countries after all! :D

I hate God.

I hate God.

What he do to you?

What he do to you?

Gave me the ability to sin, and the punishment of hell.

Gave me the ability to sin, and the punishment of hell.

It is Satan that gives you the ability of Sin and Hell. If you Athiest are as well educated as you say you are, why was there a post like that?

What he do to you?

Does He have a penis?

What he do to you?

If you were truly a believer, you would have capitalized "He". Heathen.

If you were truly a believer, you would have capitalized "He". Heathen.
I thought 'He' was gender-non-specific. But I don't believe, so it matters not.

It is Satan that gives you the ability of Sin and Hell. If you Athiest are as well educated as you say you are, why was there a post like that?

But God created us and has power over Satan. God created everything so must have created Hell. But this is an argument I do not want to get into.

You better believe it! God sent the Mongols to punish you, and straighten you out. Now, God must teach you the lesson again. America was also chosen to free the oppressed people of Iraq! And punish evil dictators! Yes, I really believe this.

Yes, the Mongol hordes that swarmed across Iceland were surely the punishment of god.

"Where Are all these Athiests coming From?"

Obviously I can't speak for all of them, but I strongly suspect that many Atheists became so because "Christians" don't practice what they say they believe.

Kudos Eutrusca....That is something I have to admit I would not have expected you to say....

You have truely given me pause for thought...

bugger! LOL!

I'm really quite worried now. This thread makes me glad I am neither christian nor American. Go me.

Yes, the Mongol hordes that swarmed across Iceland were surely the punishment of god.

Noone lived in Iceland at the time. Too cold.

Noone lived in Iceland at the time. Too cold.

This post/whole thread is just a joke right?.

Does He have a penis?

What the hell was that all about?

Everywhere. People have started thinking for themselves rather than having a church, book, priest, or whatever telling them how to think and live their lives.

Noone lived in Iceland at the time. Too cold.

Except Icelanders, of course

...And then the screaming mongol hordes came to hand out god's punishment.

Except Icelanders, of course

...And then the screaming mongol hordes came to hand out god's punishment.

Were the Mongols even christian?. Yeah. My history sucks. But this is close on a thousand years ago. Die Vienna.

It's so funny when Christians refer to God as He. If God is a He, there would also be one or more female gods (and perhaps more male gods), and mean that they procreate.
I'm an European Atheist, by the way

Were the Mongols even christian?. Yeah. My history sucks. But this is close on a thousand years ago. Die Vienna.

Well, apparantly they were slaughtering people because it was god's will, so they must have been hardcore christians, almost as religious as those ladies with tall hair in the USA.

I learn new things every time I come to this forum.

Teenage nostalgia.
That's where the atheists are coming from. :)

Kudos Eutrusca....That is something I have to admit I would not have expected you to say....

You have truely given me pause for thought...

bugger! LOL!

You think none of us Christians know what the deal is? I've known for a long time.

To my knowledge, the majority of atheists hold that particular belief because 1) the God-concept they internalized as children (due to indoctrination) is highly inconsistent with the ideals they formed later in life 2) some religious folks pissed them off or did them wrong at some point and they identify the bad experience with the religion 3) both of these.

Of course, some atheists simply were not raised in a household where belief in a God was taught, and never really found religion appealing enough to commit to it wholeheartedly. In my limited experience, the latter group is a distinct minority.

Well, apparantly they were slaughtering people because it was god's will, so they must have been hardcore christians, almost as religious as those ladies with tall hair in the USA.

I learn new things every time I come to this forum.

Yeah. Americans, what they need is a good religion, which promotes something ridiculous. That would be fun. Damned Christianity with its goodwill and whatnot.

Teenage nostalgia.
That's where the atheists are coming from. :)

People that don't believe in mircales and angels are so naive

Yeah. Americans, what they need is a good religion, which promotes something ridiculous. That would be fun. Damned Christianity with its goodwill and whatnot.

Exactly...I bet if the Mongols hadn't been christian, they would never have come to Iceland.

You think none of us Christians know what the deal is? I've known for a long time.

To my knowledge, the majority of atheists hold that particular belief because 1) the God-concept they internalized as children (due to indoctrination) is highly inconsistent with the ideals they formed later in life 2) some religious folks pissed them off or did them wrong at some point and they identify the bad experience with the religion 3) both of these.

Of course, some atheists simply were not raised in a household where belief in a God was taught, and never really found religion appealing. In my limited experience, the latter group is a distinct minority.

Where do I fit in?. I was raised in ahousehold which does not really promote religion (Nor does it repress it.). Then in my early years school taught me the basics of |Christianity, which did not interest me. Later school life taught me real religion, which I became interested in, but then dropped when I started to think for myself.

Oh, and around that time I was raped by a priest. (Fine, the last bit isn't true.)

Well, I don't consider myself either an Atheist or a believer.

To state that one is an Atheist, is to state that you BELIEVE that there is no god.

I only selected the choice because it is closest to the truth. However, I refuse to BELIEVE anything without incontrovertible evidence. Ie. Hard factual data that is objectivey testable and observable. For example, I believe that gravity exists due to it's objectively testable nature (at least when you discount relatavistic affects).

In my not so humble opinion, belief is a weakness. To believe is to harden one's mind and to block out other means of life. Most religious beliefs, by their very nature and need to reinforce their own followership tends to rely on fear tactics to keep people from defecting to competing belief systems.

By refusing to accept any single belief system, one necessarily leaves one's mind open to the possibility of improving our worldviews by modifying as facts require. An inflexible belief system has a tendency to create problems like suicide bombers and teenage runaways. The my god is better than yours has a certain problem w/ alienation. Might as well accept all beliefs for what they are: opinions.

Exactly...I bet if the Mongols hadn't been christian, they would never have come to Iceland.

Exactly. Then the great Icelandic fur trade would never have started and led to Vikings discovering America 300 years previous to the Mongol invasion.

Where do I fit in?. I was raised in ahousehold which does not really promote religion (Nor does it repress it.). Then in my early years school taught me the basics of |Christianity, which did not interest me. Later school life taught me real religion, which I became interested in, but then dropped when I started to think for myself.

Oh, and around that time I was raped by a priest. (Fine, the last bit isn't true.)

You are in the latter group.

[Edit: I modified my previous post to clarify.]

Exactly. Then the great Icelandic fur trade would never have started and led to Vikings discovering America 300 years previous to the Mongol invasion.

Yeah, and Leifur Eiríksson would have never built the great pyramids of Gizeh.

You think none of us Christians know what the deal is? I've known for a long time.

To my knowledge, the majority of atheists hold that particular belief because 1) the God-concept they internalized as children (due to indoctrination) is highly inconsistent with the ideals they formed later in life 2) some religious folks pissed them off or did them wrong at some point and they identify the bad experience with the religion 3) both of these.

Of course, some atheists simply were not raised in a household where belief in a God was taught, and never really found religion appealing enough to commit to it wholeheartedly. In my limited experience, the latter group is a distinct minority.

Sorry dude but you have the wrong end of the stick...I was surprised by the openess of E's post. Not his message. ;)

I am an atheist because I am a rationalist. I do not believe in myths. I acknowledge the existance of myths for sure (only a fool would say other wise) but I do not believe in them.

Yeah, and Leifur Eiríksson would have never built the great pyramids of Gizeh.

Precisely. And without that everyone knows Jakobsson wouldn't have founded Jericho.

You are in the latter group.

[Edit: I modified my previous post to clarify.]

Yes. It is all clarified now.

Precisely. And without that everyone knows Jakobsson wouldn't have founded Jericho.

And Bergþóra would have never shot that arch-duke and ww1 would have been averted.

My lack of belief also tends to stem from little issues such as religious contradictions with objectively observable factual data.

Age of the earth as 6000 years vs. people living in north america 10,000 years ago strikes me as one obviously ludicrous claim. But, I'll refrain from going further on this.

Most dudes are athiests because their parents dont like them much and their wangs are real small. Its written somewhere in the Bible.

And Bergþóra would have never shot that arch-duke and ww1 would have been averted.

Amazing. If Iceland hadn't ibeen invaded by the Mongols Iceland would have had little effect on world history, and would have merely served to remind people that Iceland is better.

you know, christianity and atheism are not the only two religons present.

Amazing. If Iceland hadn't ibeen invaded by the Mongols Iceland would have had little effect on world history, and would have merely served to remind people that Iceland is better.

Yeah...And we'd have lived in perfect harmony with everyone and built ourselves a scandinavian-type socialist paradise with the highest standard of living in the world where poverty and crime is unthinkable.

Surely the Mongols were god's punishment

I hope this is all sarcasm :rolleyes:

The mongols were a) pagans

b) never got over Poland

Oh, yes and i don't believe in god but if necessary i'd be a Baccus cultist :p
Europe here.

None of the above.

Americas ~ Agnostic.

Baptized Roman Catholic but there are a lot of teachings I do not agree with. I have atheist leanings probably because of my ideas of science and evolution. I have grown up knowing many Buddhists and think it's pretty cool. For organized religions, I have the most respect for Unitarism. My best friend is a Lutheran Christian. My boyfriend is a staunch atiest.

I often sway back and forth between believer and non-believer but never firmly in either cause.

I'm neither. I don't know.

After reading many books on the history of religion, I've found that the stories often end-up coming from odd beginnings. I don't know if there's the 'god', which everyone has their own version of. I think it could be possible that there's a superior being that knows how to control vast areas of the universe or the universe itself. That's not inconceiveable to me. I just find that it's extremely self-centric to think that I'm a jewel in the universe, and god or the superior being needs to pay attention to me. I don't really watch the ants pass below me, so I wouldn't think 'God' would either.

Shit, clicked the wrong one...

Im actually Americas~Atheist

Hmn...from the mind of a teenager who has a cynical view of the world and decides that there is no God because her mother is an uber bitch who tries to convince her intelligent daughter that her opinion is wrong? *snicker* the same kid who is now 21 and hasn't changed her beliefs? *snicker* :D
Haha my life story exactly....minus the part about being a girl, minus the part about being 21 now.

European and atheist.

Of course, some atheists simply were not raised in a household where belief in a God was taught, and never really found religion appealing enough to commit to it wholeheartedly. In my limited experience, the latter group is a distinct minority.
Wouldn't say that...in Eastern Europe, for example, atheism was kind of the main religion for long time.

PS:
Foxstenopolis, you are not doing christianity a favor by confirming anti-christian and anti-american stereotypes.

And Bergþóra would have never shot that arch-duke and ww1 would have been averted.
And then Hitler would not have taken over the world in WW2 because it would have been WWI.

I'm a person on the line between Atheism and LaVeyan Satanism. Obviously I don't speak for all of them, but no, LaVeyan Satanists generally do not believe in a greater deity.The reason I still call myself Atheist is because I don't understand all aspects of LaVeyan Satanism and I won't call myself a LaVeyan Satanist until I do understand it and have applied Satanic principal to my lifestyle.

God is obsolete.

God is obsolete.

You need to update to god-v2.0, I hear it's got alot of new features and the harps are no longer MIDI

Australia, atheist.

Australia, Weak Atheist

My family has never really needed any kind of religion in our lives. Mum and dad taught me to have an open mind about things, and they wouldn't mind if I became a Bhuddist, or a Jew or a Mormon. Their belief is as long as you're a good person who does good things, it doesn't matter what you believe.

I've read into Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Judaism. Honestly none of them have particularly grabbed me or seemed to be better alternatives to the belief system I hold to now.

Hmm, the option of agnosticism seems not to have been included on the poll.

Sheesh, is Europe entirely populated by god-hating socialists? ;)

It is great to see that there is so much intelligence among us.
It wont be long now until those moronic-god-believers are in the true minority

Well, I don't consider myself either an Atheist or a believer.

To state that one is an Atheist, is to state that you BELIEVE that there is no god.

I only selected the choice because it is closest to the truth. However, I refuse to BELIEVE anything without incontrovertible evidence. Ie. Hard factual data that is objectivey testable and observable. For example, I believe that gravity exists due to it's objectively testable nature (at least when you discount relatavistic affects).

In my not so humble opinion, belief is a weakness. To believe is to harden one's mind and to block out other means of life. Most religious beliefs, by their very nature and need to reinforce their own followership tends to rely on fear tactics to keep people from defecting to competing belief systems.

By refusing to accept any single belief system, one necessarily leaves one's mind open to the possibility of improving our worldviews by modifying as facts require. An inflexible belief system has a tendency to create problems like suicide bombers and teenage runaways. The my god is better than yours has a certain problem w/ alienation. Might as well accept all beliefs for what they are: opinions.



Perfect.

It is great to see that there is so much intelligence among us.
It wont be long now until those moronic-god-believers are in the true minority
Borderline trolling. Exercise more caution.

--The Modified Democratic States of Cogitation

...

The poll question is unclear. Is it asking where we are from? ...or where we think atheists are from? I am a Catholic living in the United States.

--The Democratic States of Cogitation

I believe god does not exist. Actually the probability that god exist is real, but it is something significantly less than 0.000000000000000000000001%.
It doesn't mean that just because he doesn't exist you should believe he does. I think that Jesus never existed, but what he said was good (well not everything). You should follow his teachings in spirit even if he does not exist, but you must remember he was just invented so you don't have to be too zealous and follow him up too far.

Texan.
Atheist.
Proud of both.

Though I don't know there is no god, I believe there is no god. And since my father, mother, step-mother and siblings are all atheists, I suppose I'm in the minority. If my friends want to think there is a god, fine with me. I believe they're wrong, they believe I'm wrong. We just agree to disagree.

where did all you believers come from? and how on earth did you end up buying that fanciful conjecture wholesale?...come one come all...to your local super market...empty values and blind faith....10 bucks off. what a deal.

Yes, the Mongol hordes that swarmed across Iceland were surely the punishment of god.
You mean the ones that set camp at Keflavík? :D

I am a european and agnostic. I voted for atheist though. :)

Noone lived in Iceland at the time. Too cold.

Another one that needs some extra history lesson. :p

americans +1 (the class is full now)

sorry ;)

you know, christianity and atheism are not the only two religons present.
you know, it is like that in "Jesusland" - or so I have heard...
and all the atheists are probably going to hell for having a mind of their own.

You better stay in the hive or else the mongols zombies will rise from the dead.
omg i'm clever with words. This one goes directly to my sig.

i don't think it is going to enhance the thread originator's understanding of atheism to discover the regions of the world that atheists live in. The question is dumb.

forgot to mention - Europe, Apathist (this wasn't an option)

Sheesh, is Europe entirely populated by god-hating socialists? ;)
Oh my GOD! It is. This scientific study proves it. But look at Asia, fortunately all asians seem to be believers. That evens it out nicely.
:)

I believe god does not exist. Actually the probability that god exist is real, but it is something significantly less than 0.000000000000000000000001%.
It doesn't mean that just because he doesn't exist you should believe he does. I think that Jesus never existed, but what he said was good (well not everything). You should follow his teachings in spirit even if he does not exist, but you must remember he was just invented so you don't have to be too zealous and follow him up too far.

how did you work out the probability of the existence of god? I'd like to see your working.

Well, I don't consider myself either an Atheist or a believer.

To state that one is an Atheist, is to state that you BELIEVE that there is no god.


No. Atheist don't BELIEVE that there is no god. Atheism is the condition of being without theistic beliefs.

No. Atheist don't BELIEVE that there is no god. Atheism is the condition of being without theistic beliefs.

Thank you! At last someone who knows that atheism isn't a belief system: it's merely the absence of belief. Although personally I don't really like the term. I don't see why lack of belief in one class of hypothetical supernatural being (god or gods) gets a special word all to itself. I don't believe in witches, or in angels, or in demons, or in sprites, bogles, kobolds, kaboutermannikins, redcaps, follettos, bunyips, squonks, nyolls, net-nets, Blue Men of the Minch, and so on and so forth, but there isn't a special name for lack of belief in each of those: just "not superstitious". Or maybe "sane".

No. Atheist don't BELIEVE that there is no god. Atheism is the condition of being without theistic beliefs.

Atheism is generally defined in english as the belief that there is no god.



a·the·ism Audio pronunciation of "atheism" ( P ) Pronunciation Key (th-zm)
n.

1.
1. Disbelief in or denial of the existence of God or gods.
2. The doctrine that there is no God or gods.
2. Godlessness; immorality.

european/unconvinced

Sheesh, is Europe entirely populated by god-hating socialists? ;)

Not entirely... I'm a god-hating capitalist!

Atheism is generally defined in english as the belief that there is no god.

Hmmm... the problem with dictionary definitions is that you have to bear in mind the mindset of the dictionary compilers: no dictionary can ever be taken as a pure, objective source. But where there is a dispute between definitions, it's better to try to find new terms. This is another reason why I prefer to define my absence of belief as "not superstitious".

Hmmm... the problem with dictionary definitions is that you have to bear in mind the mindset of the dictionary compilers: no dictionary can ever be taken as a pure, objective source. But where there is a dispute between definitions, it's better to try to find new terms. This is another reason why I prefer to define my absence of belief as "not superstitious".

There is an existing term "agnostic" for someone who doesn't claim a belief in the existence or nonexistence of god, and I use the term "apathist" for myself, since i don't care whether or not there's a god.

I don't see why lack of belief in one class of hypothetical supernatural being (god or gods) gets a special word all to itself. I don't believe in witches, or in angels, or in demons, or in sprites, bogles, kobolds, kaboutermannikins, redcaps, follettos, bunyips, squonks, nyolls, net-nets, Blue Men of the Minch, and so on and so forth, but there isn't a special name for lack of belief in each of those: just "not superstitious". Or maybe "sane".

perhaps because there are a whole load of people who are not beleivers in 'god/s', and a whole load who do.

when the world was mostly religious, it made sence to have a word for religious people. when the ballenced changed, and there became more and more non beleivers, it was appropriate that there was a name for them.

just as there is a name for a people from a country, as there is a need for a name, there is a name for those who do not follow a god/s.

how about instead of athiests being the ones who should not have a name for their group, we remove religions name? after all, religion is a human invention, and there was not, as far as humans are concerned, religion on this world before we came along and created it.

i am living in england, and have no views one way or the other (agnostic), but i was born in the middle east. neither of which were options :DD

There is an existing term "agnostic" for someone who doesn't claim a belief in the existence or nonexistence of god, and I use the term "apathist" for myself, since i don't care whether or not there's a god.

Yeah, but there are issues of semantics and, frankly, personal preference to take into account as well. "Agnostic" is often used to define someone who kinda believes in a sorta god, you know, well, there-has-to-be-a-purpose-probably-somewhere mindset. At the very least, open to the question. "Apathist" is OK, although there are potential negative connotations and it's not a term I'd be happy applying to myself. And again, both "agnostic" and "apathist", in that they are special terms concocted to deal with the question of belief or otherwise in god or gods, seem redundant to me. Why is this area of supernatural belief deemed worthy of special terms all to itself?

In my own opinion, the question of "belief in a god" or "belief that there isn't a god" is a bit stupid. In fact, the whole question is stupid, since it can't be answered, or even investigated, with any authority whatsoever. It is a subject utterly and forever beyond investigation, a sophomoric timewaster on a par with "what if everything, including you and your memories, were all flashed into being 10 seconds ago?" Untestable, unfalsifiable, unneccessary.

perhaps because there are a whole load of people who are not beleivers in 'god/s', and a whole load who do.

when the world was mostly religious, it made sence to have a word for religious people. when the ballenced changed, and there became more and more non beleivers, it was appropriate that there was a name for them.

Well, there are a whole load of people who believe in astrology, or that the moon landings were faked, or that rubbing themselves with bits of crystal will confer some benefit upon them, but there isn't a special term for people who think astrology is a load of balls, or that the fake-moon-landing conspiracists need their heads examined, or that crystal medicine is quackery. I suspect that the question of the existence or non-existence of god/s gets special treatment because it was (and all too often still is) an important issue in the minds of the Establishment.

Well, there are a whole load of people who believe in astrology, or that the moon landings were faked, or that rubbing themselves with bits of crystal will confer some benefit upon them, but there isn't a special term for people who think astrology is a load of balls, or that the fake-moon-landing conspiracists need their heads examined, or that crystal medicine is quackery. I suspect that the question of the existence or non-existence of god/s gets special treatment because it was (and all too often still is) an important issue in the minds of the Establishment.

you fail to grasp my point. there is a special name for non beleivers in religion, since there is a vast ammount of them, and a vast ammount of people who are religious.

there are sufficient numbers to justify having a word for the groups.

the examples you suggest encompass a few handfulls (in relative terms) of people, compared to the 99.99999999% of the population who think they are morons.

thus no special word is needed.

I became an atheist after reading Machiavelli. Before that I was an Anglican who went to church schools.

you fail to grasp my point. there is a special name for non beleivers in religion, since there is a vast ammount of them, and a vast ammount of people who are religious.

there are sufficient numbers to justify having a word for the groups.

the examples you suggest encompass a few handfulls (in relative terms) of people, compared to the 99.99999999% of the population who think they are morons.

thus no special word is needed.

I disagree. There are a vast number of people who will believe any old rubbish if they happen to like the story, whether that story is "gain valuable insights into your future with this short, vague paragraph in a newspaper"; "rearrange your furniture for health and profit"; or "mumble in a cold building once a week and spend eternity in bliss (offer redeemable only after death)".

Religion is just a fancy name for organised superstition. There is a huge overlap between the "religious" and the "generally superstitious". I doubt, though, if you will find many atheists (for want of a better word) who believe in astrology, feng shui, or any other form of hocus-pocus. Therefore, I maintain that a more accurate division would be between the "superstitious" and the "not superstitious". Or maybe between the "gullible" and the "cynical".

I disagree. There are a vast number of people who will believe any old rubbish if they happen to like the story, whether that story is "gain valuable insights into your future with this short, vague paragraph in a newspaper"; "rearrange your furniture for health and profit"; or "mumble in a cold building once a week and spend eternity in bliss (offer redeemable only after death)".

Religion is just a fancy name for organised superstition. There is a huge overlap between the "religious" and the "generally superstitious". I doubt, though, if you will find many atheists (for want of a better word) who believe in astrology, feng shui, or any other form of hocus-pocus. Therefore, I maintain that a more accurate division would be between the "superstitious" and the "not superstitious". Or maybe between the "gullible" and the "cynical".

as you say, i would be quite happy for that to be the case. as it is, it was felt that a word was needed, and i think how i explained it would be how it happened.

just like everything in this world atm, things need labels. there probably is a label for practically every form of beleif, and secepticism in existance, or if a lack of a label is found, one will be made.

we live in an age where the mind is freer to go along paths that 50-100 years ago, only a few people had the free time to tread.

thus we have more energy diverted from getting enough food to eat, to thinking, naming, labeling, and genreally doing abstract things.

If anybody is interested in an interesting theory about the origins of Christianity and other religions, check out this page (http://www.christianitymeme.org/).

Personally, I'm a former Mormon, and now an athiest.