What percent of people who say they believe in God actually believe in God?

I am an anesthesiologist. In preparing patients for surgery they must answer many questions, one specifically about drug use. It is very important for me to know about cocaine use, especially if recent. As you can imagine not many check off the box that says 'I use cocaine'. If I have suspicions I will often say something like- thats good that you do not use coke, because we have had a few deaths that could have been prevented had we known about the cocaine use. The next sentence often is- would 4 bowls last night count? Anyway, I wonder how many Christians/ Jews/ Muslims who would check off a box saying they believe in God actually do? My vote is 50 - 60 %.

Quote: SOOPOO

I am an anesthesiologist. In preparing patients for surgery they must answer many questions, one specifically about drug use. It is very important for me to know about cocaine use, especially if recent. As you can imagine not many check off the box that says 'I use cocaine'. If I have suspicions I will often say something like- thats good that you do not use coke, because we have had a few deaths that could have been prevented had we known about the cocaine use. The next sentence often is- would 4 bowls last night count? Anyway, I wonder how many Christians/ Jews/ Muslims who would check off a box saying they believe in God actually do? My vote is 50 - 60 %.

I put in a vote, but I don't think this is very provable. Some might say they just say they believe to "fit in" or whatever. Some will be like me who believe but just never liked church very much. So you would be saying you have to get someone to say they believe but then they don't. So were you lying then, or are you lying now?

BTW: funny on the cocaine thing. I alway wondered how high coke use was. I read some thing that said 3 of 8 houses in the USA had cocaine in them in some recent period. A week I think they said. I find that number high as I would have heard or seen something. I think I heard of 2-3 people in my life admigt to cocaine use. Then again, I am a total square.

If the horses are rounding the three/quarter post I think a good many people would check off that box. After the race results are confirmed, far fewer might be believers. Or you might get a confounding influence such as the line from the movie Whose Got The Action wherein a bookie is being taken on what may be a "one way ride" and he asks his captors if they can drive by Saint Patrick's so he can go in and light a candle. The hoods say sure but then realize he is a Jew but he responds "Yeah, but I like to play the percentages". The existence of belief and its nature and degree change with circumstances.

Thomas Jefferson once re-wrote the Bible based solely on what is logical and provable ... he was smart enough to not print it during his lifetime, however.

How many women believe in strong mutual attraction if they've noticed the man who has picked them up in the bar has a Rolls Royce keyring and a two thousand dollar suit? Do you really think its going to be that way if the man pays the bar tab with his unemployment check? Whether God has consigned them to being with a pauper rather than a rich man or luck has done it is often not really relevant.

Quote: SOOPOO

I am an anesthesiologist.

Wonderful to have you then. I always appreciate what good brains have to say. Are you the same anesthesiologist who I know personally and is married to quite the hard-working video poker player?

I voted for under 30%. Most theists I have met have a lazy faith that is apparently in name only. In my travels I have met a small number of what I think are true believers, who truly put god first in their lives, and strive to set a good example all the time. I estimate the ratio of theists (mostly Christians) who make any kind of respectable sacrifice in their life for their faith is about 5% only.

Quote: Wizard

I estimate the ratio of theists (mostly Christians) who make any kind of respectable sacrifice in their life for their faith is about 5% only.

I wouldnt argue with that, but as far as really believing in God I voted 80-90% .

Depends on where they say they believe.

People who say it on internet forums and aren't doing so for trolling or argument purposes most likely actually do believe.

In ordinary life, since it's viewed as a socially positive attribute, a lot of people will just coast along with their local religion, without putting much thought into it internally.

Quote: Wizard

Wonderful to have you then. I always appreciate what good brains have to say. Are you the same anesthesiologist who I know personally and is married to quite the hard-working video poker player?

I voted for under 30%. Most theists I have met have a lazy faith that is apparently in name only. In my travels I have met a small number of what I think are true believers, who truly put god first in their lives, and strive to set a good example all the time. I estimate the ratio of theists (mostly Christians) who make any kind of respectable sacrifice in their life for their faith is about 5% only.

I do not think we have met. I am located in Buffalo and only make it out to Vegas once or twice a year. But after the Packers meet the Patriots in the Super Bowl we will meet for lunch. I am also happy to be a resource for you on any questions medical.

Quote: SOOPOO

I am an anesthesiologist. In preparing patients for surgery they must answer many questions, one specifically about drug use. It is very important for me to know about cocaine use, especially if recent. As you can imagine not many check off the box that says 'I use cocaine'. If I have suspicions I will often say something like- thats good that you do not use coke, because we have had a few deaths that could have been prevented had we known about the cocaine use. The next sentence often is- would 4 bowls last night count? Anyway, I wonder how many Christians/ Jews/ Muslims who would check off a box saying they believe in God actually do? My vote is 50 - 60 %.

My guess would be fairly high, say, 70-75%. I'd like to think it's lower, and certainly, society would be far better off if it was lower, but in my conversations with people in all the places I've lived and visited, belief in God is very persistent and widespread. It's kind of puzzling that so many people believe in the unreal, but then you have to consider the often faulty workings of the human brain.

I think the answers that people give to such a question are not entirely honest, in that there are a LOT of people on the fence. But I think that the vast majority of people who are wavering would still say that they are believers, because that's the safer road. It takes courage, and its makes people uncomfortable, to articulate opinions that they feel are in the minority. Couple that with the pejoratives applied to rational thinkers: unbeliever, atheist (a negative connotation), etc. It's probably easier just to blurt out that you are a believer and slam down the phone.

Quote: FleaStiff

Thomas Jefferson once re-wrote the Bible based solely on what is logical and provable ... he was smart enough to not print it during his lifetime, however.

It certainly wouldn't have been expensive to print.

http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/JefJesu.html

If you'd like to read the text. Jefferson was a deist, like several of the founding fathers, and viewed it impossible to have real, personal relationship with a Creator.

Quote: mkl654321

It's kind of puzzling that some many people believe in the unreal, but then you have to consider the often faulty workings of the human brain.

I am what convention would label as "Christian" and I have no trouble being labeled as such. I do not believe in anything "unreal". I believe in something that possibly cannot be completely understood and most certainly has not yet been proven scientifically or quantitatively to exist. It bothers me not at all that there are people who do not have the same belief I do. I do not foist my faith or personal beliefs on anyone. I understand why someone who does not belive in any kind of diety might scoff at those who do and I can also understand why someone who has belief in a "higher power" or deity might make an effort to persuade others to look at things from their perspective. I am distressed that such differences of opinion are often the cause of so much anger and violence. I know that the proselytization of religion in many guises has brought pain, suffering and death to untold millions and this is in my opinion very sad.

The world has become much smarter than it was hundreds of years ago - even in the last few decades - and there are those who sneer at the thought of placing faith in something so archaic as God. We have microtechnology and space travel and genetic engineering and we're so much more advanced than those who believed in such things. How quaint that people still hold on to these foolish notions.

Well, I still hold on to my belief. I am a reasonably intelligent person who has excelled in many areas, personal and professional. I know there is a God although I can't give a particularly defensible case as to why I do. On the other hand, there's no one who can give me any particularly good reason why I shouldn't. We'll both have our say from time to time but what it comes down to for me is this...

Can't we just agree to disagree and let it go at that? Athiests are no more likely to be bad people than someone who has some kind of religious belief and God fearing people are no more likely to be radical nutjobs than atheists. Just like watching the roulette wheel it's easy to draw conclusions once the results are in (or the shots have been fired) but for those who disagree with my last sentence I ask again, why can't people just let it go? Is it so important to be right... even when you can't prove you are?

Quote: TheNightfly

Well, I still hold on to my belief. I am a reasonably intelligent person who has excelled in many areas, personal and professional. I know there is a God although I can't give a particularly defensible case as to why I do. On the other hand, there's no one who can give me any particularly good reason why I shouldn't. We'll both have our say from time to time but what it comes down to for me is this...

Can't we just agree to disagree and let it go at that? Athiests are no more likely to be bad people than someone who has some kind of religious belief and God fearing people are no more likely to be radical nutjobs than atheists. Just like watching the roulette wheel it's easy to draw conclusions once the results are in (or the shots have been fired) but for those who disagree with my last sentence I ask again, why can't people just let it go? Is it so important to be right... even when you can't prove you are?

Intelligence is not inversely correlated to religious belief, nor to belief in fairies, elves, witches, dowsing, alchemy, astrology, etc. Since the mental processes that make people believe in those things are outside the realm of cognition, it stands to reason that intelligence per se would not qualify or disqualify believing in those things.

The only problem I have with your reasoning is that the two premises, "There is a God" and "There is no God" are not equally plausible. Therefore, one should not give them equal weight. As with any belief system a person holds, that person should ask himself, does it make me FEEL better to believe this? If an honest answer to that question is "yes", then it's quite possible that the reason why that person believes is that good feeling it generates, and therefore he hasn't subjected that belief to the same skeptical processes that any unproved premise should generate. I'm not saying that's the case with you, but it might be a good idea to look at your beliefs with a coldly objective eye.

As to why you "shouldn't" believe in God--well, I consider the simple fact that he is very, very unlikely to exist, coupled with the utter lack of proof of his existence, reason enough not to. But your mileage may vary. For billions of people around the world, religion provides comfort (and illusory comfort is just as good as actual comfort), stability, a sense of order, and above all--paramount--a way to deny the reality of death. As such, religion may be very useful in increasing human happiness--if only people stopped right there, and didn't try to convert anyone else at gunpoint! It's when religion becomes the pretext for authoritarian rule--as it has, and does, throughout human history--that it becomes most harmful.

If religion was truly separated from church and state (in the US and elsewhere), and if religion wasn't used as a pretext for suicide bombers, people allowing their children to die by withholding medication, people blowing up abortion clinics, etc. etc. etc., then I would have no problem with it. Believers say that those acts and attitudes are NOT part of their religion(s). Maybe not, but at no time in human history have we gotten religion WITHOUT the unfortunately attendant authoritarianism and fanaticism. I wish we could all live and let live, but many believers around the world seem to be not inclined to tolerate the existence of nonbelievers. And that's a shame.

Quote: mkl654321

If religion was truly separated from church and state (in the US and elsewhere), and if religion wasn't used as a pretext for suicide bombers, people allowing their children to die by withholding medication, people blowing up abortion clinics, etc. etc. etc., then I would have no problem with it. Believers say that those acts and attitudes are NOT part of their religion(s). Maybe not, but at no time in human history have we gotten religion WITHOUT the unfortunately attendant authoritarianism and fanaticism. I wish we could all live and let live, but many believers around the world seem to be not inclined to tolerate the existence of nonbelievers. And that's a shame.

I think even without religion we'd still have suicide bombers, medication withholders, people blowing up buildings, and what have you. People find a way to be cruel to their fellow man, one way or the other. People find violent ways to push any agenda.

Quote: ElectricDreams

I think even without religion we'd still have suicide bombers, medication withholders, people blowing up buildings, and what have you. People find a way to be cruel to their fellow man, one way or the other. People find violent ways to push any agenda.

Can't disagree with you there, and the real problem, I suppose, is not religion in and of itself, but ideologies. Religion is just the single most pernicious one, but certainly other ideologies have been used as a pretext for inflicting misery and death on people.

I think the danger with religion in that regard is that it has such mass appeal.

As most of you know, I became a Reverend to be able to offer ceremony officiating to my wedding entertainment clients. As such I get to ask brides how religious they are.

As a result, I think that there are a great many people that believe in God to some degree, but do not participate, or specifically avoid, organized religion.

And a great many people that say they are believers and/or are somewhat religious, have no problem with me officiating their wedding ceremony, even after I explain that the church thru which I was ordained does not believe in God.


That said, there is a BIG difference between believing in God, and being religious. Therefore, I have not voted.

Quote: DJTeddyBear

That said, there is a BIG difference between believing in God, and being religious. Therefore, I have not voted.

I agree completely!!!


Here is a section from my book "Perpetual Life: The Eye of the Octopus"...

...

If you say that God operates in other manners, then I would ask:

*How it is possible for there to be multiple religions?
*Why is it required to change religious doctrine from time to time?
*How does making something impossible to understand or verify justify the actions taken under its pretense?

But as useful as getting into a pissing match over religion may seem, this is not a debate over religions or about atheism, either. On the contrary, I believe there is a God, and he has created a very precise plan that requires all of the beliefs and religions that have come and gone throughout the history of world; its just part of the scenery along with flowers, birds, bad breath, and acne.

And although it is the absolute imperative of all established religions to blur the distinction between faith in God and faith in the religion, modern inventions like the microscope and the telescope have revealed the scientific truth of our natural reality. So we, as a species, have naturally developed understandings as well as tools to further enhance our development, resulting in common beliefs that conflict with established religious doctrine.

This is called “Science and Reasoning”, a natural part of the development of mankind.




marty
discflicker.com

Every so often I try to get my non-religious Catholic wife to admit that she doesn't believe Jesus is the son of god. She'll go pretty far and say things like "Well, he probably isn't, but anything is possible"

I think a lot of people are like her, and refuse to admit to themselves or anyone, that they don't believe.

Quote: FinsRule

Every so often I try to get my non-religious Catholic wife to admit that she doesn't believe Jesus is the son of god. She'll go pretty far and say things like "Well, he probably isn't, but anything is possible"

I think a lot of people are like her, and refuse to admit to themselves or anyone, that they don't believe.

In my experience, nonbelievers aren't in any way ashamed of their "lack" of belief.

What was going on with you and your wife when you were trying to get her to "admit" something about her beliefs? Sounds like you were backing her into a corner. You describe her as a "non-religious Catholic", whatever that means, but if you don't agree with her beliefs, trying to get her to "admit" something isn't likely to produce the unvarnished truth--she'll say whatever gets you off her back.

i think everyone believes in some form of "god" or higher power, whether it be an"according to Hoyle" god, some obsure god, your wife, the wizard, money, etc. I believe we live in multiple dimensions and that some have beings more intelligent than us (not too hard to imagine). I'm not sure if this qualifies, as I certainly wouldn't worship them.

Quote: Kelmo

i think everyone believes in some form of "god" or higher power, whether it be an"according to Hoyle" god, some obsure god, your wife, the wizard, money, etc. I believe we live in multiple dimensions and that some have beings more intelligent than us (not too hard to imagine). I'm not sure if this qualifies, as I certainly wouldn't worship them.

I like it when I write without thinking - I can think of a few dimensions we live in right now! LOL. But you know what I mean....i think.