[vevuxking102]

Organized religion is really only bad when it gets too big, as is the case of most "Christianity" today in the world. Giant mega churches, with lying preachers and priest who want your money and everything you own. I always refer back to the story of Paul and Simon the sorcerer in the book of Acts, when Simon asked Paul if he could have his secret for religion, in exchange for huge stashes of money, in which Paul tells him (free translation) you and your money can go to Hell. That's what I'd tell most Christians here.

[some guy]

I'm Christian.....though not a real good one, I really don't believe in this "god" figure, though I'm not prejudiced against other peoples beliefs. Other people can believe in who or what every else they want just as long as they don't go and try to force it onto me.
Though believing there's no God, one must also understand that theres no heaven or hell.
But when I people say God created all, then who created God? If god created all then how long has he been sitting where-ever he is? And more to that, why did he suddenly go "Hey lets create a universe, and a planet that will wonder if its alone. Then I will send my son down there and he'll mess around and someone will write a holy book about him." Then centuries later, "Hey, I'm bored lets create a whole bunch of corrupt people to mess up this planet a bit."
If god is so holy and wise, and HE creates people, and warns people not to go to do bad things, why does he create corruption and temptations?

Well thats just my opinion, sorry if I offend anyone.

[Gravis]

Originally Posted by some guy

But when I people say God created all, then who created God? If god created all then how long has he been sitting where-ever he is?

Those questions really have nothing to do with God. I've actually thought about it myself, but in the end it's simply asking too much on comprehending on what God is which is something mere humans can never truly accomplish.

Originally Posted by some guy

And more to that, why did he suddenly go "Hey lets create a universe, and a planet that will wonder if its alone.

Again, those questions could only be answered by God himself.

Originally Posted by some guy

Then centuries later, "Hey, I'm bored lets create a whole bunch of corrupt people to mess up this planet a bit." If god is so holy and wise, and HE creates people, and warns people not to go to do bad things, why does he create corruption and temptations?

In Christianity, God never created any of those things, humans did. In Christianity, God is perfect, humans aren't. However, from what I understand this is not a terrible thing. The choice of humans becoming corrupt or tempted to do wicked or evil things is the evidence of the free will we have. If we did not have free will, we would not have the choice to deny God's existence and all that the bible teaches. Free will is what keeps this world in an ever-flowing river of change, which assures us to never be bored. The good and bad choices are the balance of life. This was not God's creation, it was our own as human beings.

Originally Posted by some guy

Well thats just my opinion, sorry if I offend anyone.

Don't worry about it. Everyone has their own opinion about everything. If everyone were to get offended then more people would be suing anyone for any reason, though that happens these days too, lol. The idea of it is to gradually learn and understand the concepts of what our world has.

Moving onto the subject at hand, my opinion of religion is it is a very much needed asset to our world. The advantage of having hope, faith, and contentment for happiness is something some people need for their lives. It doesn't make people ignorant for believing in something others find to be imaginary since people can also believe in the real facts of science at the same time. It simply goes beyond what people assume about it and allows for the spirituality of humanity to seek something other than just cold hard facts.

Fear does not drive people away from science, emptiness does. The emptiness of not having the answers for the biggest of life's questions or the answers that can be more depressing than happy. Nor does religion use fear as a way to control people's minds. Humans do that, not religion. There is nothing in religion that speaks of brainwashing the masses in order to extort money out of them or any other wicked scam. That's the thinking of a human. Which reminds me of something else that bugs me.

People just don't seem to understand that religion never preaches what they hate about it. Only the assumed followers of said religion twist the original teachings so that they can do as they please. These are the human beings like the Westboro Church, radical Islamics, or ancient pagan religions that require terrible offerings [I.E. Sacrificing human lives for gods]. These people take the same verses and scriptures out of context as much as anti-religious zealots who become obsessed with believing the way they wish rather than what the original teachings teach. Because of this, they are truly not apart of what religion they claim to be from. They are lost within their faith and only use religion to further their agenda. Human beings do this, not God(s). If there is anything anti-religious people must hate about religion, it is the people who call themselves Christians/Catholics/Muslims/or wherever their from to do unholy and criminal sins against the rest of mankind.

Other than that, there isn't much wrong with religion. There's a whole lot of things wrong with the human race.

[Blitz King]

Originally Posted by Momo Mastermind

oh, and almost all religions are based upon fear. You fear Hell so you act good, you fear God so you act good, you fear karmatic events so you act good, etc...

That is a good point, Although I am christian I do not Fear upon my God. I do not believe that you have to do everything good to go to heaven. Many people say that they know God, but yet the same people how say that can only answer a few things right about him. I know God, but others just know of Him.

I do fear hell though, I don not want to burn for eternity. Although I fear hell i still do wrong doings even though I know I'm not supposed to. Im a firefighter and know how hot fire can be, even stading 100 feet away from it it still is hot enough to cause damage to you. I probably got off topic, but im just tryin to prove my point about hell.

[AAARGH!!!]

Religion... where to begin? Well, I believe everyone is entitled to their own beliefs, and that no-one should patronize or criticize anyone else for their beliefs. It is up to the person in question to choose their beliefs. Belonging to no religion myself, I have no quarrels with anyone's beliefs or what they were taught about religion, so long as they accept that not everyone has the same beliefs and don't try to impose their beliefs on others.
However, some people do actually do this, and some take it to extreme levels. Hitler is one of the best examples I can think of. Hell, he tried to wipe out anyone who followed Judaism. Sicko.
Anyway, back to the matter at hand. All I mean to say is everyone, no matter how rich they are, no matter who they are, or where they come from, I mean everyone is entitled to their own beliefs so long as they go about it peacefully. That's all from me.

[Crazy Chocobo]

Originally Posted by Chez Daja

I'm Agnostic.

I don't directly believe anything, I don't find the aspect of God(s) logical, but I'd be open to discussion

Is that what it's called? That's what I am too, I don't have any beliefs really. I just believe in what I want to believe in instead of others forcing it down my throat. I used to believe in God when I was younger but my beliefs have changed in the past few years where I don't so much anymore. I just find it hard to believe but hey, anything is possible.

Religion can be evil, as we all know. It can start arguments, fights and even wars and that's never a good thing. I'm not sure if we would be better off without it, we could be, there might not be so many fights in our world but I think it does give people hope and makes them feel easier about dying. I really dislike it when people offer their opinions and other people from a different religion shoot them down and tell them they're wrong, oh I've seen it before, especially here. Everybody should have their own opinions without having to be told they are wrong. As most of us know, religion = conflict most of the time.

I don't follow a religion, I'm happier believing in what I like to believe in, as I have said, I dislike it when people try to force information about their own religions down our throats. We are free to believe in whatever we want. My parents both have a religion and seem to believe in God but they are not the most religious people, heck they barely are. My Mum used to go to church and such but nowadays she doesn't. I don't know many people who are highly religious, they'd rather believe in whatever they would like.

Anyway, my thoughts on religion are that it can be both evil and nice. While it gives hope to some, it can cause fights with others. It's a topic I like to avoid in forums, I thought I would just voice my opinion in this thread to see how it goes. I have nothing against religious people, they can believe in whatever they please, I won't hassle them about it.

[X SlAyEr]

Well... I was muslim before 2 years ago and inside me i feel i'm follow the wrong religion because i have gradients about christian religion so what happened was turn from Islam to Christian religion but that was not easy cos my parents muslims and before turning to christian i took a permission from my parents to it and that was not the easy part but they were agree on it.
Now I'm Christian and I'm happy with it, I go every weekend to Bahrain to Learn about Christian Religion.

[Lilium]

Religion is basically man's attempt to try to understand the world around us, and to try to get closer to God. I mean, even if you don't believe in a God, or one particular God, you have to at least see some sort of clue that there is a greater power, right?

Basically, religion uses one view and uses it to make sense of the world and of God. This is why there are so many religions out there. But, if you were to mix beliefs of different religions, then you would be that much closer to whatever higher power you believe is out there (any form of God, basically). I learned that from a book I read (one of my favorites titled 'One For Sorrow' by Christopher Barzak). I have taken this idea to heart.
I was raised Roman Catholic, and believe in a good amount of it, but I also have a good amount of conflicting ideas with the Church. I've mixed my own ideas and beliefs with Roman Catholicism, and mixed those beliefs with some of the beliefs of Shinto and Buddhism. I've studied up on a few religions, but have done more with Shinto and Buddhism, so those are the main religions that I've mixed with my own so far. I'm fairly satisfied.
I'll also be looking into other religions as well as studying the ones that I have taken part in more as well.

My view on God and the world. Basically, the world is a crossover between all the genres of every type of media, and God is watching it through his television set in the afterlife. God created the world for either no reason or out of boredom (or other. His thoughts are unknown when it comes to creation), and saw that it was good (maybe). After meddling with it in the past, He let Mankind take over, and sat idly by watching. He does interfere every now and then, but only when it's important or as he sees fit. Each person is given a number of miracles that will pop up randomly when they are born, as well. You can pray to God all you want, but he won't do shit unless he sees fit for Him to actually meddle with your little situation.
God is not bad, but don't expect him to do everything for you, or watch over you. This is why Guardian Angels are around. Remember that.

These are just a few of my views. Because I mix religions, it'd be a little time consuming trying to explain all of my beliefs, so I just put in the biggest and/or important ones.

[Exxdeath666]

Originally Posted by Dr. Raymond Stantz

I personally don't care for religion one bit. The reason being that every single major religion is a corrupt organization, created by corrupt governments to brainwash and control the masses. Then, the minor religions which people tend to ignore, say that they're not corrupt, but they discrimination against people of other religions is still there. So they're basically saying that it's alright to discriminate.

Many of the wars in history have been fought over some type of deity, and myself being a peaceful entity, I feel obliged to decline every single one. They're violent, distasteful, and not worth the effort.

Don't get me wrong, just because I severely hate religion, doesn't mean that I have anything against spirituality. Quite frankly, people who follow religion, aren't spiritual. They're taking somebody else's belief, and claiming it as their own belief. In order to have spirituality, you have to have your own set of personal beliefs and morals.

Alright, I see where you're getting at here, and personally, I agree with you. A large percentage of wars have been centered around religion, and it seems to be about all anyone cares about these days. In short, it is understandable that you would blame religion for that...

However...

I also believe that it is a bit unfair for one to broadly point the finger at religion. I do not think that war or conflict would immediately disappear if religion did. This is why: being human, we also want to be right because it gives us a sense of accomplishment, even if it occasionally makes us look like a complete douchebag. We don't care. At least our idea was correct.

The truth of the matter is, if our own morals or beliefs were all that existed, we'd have no foundation to back it up on. The world would plunge into chaos, confusion, and anarchy, and no belief would firmly be the "correct" one because there would be no evidence to back it. Murdering for one person may be more "morally correct" than the other one. Lack of proof leads to lack of organization.

[Dan558]

I think religion is a good things in many ways but its not perfect. I'm technically a Presbyterian but I'm not into it enough that I know any real difference between me and other Christians. Despite whether a "God" exists or not I think it helps people on an individual level to be better people. When larger groups form sometimes it does bad but I bet most of the people you know arn't fanatics right? I tend to notice people who are atheists seem to live a more self-destructive life because of THEIR disregard for others beliefs. YES even those who are "atheists" still cause problems like they are any other religion.

I think South Park had it right even if all religion was abolished from existence people would still fight and war over trivial things.

Also I find newer religions to just be silly Fads where everyone is trying to be an "individual" and pull away from the pack and find something Fun rather then meaningful. Thats not to say all are bullshit and I'm not stating this as a fact because I havn't researched and experienced all of them.

All I can say is Scientology is about the most retarded thing I have ever known. It's NOT a religion it's known to be written by a science fiction writer. Plus it makes people in it crazy, rejecting loving families and stuff.

[Sinister]

Originally Posted by Jin

Which religions do you want our opinions about? Religion in general? The topic is a bit ambiguous.

Regarding religion in general, I used to take a firm stance against it, thinking that it corrupted humans, but anyone who actually believes that doesn't have their head on straight. Anyone who thinks that humans need outside influences to corrupt themselves are shooting for the moon. Moving on. I find religions fascinating to be honest, particularily Eastern Religions. Hinduism, Jainism and Sikhism all interest me, but Buddhism and Taoism are the ones I find the most enthralling.

I consider myself a Taoist, in that I believe there is an unexplainable, unamable force that has created the universe. Not so much a God, but something beyond even the imagination of humanity. I believe that to be happy, one has to live in accordance with the Tao, but not in the traditional sense. The ancient Taoists believed, or at least wrote, that to live in harmony with the Tao, one must reconnect with humanity's roots as part of nature. Living a simple life of peace and tranquility. This is an admirable way to live, I agree, but I don't believe it is the only way in which to live according to the Tao. Nature is not peaceful. As I said before, to assume humans are naturally good is to ask for destruction. I believe that society is as natural as seclusion.

I believe everyone knows what they need to do to live in accordance with the Tao, they just aren't aware of their knowledge. What's that quote by Shakespeare? All the world's a stage and all the men and women are merely players? I think that's what it ammounts to. Everyone has their part to play and to discover and embrace your part is the only true happiness, no matter what the part is. How do you know when you find your part? To paraphrase Lao Tzu, you must look inside yourself and see. No, it isn't logical, but religion isn't about being logical and neither is life for that matter.

I'm sure Sinister can add more on this, although I imagine he is a more traditional form of Taoist. But he may surprise us. =P

Regarding the Western Religions, I believe they are an important part of Western culture and society and are in their own rights interesting. Catholicism is pretty interesting I find, as is Judaism, especially the Kabalah (Evangelion anyone?). Do we have any Zoroastrians here?

That was the topic of this thread, right?

Where was I when this thread was created!? ><;;

As a Taoist, I can add little to what Jin has said. Only that, there is no practice of Taoism. It's something that you know in your heart. Once you know Taoism, everything falls into place and you realize where you are in this universe.

It's just a direction. A current. Knowing of it's existence and which way it flows makes life infinitely easier.


I was Roman Catholic, by birth. I denounce nothing. I deny nothing. I know nothing. I am me. Religion is how we understand mysteries. I understand religion.

-Sin

[Ch405 Kn1gh7]

oh jeez. this is the wrong demographic to ask about religion. >.<

Before i say anything else, i think it's worth mentioning i didn't bother reading the 2nd and 3rd pages of this thread. Therefore, anything said in those pages are, obviously, ignored.

I myself am a very spiritual christian. I believe in the one God, the holy trinity. And i believe that that IS the right way to think. BUT (wait and listen, this part's cool) i believe it is futal to force that belief on another, for the simple reason that if there relationship with God is not authentic, then they wont be granted access to heaven. You see, the religion itself is not the important thing. It's the spiritual relationship with Jesus Christ. I myself am a nondenominational christian. (Although i have thought about catholocism.) I used to go to church all the time, but ever since we moved we have been going to that church a lot less. But my spiritual relationship with Jesus Christ has not been extinguished.
One of the reasons i think my relationship with Jesus means so much to me is becouse i actually chose him on my own. My parents were always openly christian, but i hadnt been to church since i was a toddler (i faintly remember something about crying in church cause i left my apple in sunday school. i have NO IDEA why i remember that, lol.) Anyways, while i believed there was a God, i never thought about religion until around 5th grade or so. Around then, i found my dad's bible. Instead of reading it, i flipped to the end cover, where a portrat of Jesus nailed to the cross was. I asked my dad (we were in the car, i dont know why he kept his old bible in his truck of all places) "who's this?" My dad looked back at me and said "that's Jesus" (in an actually sincere way). I asked why he was nailed to the cross, and my dad said he died for my sins. I didn't fully understand at the time (if memory serves), but for the first time i started actively thinking about God. After my dad saw me praying one night, he asked me if i wanted to go to church, and i said i did. Then when we went, the pastor asked everyone at the end of the service if they needed a savior, and i turned to my dad and said "what should i do?" I didn't realize how important this was till years later, but he turned to me and said "it's your choice". I'm not sure if he even realizes to this day how important those words were.

Now dont get me wrong. I'm not saying that those people introduced to religion by there parents have any less of a spiritual relationship then me. I would never claim or imply such a thing. I just mean that in my case, coming to God on my own was exactly the spiritual opportunity that i needed. But everyone is different. Getting a spiritual connection to God through a family member might work best for others, as long as there spirituality is genuine.

A question you might ask me is "How do you even know God exists?" It's hard to explain, but God has proven himself to me time and time again. I'm not the type to not question things. I have always been a stickler for cut and clean facts. (Probably why i got along so much better with math then english in school.) I have had spiritual doubts just like anyone else. But God has always proven himself to me, and has always helped me. And looking back at my life, God is the only reason i can really find joy in anything else.

I guess you could also ask me why i think people need my faith to find salvation. Actually, it's not a question of "my faith". You see, a relationship with Jesus is not as narrow as some people make it out to be. The church you go to, or whether you go to church at all, is not the point. Salvation is through Jesus, not through your daily ritual. So we could have differences in our perception of God, but still have the same fundamental beliefs. Church is, of course, a great place to meet other christians. And we, as christians, are supposed to meet with other christians and grow spiritually with them. Church accomplishes it's purposes, and few are as extreme as some people make them out to be. I'm sure i already said this, but i took a break halfway through writing this massive wall of text, and dont remember. XD

Also, i dont like it when people hold up extreme examples like the Phelps family. The Phelps represent not even 0.001% of christian kind. In fact, there not christians at all.

Originally Posted by Dan558

All I can say is Scientology is about the most retarded thing I have ever known. It's NOT a religion it's known to be written by a science fiction writer. Plus it makes people in it crazy, rejecting loving families and stuff.

yep.

[Angantyr]

My apologizes if anything I have said has already been said as I only skimmed through the thread.

The way I see it personally is peoples reasoning behind religion is far from its original intent. Whether religion is real or a confused explaination for the unexplainable it has been molded into such a way that its more or less of a way of justification and an attempt to explain how they feel society or at least there people aka Christians, Muslims, Jews etc should be.

I'm don't believe in religion however as some people know I have an interest in Paganism and Occultism (kind of different but you get the idea) and find a lot of the other worldly stuff interesting which basically has given me some insight onto it and you kind of get that feeling that its just better off to leave them be. Sure it's fun arguing with them but sometimes I just can't be bothered and feel its better off to leave them be.

[OnOneRyder]

Religion to me is an attempt to make us feel like there's more than what we experience everyday, and that this is only one part of our existence and that there is more to come. I think instead of accepting that at this point in time and probably forever we will be unable to answer where we came from...that people have some sort of need for an answer. They're so focused on finding a reason that they've fabricated their own existence into something far fetched simply because the truth is too complex for us to understand. The existence of a god that has simply created the universe is too easy, it's very similar to answering a question with "because". Instead of looking for a logical reason to something, there's a creator who doesn't have to follow any rules of logic or science. He can simply create, destroy, alter and we have to accept it....because. Sorry, but I'm quite content in the fact that the universe is billions and billions of years old and in the tiniest fraction of time we've gone from single cell beings to what we are now and we're simply incapable of answering such enormous questions.

Also...not to offend anyone who believes in a god, but is it simply coincidence that the majority of the people who know the most about or universe and it's existence (astronomers and scientists) do not believe in a god and much of the uneducated, undeveloped people of the world do? Education has given us the freedom to forge our own decisions and more and more are choosing not to believe.

[Silver]

Originally Posted by OnOneRyder

Religion to me is an attempt to make us feel like there's more than what we experience everyday, and that this is only one part of our existence and that there is more to come. I think instead of accepting that at this point in time and probably forever we will be unable to answer where we came from...that people have some sort of need for an answer. They're so focused on finding a reason that they've fabricated their own existence into something far fetched simply because the truth is too complex for us to understand. The existence of a god that has simply created the universe is too easy, it's very similar to answering a question with "because". Instead of looking for a logical reason to something, there's a creator who doesn't have to follow any rules of logic or science. He can simply create, destroy, alter and we have to accept it....because. Sorry, but I'm quite content in the fact that the universe is billions and billions of years old and in the tiniest fraction of time we've gone from single cell beings to what we are now and we're simply incapable of answering such enormous questions.

Also...not to offend anyone who believes in a god, but is it simply coincidence that the majority of the people who know the most about or universe and it's existence (astronomers and scientists) do not believe in a god and much of the uneducated, undeveloped people of the world do? Education has given us the freedom to forge our own decisions and more and more are choosing not to believe.

There are plenty of 'educated people' who have faith in a God or practice one of several religions. I know a few who are educated in a way that actually means something in today's society (the qualifications are on paper).

Let me ask you one thing. You stated that religion to you 'is an attempt to make us feel like there's more than what we experience everyday', but even if there wasn't a God, don't you think there is more than we experience everyday? I highly doubt there's any human individual alive who's experienced everything out there, and their experiences may only be the tip or a facet of something bigger if their subjective reality differs greatly to whatever the objective reality is.

'Education has given us the freedom to forge our own decisions and more and more are choosing not to believe.'

I also disagree with that sentiment and will continue to unless I see anything to indicate it as being true. Aethists and agnostics always existed, though at some points in history they may have kept their mouths shut to avoid a mostly religious crowd. Differing beliefs can have an effect on some people, especially when there's a collective mentality involved...

I have seen plenty of educated people involved in a religion of their choice, just as I've seen a ton of possibly intellectually challenged kids falsely labelling themselves as either aethist or agnostic without even knowing what either word means. It's real cool to be an agnostic these days, yup. Sorry to all the real agnostics out there, I'm only targetting those that misuse the label.

[nix]

In view of the similarities and analogies, one might venture to regard obsessional neurosis as a pathalogical counter part of the formation of religion. And to describe the neurosis as an individual and religion as a universal obsessional neurosis, belief in god is the ultimate illusion

I encourage all you strong believers to read Sigmund Freud critique on religion, it is the ultimate test of faith.

[OnOneRyder]

If you noticed, I spoke about astronomers and those who've educated themselves in other forms of knowledge that pertains to the universe outside our own planet. They're very smart people who came to the conclusion that things are a lot more complex than what we currently understand, and instead of looking for an answer here on earth which there's no proof to it's existence they've looked elsewhere for the answer to where we've come from.

As far as when I said more out there than what we experience everyday, I was talking about an afterlife. Instead of accepting that this is all there is for us, religious people have an incessant belief that when we die our spirit carries on. I believe it's a fear of aknowledging that our death is our final moment, and that there is nothing more for us.

[Jin]

Originally Posted by Silver

It's real cool to be an agnostic these days, yup.

Here ye, here ye. Although I still think it's "cooler" to be an atheist these days, "agnostics" are catching up. Or at least the "I'm too busy partying to even think about who or what I am" that passes for agnosticism these days. Philosophical indifference is probably a better term, but they can barely pronounce agnosticism, so maybe not.

Don't you love how in these threads the majority of theists or spiritualists answer the question without trolling those with differing opinions until attacked, but a comparatively large amount of atheists and those that claim to be "rational" can't help but act like trolling 13 year olds?

Don't you also love that in these threads, with the exception of one or two, it's atheists, not the religious that refuse to tolerate the others' religious choices, often citing, ironically, their religion's intolerance?

I sure hope these forums aren't a microcosm of society as a whole. What a stupid world we would live in.

[Silver]

Originally Posted by OnOneRyder

If you noticed, I spoke about astronomers and those who've educated themselves in other forms of knowledge that pertains to the universe outside our own planet. They're very smart people who came to the conclusion that things are a lot more complex than what we currently understand, and instead of looking for an answer here on earth which there's no proof to it's existence they've looked elsewhere for the answer to where we've come from.

And some astronomers are religious and just have an interest in what things beyond our reach hold. Curiousity can be a strong motivator, especially when a person feels some answers can be within their grasp. All I was saying is that some of these people are indeed religious and stating that religious people tend to be uneducated is an unfair assertion. I'm also very open to being proven wrong if you can find me some credible well researched statistics. Until that point in time, I will stick with my sentiments that educated people can be religious.

I know a guy associated with the CSIRO who mentions things I may never be able to grasp on a regular basis who is a devout catholic to the point where it aggravates me every so often when he points me on the 'correct path'. Even as a minority, his very existence is proof that that some educated people can be quite religious.

As far as when I said more out there than what we experience everyday, I was talking about an afterlife. Instead of accepting that this is all there is for us, religious people have an incessant belief that when we die our spirit carries on. I believe it's a fear of aknowledging that our death is our final moment, and that there is nothing more for us.

To counter that I believe that some people fear that there is something for us after death, and some are just not open to the possibility. I myself do not believe we end so absolutely and while it's just personal opinion, so's saying there's nothing after death. Until you've actually died you wouldn't know, right?

Originally Posted by Jin

I sure hope these forums aren't a microcosm of society as a whole. What a stupid world we would live in.

Society is as stupid as the sum of it's parts. Perhaps stupider than anyone would likely realise, but at least it makes things fun at times.

[OnOneRyder]

I never stated that religious people are less educated, I said that a majority of the people who are educated in the sciences that teach about our universe do not believe in a deity. I in no way meant to say that someone who believes in a god is of lesser intelligence. I can understand how you came to that conclusion though.