NationStates Jolt Archive

I was thinking earlier about how my dog acts pretty much like a human, and it got me wondering.. do they follow any religions?

No but they probably believe in some sort of higher power.

They worship cats

Well, I've never had a dog knock on my door and try to get me to read a pamphlet...
I'd say they probably don't. They believe in an alpha animal, who in most cases is their owner.

All hail the great squeaky bone!

Bow down in fear before thy God, the mighty vacuum cleaner.

Did you hear about the dyslexic agnostic insomniac?

He lay awake at night wondering if there really is a dog.

Yes, they do. They're called humans.

well.. Their social system is stuctured in a manner that would allow it (pack leaders, alpha male etc) so perhaps they could... Whether they question the reason of their existance or not however could change the question?

Besides. I am a member of The Chosen People of the actual Dog (http://z8.invisionfree.com/SSA05/index.php?showtopic=770)... so technically dogs are gods and if they think they exist, then the gods must exist...

gods are a human construct. There is no proof that any animal other than humans at any time has performed any religous ritual. All actions can be explained due to territory defence, consumption, self development or mating. Humans worship gods as a seperate part of their life which does not impact upon the rest of it

dogs have tiny brains. there is no room in there for abstract notions like gods.

Some of these polls make me wanna bark!

dogs have tiny brains. there is no room in there for abstract notions like gods.

Does that mean that believing in God requires more intelligence?

Some of these polls make me wanna bark!

For that comment you are:

A) sleeping in the dog house tonight
B) getting neutered
C) getting smacked with a paper, for that awful mess you just made.

Your choice.

They obviously don't. If apes and monkeys don't then dogs don't.

Does that mean that believing in God requires more intelligence?



in essence YES. it requires a more complicated brain than a dog has.

in essence YES. it requires a more complicated brain than a dog has.

So in humans, why are we taught the those who reject the notion of God are more intelligent?

Erm, how the hell are we supposed to know?!

Does that mean that believing in God requires more intelligence?.
Perhaps. Or perhaps it just requires a larger portion of unused brain power.

So in humans, why are we taught the those who reject the notion of God are more intelligent?
because those who reject god think that they are smarter than they really are.

For that comment you are:

A) sleeping in the dog house tonight
B) getting neutered
C) getting smacked with a paper, for that awful mess you just made.

Your choice.

Don't make me bite you, Zilam!

The idea of God is an anomaly created to coop with our brains failure in understanding probabilities. The human Neo Cortex is design for episodic storage and chunking in cause and effect terms, and not surprisingly since the assumption of pure randomness or the failure to see cause is simply not suitable in evolution. Cause and effect is therefore necessary, not only in humans, but all mammals as well. Now dogs does have Neo Cortex, but a much smaller one. So the problem is rather their Neo Cortex is capable of generating virtual worlds in the sense of understanding self, or time perception, both of which a quite necessary for the concept of God.

Without an understand of self it is safe to say that they will not understand death, life after death, the meaning of life, and other exotic human constructs. Although Dogs do fail the mirror test, there are criticism about how since dogs are not visually dominant, not recognizing themselves in the mirror only proof that dogs rely on other senses more and have nothing to do with consciousness.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror_test

There are other arguments concerning animal's perception of time. An article on HowStuffWorks suggest that animal does not, or have very limited ability, in perceiving time

http://animals.howstuffworks.com/pets/dogs-perceive-time.htm

However, since I am a believer that all Neo Cortex uses similar algorithm, I will assume that animals too, would have a much lesser but nevertheless existing ability to construct a supernatural cause and effect. In fact since animals have a limited ability to reason they probably do believe in all kinds of superstitions base on past experiences. Pavlov’s dog might very well believe that bell causes food to appear. But I do not think that this alone qualifies for our understand of what God is.

Edit: Just a side note, dogs do have hippocampus, and does contribute to their learning abilities. So it's hard to say that they don't have long term memories. it's just to what extend and rather or not they can recall memories at will.

it's surely impossible to tell what any other being believes...

but in my opinion god is a cultural construct, probably outside whatever "culture" dogs do possess.

So in humans, why are we taught the those who reject the notion of God are more intelligent?

are we?
there are highly successful people in all walks of life that profess to one religious belief or another. although i consider myself intelligent and atheistic i think it would be hasty to assume a correlation without sufficient evidence.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religiosity_and_intelligence

although, i would like it to be true :p

Oh, I thought up a wittier response now:


"I'll have to ask your girlfriend/sister/mother"

We can't possibly know. To say "no, because their brains are too small" is absolutely ridiculous, as our understanding of consciousness, sentience and thought is incredibly limited. We understand little of how out own minds work, let alone those of other creatures that we cannot communicate with on any meaningful level beyond "sit" and being ignored. To say "Yes, of course" is stupid, because we have absolutely no proof of such a claim whatsoever.

What we do know is that dogs have an advanced social structure and so would seem to be capable of dealing with abstract ideas. I would not dismiss the idea completely, though I think anyone expecting them to think of gods is the same way we do is probably in for a disappointment given that a dogs world is more circumspect than ours.

They can look up, though.

They do, but they don't take it very seriously. Why would they, they're just going to end up in Doggie Heaven any way.

So in humans, why are we taught the those who reject the notion of God are more intelligent?

We are taught no such thing, and well you know it.

We are taught no such thing, and well you know it.

orly? I would bet money differently.

orly? I would bet money differently.

I'm sure you would, but that doesn't change anything.

No, because they're stupid and they smell bad.

No, because they're stupid and they smell bad.

Rye-Rye? Get 'im! *Dog comes in, solves advanced math problem, eats your shoe while you stare, amazed at his intelligence*

So in humans, why are we taught the those who reject the notion of God are more intelligent?

because rejection carries a far higher requirement for intelligence than non contemplation. Thus there is a difference between a non intelligent dog who does not believe, and a human who does not believe.

The dog does not believe because he can't even consider what it is to believe. The dog can't believe in god because it lacks the capacity to even conceive of such a thing. The human on the other hand, can conceive of a god, analyze the concept of god, and reject it as concept.

All hail the great squeaky bone!

:) True. Though I'd say they'd worship any fuzzy toy that squeaks. But that's just me.

I am my dog's god. My father is my dog's god. My mom is my dog's god. My sister is my dog's god. My sister's boyfriend is my dog's god. The UPS guy is my dog's god.

I could go on.

One is a Buddhist the other is a Ba'hai.

Wait, if God believes in dogs, why can't dogs believe in God?

I am my dog's god. My father is my dog's god. My mom is my dog's god. My sister is my dog's god. My sister's boyfriend is my dog's god. The UPS guy is my dog's god.

I could go on.What so the mailman is somewhere combo between the dog's bitch and the dog's hated foe then?

I was thinking earlier about how my dog acts pretty much like a human, and it got me wondering.. do they follow any religions?

I don't know about dogs, but my cats know THEY ARE GODS.

What so the mailman is somewhere combo between the dog's bitch and the dog's hated foe then?

He's never had the pleasure of meeting the mailman because that would require the mailman driving the half mile straight up our hill, heh. But he seriously thinks that anyone, with very few exceptions, who comes across him is the greatest person in the history of mankind. He's a therapy dog, so he's sort of been trained to be this way. IT'S AWESOME.

A better question.

Can dogs look up?

A better question.

Can dogs look up?

Yes. Next question?

Yes. Next question?

They can if they move their head, but not with their eyes.

They can if they move their head, but not with their eyes.

If I could find my camera, I'd show you....

If I could find my camera, I'd show you....

No matter what proof you show me, I will never acept that my beliefs are wrong, and that anything that says they are is propoganda.

No matter what proof you show me, I will never acept that my beliefs are wrong, and that anything that says they are is propoganda.

have you been taking lessons from Andaras again?

have you been taking lessons from Andaras again?

What do you mean, again?

And that was the joke.

No, but some gods believe in dogs, usually after undergoing spiritual experiences involving hallucinogens, heavy traffic, and hairbreadth escapes.

This entire thread is both funny, and somewhat insulting. Let me say this: I love dogs. I am the happy owner of one, and live with 2 others. Several of my friends have dogs, and I get along with those dogs quite well.

I believe that no, dogs do not believe in a/the god/s as we humans do. Perhaps they do believe in some form of god/s, perhaps not. What I consider to be important is how they feel about me. I mean, being god would be great, but... I don't want my dog to worship me, nor any other dog.

The mere idea that dogs are unintelligent, and so can't understand the idea of a/the god/s is insulting. Honestly, I think humans are very uninteligent themselves. So, if we can ponder, 'is there a god?', then dogs can think 'you idiot human, I'm right here!'

Why the hell not? If crazy bastards like us can do it, then they probably can as well. There's a lot to be said about their loyalty and dedication to those that care for them, something a too many of us have lost over the past 300,000 years or so.

do gods believe in dogs?

There´s only one true god, his name is The Actual Dog. He is a dog. Does that answers your question?

If not, click here (http://s8.invisionfree.com/ssa05). Everything you need to know is there.:eek:

There´s only one true god, his name is The Actual Dog. He is a dog. Does that answers your question?

If not, click here (http://s8.invisionfree.com/ssa05). Everything you need to know is there.:eek:

Blasphemer.

Bow before your God of Spam.

Blasphemer.

Bow before your God of Spam.

Ehhh... no, thank you. I´ll pass.

Ehhh... no, thank you. I´ll pass.

Then drown forever in the Sea of Eternal Spam.

Then drown forever in the Sea of Eternal Spam.

I´ll take you with me, false God of Spam!

According to the Bible, all animals know The Name of the Lord, which means yes, dogs believe in God

Yes, and when the Caninomachy begins, Jehova'll have his hands full...

Here's hopin Lucifer keeps Human Civilization on top, lol...

Yes, and when the Caninomachy begins, Jehova'll have his hands full...

Here's hopin Lucifer keeps Human Civilization on top, lol...

:eek:
I, for once, will welcome our canine overlords with open arms.

I´ll take you with me, false God of Spam!

False? Who introduced you to the SSA? Who has the second highest postcount there? Who was the longest running top poster before that?

Cats know of the Endless, so I'm sure they know of the gods as well.

And if cats do, I think we can be fairly certain that dogs do as well.

=)

Of course I believe! Who do you think brought me back from the dead?

They worship ceiling cat.

False? Who introduced you to the SSA? Who has the second highest postcount there? Who was the longest running top poster before that?

Ahh, but, according to Soggy, I´m the most important member of the SSA so far so... eat your heart out, follower-less god!

Does that mean that believing in God requires more intelligence?
It requires abrain capable of abstract notions such as that of a deity...

So in humans, why are we taught the those who reject the notion of God are more intelligent?
...but as we see, this doesn't mean that the human brain is free from idiocies such as inferring the above, or trying to make some silly point about intelligence and belief in a god or gods.