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Post by Vorime on Apr 7, 2010 20:23:56 GMT -5
Before I get to the questions, I'd like to say a few things that sum up who I am when I answer these questions. I am an atheist, and a (relatively) militant one at that. I'd also like to point out that regardless of how good a religious belief makes you feel, that does not effect whether or not it is true. I'm sure you were not asserting that, but since it's brought up to me in debate so frequently I figured I'd get it out of the way.
The other thing is more simply that some of them actually involve two questions with two separate answers, and for these I will use 1a. and 1b., etc.
Questions[/u]
1a. How do you console yourself about a loved one dying?[/i]
I do not view death in as dim a light as most. Death is an inevitability, and is something we all must learn to accept. While it is a shame that someone has passed, their life's legacy lives on through those who encountered them or their contributions.
1b. The thought of yourself dying?[/i]
It will come when it comes. My fear is not of death, but of not having contributed to the world as I would like to prior to Death's arrival at my doorstep.
2a. What makes you hopeful for the future?[/i]
Teachers who have a passion for imparting knowledge, the scientific community and the wonderful work they do, as well as the writers, artists, musicians, etc. who continue to portray the world and their experiences in it in a fascinating way.
2b. What do you do when you feel you have no control?[/i]
It depends on what you mean when you say no control. I do not wish to have control over everything. However, if you mean control over something that will be happening to myself, I focus on the aspects of myself I do have control over. Searching myself, I try to find a method to influence the event in a more positive way. If I can find none, I ride the ride and go wherever it takes me, but I am always on the lookout for opportunity to diverge when the time is suitable.
3a. Who do you turn to when you feel alone?[/i]
First to myself, then my therapist (yeah... maybe I'll say more about that later, maybe not), then my friends, and then finally my family. I never really have had an inclination to tell those who affect me on a daily basis my problems, desires, etc. I feel like, in a way, it influences them such that it could rob them of some thoughts or actions. So generally, I tell my problems, such as when I feel alone, to those who aren't really affected by it in a big way.
3b.What would you do if you had no one to turn to?[/i]
As unlikely as that scenario is, I'd do what I already do, namely write. Usually in the form of poetry.
4. What community/ies do you associate yourself with?[/i]
First and foremost, the Human community. Secondly come individual communities such as my family, my friends, the PogoTribe, Internet communities, local organizations, etc.
5. What is your purpose in life? How do you know this is your purpose?[/i]
My purpose is to make the world a better place for my living in it. I want to pay back the debt I owe to the world for birthing me into it, with interest. Another, included goal of mine is to catalyze the spread of and acquisition of knowledge. I know this because I spent quite a while considering what exactly my purpose would be.
6. Who are you accountable to?[/i]
I am accountable to all of humanity, society, and finally myself.
7. Who or what, if anything, do you worship, idolize, revere or cherish and why is it important to you that you do?[/i]
Knowledge. The distribution and acquisition of knowledge is the single most important endeavor a human can possibly pursue.
8. What do you celebrate? What rituals/traditions do you practice?[/i]
I celebrate a variety of Christian holidays and festivities with my Christian side of the family. At these gatherings, it's more about the feeling of togetherness than the birth of Jesus Christ. On the other side of my family, I celebrate(d) some Jewish holidays. Not so much anymore. That side of the family is a lot smaller.
9. What would you die for?[/i]
I would die for the benefit and life of others beyond the benefit that my proceeding to live would reap. This is something that is hard to judge, of course. There are also a few less rational things I would die for, such as a few select people.
10. What would you kill for?[/i]
Nothing. This sounds irrational compared to the cool logic of my answer to the last question, but I genuinely cannot see me killing anyone for any reason. People are always more useful to humanity alive than dead.
11. Have you ever felt euphoria, how did it happen?[/i]
Yes. I am purposefully neglecting the second half of this question.
12. What charities do you give to, why?[/i]
As I am a 16 going-on 17 year old kid without a job, I do not have the money to donate to charities. I gave $120 (over 2/3) of my money made from Christmas, birthdays, and saving extra money given from my father to AIDS research last year, though. I donate computer time (World Community Grid) and I've volunteered to teach special education students several times, especially in 8th grade where I gave up my lunch and recess every day to teach them.
13. What makes you proud to be human?[/i]
Science, art, music, writing, and the triumph of all of these over their many adversaries.
14. What consoles you when you are not proud, or even ashamed of yourself?[/i]
Not much, though I'm an atypical case. I internalize quite a bit.
15a. Why do you do good deeds?[/i]
It's the purpose I've dedicated myself to, so of course I do them. I love helping people in any capacity. It also feels good when you help someone, so there's biological incentive and selfish incentive as well.
15b.Why don't you do bad things?[/i]
There's no reason to. The consequences almost always lie on the negative side, and even when they don't the action would be one I'd never be able to forgive myself over.
15c. Where do you get your morals from?[/i]
Nature, for the most part. For the fine-tuning, nurture (the society I grew up in, namely NY, USA).
16. What do you do for personal reflection?[/i]
I think. A lot. Then I do some writing based on the conclusions my thoughts arrived at.
17. Do you enjoy becoming part of a mob/crowd and/or joining sing-alongs? Who do you do this with? Where? [/i]
I do not like being part of a crowd or a mob at all. However, singing songs with friends is a blast (so long as it's not in public; I'm an anxious S.O.B.).
So there you have it. I hope it was informative and helps your survey. Cheers!
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mooxim
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Post by mooxim on Apr 8, 2010 8:10:15 GMT -5
Thanks to everyone who has answered my questions so far. I'd like people to read the summaries at southpoleofthemoon.com/wiki/index.php?title=Building_Bridges_Between_Beliefs#Answersand only answer questions 1-17 now if they can offer something new. I have a few new questions now which work a little bit more towards the goal of the project. 18. What do you do when you feel tempted to question your faith? Why?
19. Has reading other peoples' answers allowed you to understand how they can cope with different beliefs to yours?
20. Has it opened your mind, at all, to other ways of thinking?
21. To atheists, has reading other peoples' answers given you an appreciation of the roles of religion in some peoples' lives and of why their beliefs might be so firm and unwavering?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 8, 2010 9:51:18 GMT -5
I think it would be better to list the different answers rather than just putting them in one long sentence. Would make for a better read. I'll answer the new questions later.
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mooxim
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Post by mooxim on Apr 8, 2010 10:06:05 GMT -5
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Post by bombmaniac on Apr 8, 2010 11:20:11 GMT -5
1. How do you console yourself about a loved one dying/ the thought of yourself dying? that death is not my final experience. it is merely a release from the physical world and the beginning of a new "life" in the afterlife 2. What makes you hopeful for the future/ what do you do when you feel you have no control? pray 3. Who do you turn to when you feel alone/ what would you do if you had no one to turn to? i have always been able to turn to god through prayer. 4. What community/ies do you associate yourself with? jewish 5. What is your purpose in life/ how do you know this is your purpose? well, the ultimate purpose is to serve god lovingly and to do all his commandments perfectly and to the letter. through the following of those commandments, there is the potential, and in fact the gaurantee of changing your world. for example, charity, loving your fellow man (and woman lol) and all the ethical components of that. i cant explain it all in one simple questionnaire...but yeah 6. Who are you accountable to? god 7. Who or what, if anything, do you worship, idolise, revere or cherish and why is it important to you that you do? god. he gives us life, and everything that we have. gratitude is very important 8. What do you celebrate/ what rituals/traditions do you practice? unsure how to answer that...i guess all the jewish holidays. the list is too long for this questionnaire...but thats what wikipedia is for en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_holiday#Tithe_of_animals9. What would you die for? there are only 3 things that a jew is required to die for. a jew must die rather than serve, acknowledge, or worship any other diety, a jew must die rather than commit murder, and a jew must die rather than commit an act of sexual immorality. 10. What would you kill for? i would kill anyone who tried to kill me. 11. Have you ever felt euphoria, how did it happen? ...drugs...? no just kidding...im not sure how to answer that one... 12. What charities do you give to, why? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatzalah a lot, charities that help pay for poor people's weddings, charities that take care of patients in hospitals, beyond what the doctors can do. for example, people to stay with the patient, people to bring them food and snacks, people to entertain them, and various other thngs 13. What makes you proud to be human? the fact that human beings have an almost infinite potential to change. old 14. What makes you proud to be the person you are? (Ignore if you want. There doesn't seem to be much religious influence on peoples' answers to this one) idk...the fact that i'm online way too much.,..? lol 14. What consoles you when you are not proud, or even ashamed of yourself? the knowledge that i can always get up and try again 15. Why do you do good deeds/ why don't you do bad things/ where do you get your morals from? its a combination of loving god, and being afraid of retribution. however that is not the optimal reason. the reason a person is supposed to serve god is not because they are afraid of retribution, it should be completely out of love for god that a person feels. in other words, a person would do what god says because he loves god, and you would do anything for something you love and he would never disobey god, because once again you wouldn't do anything that someone you really love told you not to. as for my morals...the bible...where else 16. What do you do for personal reflection? (Pray, diary, blog) every night before a person goes to sleep they are supposed to do a complete accounting on themselves. a person is supposed to look back on his day and his life in general and be very critical in assessing how it is going in terms of his actions. the purpose of this exercise is to allow a person to see his flaws and make a commitment to change them. sadly i dont do this often enough 17. Do you enjoy becoming part of a mob/crowd and/or joining sing-alongs? Who do you do this with? Where? yeah its kinda fun i wouldnt say mob...and this mostly happens at school lol 18. What do you do when you feel tempted to question your faith? Why? i question it and then go get an answer 19. Has reading other peoples' answers allowed you to understand how they can cope with different beliefs to yours? im mostly open to other faiths anyway plus i havent had a chance to read the reponses yet lol 20. Has it opened your mind, at all, to other ways of thinking? see previous answer
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evets
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Post by evets on Apr 8, 2010 12:10:45 GMT -5
Hi, my name is Stephen, and I'd love the chance to explain about my beliefs. I'm a Christian, or more specifically a fellowship baptist Christian. That's just a particular brand of Christianity here in Canada that is fairly conservative, but different than the "southern baptist" in the US which most of you may be more familiar with. I would also describe myself as an "evangelical Christian." which describes a wide variety of Christians who hold a particular set of shared values that they emphasize. I still would acknowledge many, many, many, other denominations as part of the same faith as me, so long as they are actually Christian. Even those southern baptists. (A little christian humor there. ) For each question I'll probably ramble on for a bit, (It's a habit, I know. >.>) but then try and summarize in a final statement if my answers really long. Also, if anyone is confused by an terms, just ask away. I have the habit of slipping into "christianese" sometimes and forget that non-Christians may not know what particular terms mean. Questions1. How do you console yourself about a loved one dying/ the thought of yourself dying?It was this question that hooked me, since I recently went to a funeral for a man who was a strong Christian and well known in our church community. The one comment I heard from people who went to this funeral was all the same: "What a wonderful celebration!" You may be thinking, "wait what? Celebration? Isn't it a funeral? Man they must've really not liked the guy!" Well, there's a saying among us that we cling to in times like these that bring us much consolation at times like these: "To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord." That is, we believe that when a Christian dies, they go to be at home with Jesus in heaven. We know that death is not the end, because Christ conquered sin and death forever, hallelujah! 2. What makes you hopeful for the future/ what do you do when you feel you have no control?I know that God has a specific plan for my life, and is in control, guiding me to make the right decisions, and providing for my needs. When my life feels out of control, I cling to God, the Rock of Ages for support to see me through the chaos. 3. Who do you turn to when you feel alone/ what would you do if you had no one to turn to?Again I turn to God, and I can always depend on him. 4. What community/ies do you associate yourself with?
I have, in order, my family, my friends, my small group bible study, my local church, my denomination (fellowship baptist) and the Church as a whole. 5. What is your purpose in life/ how do you know this is your purpose?When I was in grade 10, I had what you'd call a religious experience, which I'd like to share with you now. Basically at a christian retreat, I rededicated my life to Christ. I had grown up as a christian, but I realized that I wasn't living it. I listened to a brief sermon about how being a Christian means making Jesus the Lord of your life, and I realized that I needed to do this still. In that moment, on the ground with tears of joy streaming down my face, I asked God, "What can I give back to you in thanks and worship?" Much to my shock and amazement I actually heard God audibly say to me: "Stephen, I want you to be a pastor." From that point on, I've oriented my life to achieving that goal, and it has been my sole purpose in life. 6. Who are you accountable to?Primarily my church's youth pastor at the moment, who I work closely with (I lead the youth worship band). In the past it has been fellow Christians from school that I've developed a close bond with. One in particular, who is studying overseas now, I know that next time we meet up, we'll be able to pick up just where we left off our last conversation, and I can talk to him about anything and everything. 7. Who or what, if anything, do you worship, idolise, revere or cherish and why is it important to you that you do?I worship God, and God alone, because he is worthy of all honor praise and glory, and no other person or thing can take his place. 8. What do you celebrate/ what rituals/traditions do you practice?Hmmm, well there's lots that are part of the Christian faith, but one quirk of baptist is that part of our history is that we rejected the over-use of symbols and empty rituals that were everywhere in certain parts of the faith at that time, and as a result, baptist churches today don't have a lot of ritual and such. We still have traditions though, we just don't admit it. For example, we celebrate Christmas and Easter most of all as they are the celebrations of Jesus birth, death, burial, and resurrection. We also recognize other parts of whats called the "christian calendar" such as Lent (the time leading up to Easter). 9. What would you die for?If someone gave me the choice: either reject Jesus as Lord, or die, I would gladly die, and count myself blessed to be a martyr for the faith. 10. What would you kill for?Nothing, I'm a pacifist! (This is not normal for a baptist, this particular belief is odd among evangelical Christians.) 11. Have you ever felt euphoria, how did it happen?See Question 5. I have felt overwhelming Joy many times during christian worship. It's an interesting side-effect. 12. What charities do you give to, why?Being unemployed, I don't have much money, but my family as a whole supports a child through world vision, (or it may be a different company that does the same sort of thing) gives to our local church, and supports the Crisis Pregnancy Help Center in a huge way. They're a group that helps out young women find themself pregnant and don't know what to do and gives them alternatives to abortion. They encourage young women who suddenly find themselves pregnant to NOT abort, but rather raise the child, and then give them the support and the means to do so. Along with providing for their physical needs, they also provide counseling, both spiritual counseling and couples therapy. So, to summarize, world vision, my local church, and the Crisis Pregnancy Center. 13. What makes you proud to be human?When I see we are capable of; God created us in his image, and when we are creative or brilliant (for example) we reflect God's image back to him. So when I see great art, or hear amazing music, I am proud to be human, and am glad we were created this way. It is part of the reason he created us! 14. What consoles you when you are not proud, or even ashamed of yourself?I know that whatever I do, Christ has forgiven me. No matter how badly I screw up, there is always forgiveness and reconciliation. I know that no matter how much I screw up, still nothing can separate us from the Love of God. 15. Why do you do good deeds/ why don't you do bad things/ where do you get your morals from?I believe that because of sin, humans have lost their free will and are unable to choose good; we are trapped in sin. Now, since I am free, I now have the option of choosing to do good, and I try my best to obey God and the truth he laid out in the bible. Sometimes I screw up, but because Christ died, I am able to be good now. The Christian life should be characterized by constantly seeking to become more Christlike, while realizing that we are still sinners in need of forgiveness.16. What do you do for personal reflection? (Pray, diary, blog)I pray, study my bible and reflect on it, and occasionally keep a spiritual journal during special times, like fasting. I find that rather than having a set time during the day for prayer, I work it in all throughout the day in little bits, constantly drawing my thoughts back to God as a form of spiritual discipline. 17. Do you enjoy becoming part of a mob/crowd and/or joining sing-alongs? Who do you do this with? Where? At church we do this all the time during worship. Every Sunday morning, the whole congregation joins together to sing, listen to a sermon, and to pray for particular needs in our community. On Friday evenings, the youth (high school age) get together for youth group and do some singing that's a little more lively. New questions
18. What do you do when you feel tempted to question your faith? Why?Every Christian goes through a period of time when their faith is challenged, and I'm no different. There are times when I don't feel "good enough", but then I remember that no one is good enough, and that Christ has forgiven me. Seeing suffering in the world no longer rattles my faith in the slightest (though it did when my faith was still new), because I have worked out in my heart why God alllows bad things to happen. I don't have all the answers though, and I know there will come a time in the future when my answers will not be enough and I'll need to search deeper. 19. Has reading other peoples' answers allowed you to understand how they can cope with different beliefs to yours?A little bit. The very idea of coping with out Jesus is alien to me, and it makes me a little sad to see that some people don't seem to have much hope at all, yet the fact that they do cope I find interesting. 20. Has it opened your mind, at all, to other ways of thinking?It has helped a little in understanding how other belief systems operate as a whole - single ideas on their own often seem silly or strange when taken in isolation, but when you see the whole thing, you see how that one silly belief makes sense when its part of the greater whole. 21. To atheists, has reading other peoples' answers given you an appreciation of the roles of religion in some peoples' lives and of why their beliefs might be so firm and unwavering?N/A
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mooxim
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Post by mooxim on Apr 10, 2010 12:36:23 GMT -5
9. What would you die for? a jew must die rather than commit murder, 10. What would you kill for? i would kill anyone who tried to kill me. So after you kill the person who was trying to kill you, you would kill yourself? Or do you need to rethink your answer to these questions? Apart from that thanks. It was really interesting to read a jewish set of answers and also to read about Jewish holidays on wikipedia. I had no idea there were so many or that fasting was such a big thing.
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mooxim
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Post by mooxim on Apr 10, 2010 13:20:00 GMT -5
I just finished reading the answers from the last to contributers and found it fascinating, thanks guys. I take back what I said before, I'd still love to read anyone else's complete set of answers if they'd care to type them up. I'm still making quite a few alterations to my collection of answers.
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Post by Sean on Apr 10, 2010 15:31:35 GMT -5
20Q's are a little much are they not...
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mooxim
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Post by mooxim on Apr 11, 2010 10:09:14 GMT -5
20Q's are a little much are they not... hmm... good point. I've said people can answer as many or as few as they like. I'm mostly interested in the last 3 questions now but the last two require that you read the answers to the rest. Thanks to the people who have already answered. I now have enough material to make a pretty good video for each question. Hopefully that will be a lot easier on the brain.
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mooxim
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Post by mooxim on Apr 15, 2010 20:08:51 GMT -5
My project seems to have died. It can either go into hibernation 'til the summer holidays (my spring break is almost up) or someone else can take over.
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mooxim
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Post by mooxim on Sept 27, 2010 8:20:31 GMT -5
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Post by Flags_Forever on Sept 28, 2010 14:51:04 GMT -5
1. How do you console yourself about a loved one dying/ the thought of yourself dying? I believe that beings live on in some form forever, even if it's just the carbon that makes up the body. The departed live on in the wondrous cosmic theater of the universe. 2. What makes you hopeful for the future/ what do you do when you feel you have no control? I usually just accept it. If I have no control anyway, it's pointless and counter-productive to worry. 3. Who do you turn to when you feel alone/ what would you do if you had no one to turn to? Talk to the Universe. It's never going to respond, but I find that it reaffirms my synchrony with it. 4. What community/ies do you associate yourself with? The Pogotribe, Nerdfighteria, the Mars Society, The Naturalistic Pantheist community, the National Geographic Society. 5. What is your purpose in life/ how do you know this is your purpose? To live it to the fullest, there can be no higher purpose than this. 6. Who are you accountable to? Ultimately, the ecosystem and the communities I identify with, but immediately to myself. 7. Who or what, if anything, do you worship, idolise, revere or cherish and why is it important to you that you do? Nature, life, diversity, and the Universe. The miracle of creation, however it's defined. We need to respect our world in order to respect ourselves. 8. What do you celebrate/ what rituals/traditions do you practice? None, but I embrace them all as a part of my races' collective heritage. 9. What would you die for? The Earth. 10. What would you kill for? The Earth 11. Have you ever felt euphoria, how did it happen? Yes, when I discovered Naturalistic Pantheism. 12. What charities do you give to, why? None, I'm broke. 13. What makes you proud to be human? The incredible potential of our race, and the people devoted to reaching it. 14. What consoles you when you are not proud, or even ashamed of yourself? The fact that I can recognize when I'm wrong, and that I can work at improving myself. 15. Why do you do good deeds/ why don't you do bad things/ where do you get your morals from? Common sense and my own set of morals refined over 20 years of life on this Earth. 16. What do you do for personal reflection? (Pray, diary, blog) Just... think, really. My mind wanders to nearly every aspect of my life if given enough time. 17. Do you enjoy becoming part of a mob/crowd and/or joining sing-alongs? Who do you do this with? Where? Occasionally. Usually just friends and family. Usually at home. 18. What do you do when you feel tempted to question your faith? Why? I don't really have 'faith' in anything, but question my world view? I step back and look at the evidence. Logic is my compass, and I'll follow wherever it leads me. 19. Has reading other peoples' answers allowed you to understand how they can cope with different beliefs to yours? 20. Has it opened your mind, at all, to other ways of thinking? 21. To atheists, has reading other peoples' answers given you an appreciation of the roles of religion in some peoples' lives and of why their beliefs might be so firm and unwavering?
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Post by austkyzor on Sept 30, 2010 23:23:26 GMT -5
Time for the one who defines his spiritual beliefs as "other" to answer.1. How do you console yourself about a loved one dying/ the thought of yourself dying? I generally accept that life has to end, in order for it to begin again. I feel that life is a series of stages, and never really ends. Sometimes our spirits want to regenerate, sometimes they just want to hang around with those whom they loved in life
2. What makes you hopeful for the future/ what do you do when you feel you have no control? I generally have a small panic attack, and then once I calm down, I slowly go over all the options and make sure that I don't lose control
3. Who do you turn to when you feel alone/ what would you do if you had no one to turn to? I turn to *name omitted*, my best friend, the one person who will always be there for me, and the love of my life. If I didn't have her... I'd probably fall back into suicidal depression again.
4. What community/ies do you associate yourself with? The scientific community, as well as the health community - The Blood Services, Heart and Stroke Foundation, The Red Cross - I also get involved with my University community
5. What is your purpose in life/ how do you know this is your purpose? My purpose in life is to just be me - follow my ideals, and do what I can to make the world better.
6. Who are you accountable to? First and foremost, I am accountable to myself. If I can't forgive myself for what I've done, then I have no right to be forgiven by other people.
7. Who or what, if anything, do you worship, idolise, revere or cherish and why is it important to you that you do? I don't really worship anybody or anything. I certainly revere people like Bill Gates, Matt Damon, and Keanu Reeves, who use their status and resources to make the world a better place. I also revere people like Nelson Mandela, and Desmond Tutu, who use their charisma to win the hearts of the people, to make the world a better place. The people I cherish are the people who are closest to me on a spiritual level
8. What do you celebrate/ what rituals/traditions do you practice? Given that most of the rest of my family is Christian, I tend to celebrate Christmas and Easter. Thanksgiving is another one. New Years is always interesting where I'm from, because we not only celebrate it with the traditions of our own heritage (Armenian, Irish, Native Canadian, and Japanese) but the traditions of everybody in the neighbourhood - this includes Chinese traditions, South African, Scottish, Welsh, Spanish, Russian, Australian...
9. What would you die for? I'd die for my friends I'd die for my family I'd die for *name omitted - same as the one above* I'd die for my country I'd die for the right of somebody I hated to say things I don't agree with.
10. What would you kill for? I'd kill if somebody hurt somebody I love badly I'd kill if somebody unfairly discriminated I'd kill if it meant I'd save the lives of many people I'd kill if it was me or them I'd kill for a really good cup of tea
11. Have you ever felt euphoria, how did it happen? A couple of times involve sex, but the most memorable times are usually after some pretty heavy pain-relief narcotics
12. What charities do you give to, why? I donate to the Canadian Blood Services, because it saves lives I donate to the Red Cross because they help to save lives, including my own I donate to the Canadian Cancer Society, because they help victims, survivors, and their families cope with it I donate to Doctors Without Borders because the world needs doctors everywhere I donate to Max Keeping Foundation, which helps fund the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, which has helped not only me, but my brother and sister in life from the beginning. I donate to Child's Play, because sick kids get bored too. I donate to my local animal welfare society I can't remember anymore - but there's certainly more
13. What makes you proud to be human? Not a heck of a lot. Technology, mostly, and thumbs.
old 14. What makes you proud to be the person you are? The fact that despite everything I've been through, I'm still going on strong
14. What consoles you when you are not proud, or even ashamed of yourself? The motivation to make things better, to fix what cause me to lose the pride in myself
15. Why do you do good deeds/ why don't you do bad things/ where do you get your morals from? Family upbringing and common sense. I wasn't raised to fear a god, I was raised to not be a d-bag to others
16. What do you do for personal reflection? (Pray, diary, blog) Mostly talk to myself - I've also been known to write (and sometimes perform) monologues, and I've got blogs hidden around
17. Do you enjoy becoming part of a mob/crowd and/or joining sing-alongs? Who do you do this with? Where? Depends on my mood really - if I'm feeling particularly extroverted. Sometimes I even LEAD said mob/crowd
18. What do you do when you feel tempted to question your faith? Why? I don't really have a faith - I believe in a spiritual force because I sense that one is there, it's more of a knowledge of it's existence, rather then faith in it
19. Has reading other peoples' answers allowed you to understand how they can cope with different beliefs to yours? Nope - I had that understanding all along. I always meet people with beliefs way different from my own - it's a part of who they are
20. Has it opened your mind, at all, to other ways of thinking? Again, no - I've always been open minded about schools of thought
21. To atheists, has reading other peoples' answers given you an appreciation of the roles of religion in some peoples' lives and of why their beliefs might be so firm and unwavering? Again - I already had an understanding of it If anything - this exercise has helped me to understand myself, more then anything else.
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