Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Is it necessary to believe in God in order to have solid personal values? A new survey seems to answer that question with a "yes."
While Christians gathered on the national day of prayer to talk to a god that may or may not exist, this is what atheists were doing (me included): Atheist Volunteers
All I can see is "Baptist Press," and the rest is a moot point. No offense to any Baptists here, but c'mon... we can't seriously consider them an "un-biased" source, LOL.
Location: land of quail, bunnies, and red tail hawks
1,513 posts, read 3,388,870 times
Reputation: 3540
Quote:
Originally Posted by gizmo980
All I can see is "Baptist Press," and the rest is a moot point. No offense to any Baptists here, but c'mon... we can't seriously consider them an "un-biased" source, LOL.
So, you not only reject the message, but you also don't even listen to the message, because you don't like the messenger?
While Bill Gates may be the richest man in the world, I wouldn't go so far as to say he's the most generous. He may give more $$$, but can someone who can afford to give more be more commended than someone who can afford little but still gives generously (sometimes giving all he has)?
I'm not too concerned with the poll numbers. Something I don't like about these polls is how they are conducted. I did not see anything on the site about how the study was conducted but even if the numbers are genuinely accurate, I'm not really concerned about it, over 90% of our prison population believes in God, I think that's probably a better example of morality or lack thereof.
Bibby posed the question with two words in it: "Very Important". Those two words alone are going to skew the data. Bibby received a degree from the Southern Baptist Seminary I believe. I don't doubt the results, I just doubt the manner in which the results were gathered. Also, the Baptist Press was just reprinting the story. I'd suggest reading the link I posted above to get a complete picture.
So, you not only reject the message, but you also don't even listen to the message, because you don't like the messenger?
Yup! I'm sorry, but my training as a reference librarian causes me to ignore unreliable sources, LOL... that doesn't mean I reject the information, I am simply rejecting the source of it. If I conducted my own research and came to same conclusion, I'd have no problem admitting the facts - but honestly, I don't feel like taking the time to do that right now. Sorry if this sounds harsh, but it's just how I feel. And btw, it has nothing to do with the fact that it's Baptist... I'd say the same if you provided a Jewish source, which was offering statistics on how Gentiles are less generous.
Quote:
While Bill Gates may be the richest man in the world, I wouldn't go so far as to say he's the most generous. He may give more $$$, but can someone who can afford to give more be more commended than someone who can afford little but still gives generously (sometimes giving all he has)?
Obviously he has the means to give more, but he's not under any obligations... and the percentage he gives is impressive, even when you consider how much he has. Bill & Melissa Gates have given SO much to educational and social programs, which means a lot to me personally.
That being said, of course it doesn't matter what amount you give... I don't think anyone here can give $125 Million to a charity, but even a dollar, old clothing/items, food, or a few hours of work mean so much.
Don't know anything about how the poll was conducted, so I can't comment on whether it was done appropriately.
But all it shows is how people view certain values- not how they actually act. Compare Sweden's criminal statistics to the US's and the rate of religiousness between the two countries and I think it definitely hurts the general premise that somehow being less religious leads to an end to one's moral compass.
To check out the pollster, look at his web page and associated links. He appears to have pretty impressive credentials: Research of Reginald W. Bibby
While Bill Gates may be the richest man in the world, I wouldn't go so far as to say he's the most generous. He may give more $$$, but can someone who can afford to give more be more commended than someone who can afford little but still gives generously (sometimes giving all he has)?
Well I'd say giving away approximately 37% of your money.. its a big deal considering that is about $28 Billion dollars. And that was an article from 2004.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
No offense to any Baptists here, but c'mon... we can't seriously consider them an "un-biased" source, LOL.
