Anyone here a Category 7?

[Sal]

Depends on the description; for the Christian god of the Bible, definitely a 7. For some cosmic description of a creator god or otherwise animistic god, I'm somewhere between 6.5 and 6.9999.

[robvalue]

I came across some fascinating ideas today that I'd never heard of, to do with the bicameral mind. Apparently ancient man used to run as a combination of a kind of automaton (left side of the brain) and an authorative inner voice (right side). This voice "allowed" actions to be taken, and was understandably mistaken for some sort of external power giving directions. This could have a lot to do with how religion came about.

Well, Jaynes' views are certainly one theory, but I wouldn't regard them as having been proven.  It's an interesting argument, but it's not clear that it's true.

Sure, yeah I didn't state it very well, I should have said, "According to this idea..."

[vulcanlogician]

I don't think it's a logical exemption. Nor is it "giving in." It's reasonable to approach unknowns with a skeptical attitude. Skepticism is neither denial nor belief, but suspension in between until solid evidence is provided.

Claiming certainty where there is insufficient evidence is for theists. I'd like to think we're better than that.

So you'd rank yourself as a 6 in regards to.... current existence of megladon sharks deep in the ocean, unicorns, the Loch Ness monster, etc?

I haven't given much thought to this scale until now though. I'm probably wrong.

Let me put it this way. When asked where I fall on the Dawkins scale, my answer is 6/7.

If someone were to make a similar scale where 1 = I think that the reality I've perceived all my life is 100% illusion and 7 = reality (as I know it) is 100% real, I'd be a 6/7 on that scale too.

I hope that answers the question. It has more to do with my approach to knowledge than it does my conceiving to exist gods, fairies, leprechauns, dragons, bigfoot or any other specific phenomena.

[Seraphina]

I've been around TOO MANY Christians to NOT be a 7.

+1
After spending the first 35 years of my life in various stages of belief with other massively hypocritical believers, I now find the idea that there are any gods completely laughable.

-Teresa

[haig]

Religion is nothing more then a figment of our imaginaton. I have not seen a single piece of scientific based evidence that even hints at a god of any religion.

I am a 7, but scales mean little to me because atheism is a complete lack of faith in any religion.

[Anomalocaris]

Religion is nothing more then a figment of our imaginaton. I have not seen a single piece of scientific based evidence that even hints at a god of any religion.

I am a 7, but scales mean little to me because atheism is a complete lack of faith in any religion.

I would say superstition is a figment of our imagination. Religion is the result of our malevolent calculation.

[Cod]

I'm a 6.66

[Aroura]

I'm a 6.66

Well played sir, well played.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Difference is we know how to determine if what we are looking at is a dragon. You can't do that with gods because they are meant to be undefinable.

For example, are gods still gods if they have local jurisdiction? Or are gods mutually exclusive, as in there can only be one correct creation myth? In which case size of the universe only applies to dragons.

Some gods have jurisdictions.

The Romans would create a god to watch over their household. Microcosmic god.

[Shell B]

Some gods have jurisdictions.

The Romans would create a god to watch over their household. Microcosmic god.

Yeah, they had gods for everything.