Sunday, December 23, 2007

Atheists And Agnostics Who Believe In The Virgin Birth

The Toledo Blade recently ran a story on a Barna survey regarding the religious beliefs of Americans. Here are some of the results:

"Three out of four people polled said they believe Jesus was born to a virgin as described in the Gospel narratives"

"There was little difference between Protestants and Catholics on this point, he said, but among evangelicals, the percentage who said they believe that the virgin birth was literally true was in 'the upper 90s,' Mr. Barna said. Except for atheists and agnostics, of whom just 15 percent took the virgin birth story as historically true, a majority of all other subgroups believed it to be factual."

"In addition, some subgroups in which a majority rejected the literal interpretation of other Bible stories broke the pattern in regard to the virgin birth, he said. For example, 60 percent of people who categorized themselves as 'mostly liberal on political and social issues' expressed a literal belief in the virgin birth."

"56 percent expressed literal belief in the Bible account of the devil, disguised a serpent, tempting Eve to eat forbidden fruit....49 percent accepted as accurate the Bible story of Samson losing his legendary strength when Delilah had his hair cut. Mr. Barna said more people are prone to believe New Testament stories as literally true than Old Testament writings, a result that was especially notable among Catholics."

19 comments:

  1. It's amazing what some people will believe.

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  2. Dekdomje, you appear to be incredibly smart. It's possible that you are the next step in human evolution.

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  3. My pet donkey and I were chatting yesterday, and he predicted doom for a certain nation we all know and love.

    Prophesy rocks!

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  4. Anonymous,

    Did your pet donkey mention that you both are a couple of asses?

    Just wondering.

    Prophecy Rocks!

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  5. Philly,

    Good one dude!

    Yes, my donkey likes to crack jokes...you should hear his one about the talking plants walking/talking rib people!

    He's a hoot!

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  6. YEAH PHILLY YOU LIL MORON. UR NOT 2 BRITE ARE YA?

    IF GOD FORMED EVE OUTTA RIBZ THEN WHY DON'T WOMEN TODAY HAVE ONE LESS RIB

    ANSWER: GOD DOESN'T EXIST!!

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  7. Its simply crazy that people won't believe the wonderful stories of the Bible...these stories have inspired such wonderful things in our fallen world.

    Talking animals, sneaky snakes, fish that spit up coins and men, these stories are TRUE FACTS people!

    If you don't believe them, you're just an evil atheist, who also is a FOOL according to the Bible.

    My faith tells me these stories are true...but not all of the other fantastical stories in the "other" religious books out there. Those are wrong. Duh.

    Its really quite clear.

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  8. Mary said:
    Its simply crazy that people won't believe the wonderful stories of the Bible...these stories have inspired such wonderful things in our fallen world.

    Talking animals, sneaky snakes, fish that spit up coins and men, these stories are TRUE FACTS people!

    *****************************

    I'm disappointed by Mary's lack of faith in evolution. According to evolution, human beings are talking animals. But Mary doesn't believe in talking animals. Mary must be a creationist. Clearly she needs to stop reading all that IDT propaganda and bone up on Richard Dawkins.

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  9. Steve, I don't believe in EVILution, because its WRONG.

    God said the words, and all life was created...its in the book.

    Why would I read anything from Richard Dawkins? All I need is the Bible, and FAITH.

    "Be in the WORLD, but not of the WORLD."

    "By their fruits, you shall know them!"

    I believe the Genesis account, because its in the Bible, and the Bible is true, because "All Scripture is God breathed..."

    You are confused Steve.

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  10. Steve,

    I believe in what Mary calls EVILlution.

    All the scientists (well, most of them) say it's true.

    They've STUDIED and are HONEST.

    It is a FACT.

    I believe that non-living stuff became living.

    I believe that non-moral stuff turned into moral stuff.

    I believe that the non-thinking became the thinking.

    The non-rational became the rational.

    I believe all of that because I read it in THE GOOD BOOK. See for yourself:

    "A revised and modernized materialism concludes from all this that human thought and feeling is the product of a series of unthinking and unfeeling processes originated in the big bang." (Richard C. Vitzthum, "Materialism: An Afiirmative History and Definition," Prometheus Books, 1995, pp.218-219,)

    "Materialism should no longer wink at such nonsense but insist that the foundations of all human thought and feeling are grossly irrational." ( Richard C Vitzthum, "Materialism: An Afiirmative History and Definition," Prometheus Books, 1995, p. 220.)


    So, you keep believing that snakes and plants can talk. I'll be the rational one and belive that things turned into their opposites.

    Hail the power of the Mother.

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  11. time+chance,

    I will pray for you. I hope that God, in His Wisdom, has chosen to regenerate your fallen heart.

    On this Christmas Eve, remember HE is the reason for the season, not the evil pagan practices that people say the holiday is really based on.

    In His Name,

    Mary

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  12. Mary,

    I will think for you on this Christmas day. Remember that you and your family are evolved bags of chemicals. Your feelings of love are simply the firing of neurons. There is no real purpose to what you do. Ultimately, life is meaningless. So, you can believe in your god, but just know that you will die soon, eventually no one will remember you, snuffed out like a candle, no final justice received. So, go through the motions today, just like you do everyday, and know that you are a robot. A survival machine. You may think that there is something beyind the grave. There isn't. You'll get your petty 80 years (or so), and then that's it. All your accomplishments for naught. Forever consigned to the blackest of forgoteness. Blank out.

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  13. time + chance,

    I would feel badly for you, but I just can't muster the feelings, because I know that so far, God has not chosen to regenerate your heart.

    "The wisdom of God is foolishness to man..."

    Stinks to be you, although as usual, you are "the entertainment" for those of us blessed enough to be saved.

    I can't wait to spend eternity singing praises to my God...over and over and over and over...

    ahhh....

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  14. Mary,

    If I were a Christian I would care for you. After all, Jesus said to love your enemies. But, since you and I are survival machines, I really don't care much about you at all.

    Apparently, The Mother "just happened" to not equip you with the right kind of neurons, and the strength in the c-fibers firing, as She did me. So, it's not that you don't want to see the truth of The Mother, it's that you can't. You don't have the physical capability. So it looks like we have the same story. I was not chosen to believe by your god, and you were "chosen" (kinda) to be a dummy, by The Mother. The difference is that I can empirically demonstrate my story, you can't.

    You just have to HOPE and BELIEVE. You are not RATIONAL. Only we are. We are the BRIGHTS. I know what I'm talking about because I was a "true believer" at one point in my life. But now I'm on the winning team. Eventually we will put you in a zoo where you belong, thus saith The Dawkins. We will take your children away too, you child abuser. Watch out for the new crusades! Hail The Mother!

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  15. "Mary said...

    I can't wait to spend eternity singing praises to my God...over and over and over and over...

    ahhh...."

    Where'd you get that characterization from?

    Ahhh.... always the typical atheist, so tough when facing down straw men. That's why you guys are "the entertainment." Are you this illiterate with all religions, or just Christianity? Whata spaz.

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  16. Brethren,

    What is this craziness about calling me an atheist? I would NEVER betray the One and True God of our father, Abraham.

    Jehovah is GOD.

    The great I AM.

    Period.

    I do not understand why I am being attacked.

    What is wrong with looking forward to praising God eternally in heaven? I can't WAIT!

    "His Grace is Sufficient for me."

    I'm SO thankful that I am blessed with the wonderful FREE gift of Salvation. Jesus bought this for me...with His glorious death...and his wonderful BLOOD.

    "Holy Spirit, I surrender, take me where you want to go..."

    Mary

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  17. Since Mary is lying, he must be Paul.

    Mary = Paul

    LOL

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  18. Not Paul,

    If "mary" is lying, then you must be an atheist, since she is affirming Jehovah.

    PWNED!

    But I agree, it does seem to be very "Paul-ish"...the whole lying/deceiving thing....

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  19. Not not Paul,

    Not Paul only made one post in this combox. You cannot infer anything about Not Paul's religious preference. Not Paul could be an atheist, a Buddhist, a Muslim, or even a Christian and still have said what Not Paul said.

    PWNED.

    Feel free to stop back for more PWNAGE before the New Year. If not, no worries. I'm sure '08 will allow for many more PWNAGE episodes. Maybe that should be a New Year's resolution: "I resolve to not get PWNED in Triablog comboxes any more."

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