(August 23, 2010 at 10:55 am)Eilonnwy Wrote: Polls are unscientific and don't really tell us anything. How many of the atheists are vegetarians because of a philosophy stemming from atheism? How many are vegetarians independent of their atheism? How many vegetarians were vegetarians before they were ever an atheist? Does this represent a good proportion of the forum? Does this forum have a heavy atheist population that is not representative of the vegetarian community as a whole?
These are all good points. Still, even if atheism doesn't lead directly to vegetarianism, a questioning mind that rejects religion is more likely to question prevailing ethical attitudes whether the person becomes an atheist before or after giving up meat.
Plus, an atheist is free to decide his or her own morality, independently of a holy text. That's not to say that there aren't ethical vegetarians who are believers, just that there is a plausible reason why there should be a correlation.
Also, I think the results of the poll are significant enough that they can't be accounted for wholly by other factors. There doesn't seem a reason why the forum would be disproportionately atheistic, either. Of course, it is still very weak evidence, and a more in-depth study would be needed before we could draw any conclusions.
Quote:Are we all agreed that fish do not deserve our pity and are yummy? SUSHI FTW!!!
No, I think fish do deserve our pity, and the only totally defensible diet is veganism. Unfortunately, it's just too inconvenient, plus I like tuna toasties.
'We must respect the other fellow's religion, but only in the sense and to the extent that we respect his theory that his wife is beautiful and his children smart.' H.L. Mencken
'False religion' is the ultimate tautology.
'It is just like man's vanity and impertinence to call an animal dumb because it is dumb to his dull perceptions.' Mark Twain
'I care not much for a man's religion whose dog and cat are not the better for it.' Abraham Lincoln
'False religion' is the ultimate tautology.
'It is just like man's vanity and impertinence to call an animal dumb because it is dumb to his dull perceptions.' Mark Twain
'I care not much for a man's religion whose dog and cat are not the better for it.' Abraham Lincoln
