What would you do? Conclusions!?

Question

I came up with three questions for you guys, and I was very impressed with the responses. They were hard questions, and you guys answered them thoughtfully.

Question 1: What would you do if you had to choose between being killed and denying your faith?

This one split down the middle. Most Atheists said they would gladly say there was a God just to survive, whereas most religious people would refuse to renounce their beliefs.

Question 2: You are dying a slow death. Would you renounce your beliefs to end it quickly?

I was aSTOUNDED by this one. It blew my hypothesis sky-high. I never once expected that I would see a totally united front. Every single responder said that they would die the slow death.

Question 3: Would you renounce your beliefs and be killed for it in order to save someone else?

This one differed from one to another, but it was an Atheist who would take the bullet for anyone and a Christian who would not even renounce her faith for her child.

Please discuss.

I think this (especially the second question) shows that maybe Atheists and religious people aren't as different as they think they are. Your affiliations don't define who you are, so you shouldn't define others by their affiliations. Please, tell me what your take on this is.

Question 1:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AvRPBxU_.HSUzAIeKM_aPjLsy6IX?qid=20061010063254AA6xmZO

Question 2:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AgRDxMHUfbXQ8Qn8xDZEYZTsy6IX?qid=20061010071545AA6nsBQ

Question 3:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Apk.D.fFK_aizORmXxR1fhvsy6IX?qid=20061010074601AAifPBv

NewCatholic: No worries. You guys were my inspiration for an essay-- don't worry, it won't be published.

SPOOKY: I would like to personally thank you, and apologize for the accidental thumbs-down I gave you in the first question. My finger slipped on the mouse.

My hypotheses were:

Question 1: The results verified my hypothesis. I felt like there would be a split between the religious and the nonreligious, mainly because the nonreligious do not feel like they are doing anyone wrong by denying their beliefs.

Question 2: I was honestly thinking there would be another split, but the intellectual loathing of hypocrisy proved me wrong. I felt like many Atheists would probably go for the quick death, since they again have nothing to lose. I was wrong, though, and I kind of expected to be, on some level. I certainly didn't expect what I saw, though!

Question 3:
I though most everyone would die for their kids, but some who said they could never put God second surprised me again. I was right, though, in that I thought many would not die for an enemy or a stranger.

Piraterachel: Excellent point! I wholeheartedly agree.

Rick D: Um, I know. That was kind of the point. That's the REASON that the first question's responses split down the middle between Atheists and religious people.

SPOOKY: Ah, thanks! *fixes gender references in his essay!* Your avatar threw me off a bit. ^^

Calebsmom: Thanks for your responses, but the question did require that you deny your beliefs. In saying that she would lay down her life for any of them, SPOOKY stated implicitly that in every case of Question 3, she would deny her faith to save the other person. In fact, she explicitly said, "I would say whatever I had to to save them." I admire the strength of your faith and the love you have for your family and for others. Not many people would trade places and take the bullet, but your convictions about your faith also clearly interfere in that particular situation. It's not an easy choice.

Answer 1

Thank you for posting these results. I appreciate that. I've asked similar questions in the past, so these results are the norm. I'm curious as to what results you were expecting. Share?

EDIT: This is the mindset that I just cannot understand. Christians won't budge on their beliefs to save their own children, but I as an atheist would lay down my life for any of them, even my enemies (yes, I am the atheist he spoke of in # 3). And I'm called a Godless heathen.

See the response from just a few posts below me to get an idea of what I mean.

>>>God sacraficed his only Son for us, so why wouldn't we be willing to sacrafice our child for Him? If your child ended up dying, they would be going to heaven, so I understand the Christian response to #3. <<<

Thumbs down? I thought I had a stalker! Kidding, no apologies are necessary.

Edit: Thanks for sharing your hypothesis. I'm always amazed by the answers to these questions, even though they never really change.

I have been witness to 2 violent deaths, and was not in a position where I could have stepped in to make a difference. I would have, I was just unable to stop them due to physical distance. That may be why I respond as I do, why I feel as I do. I don't know that this makes a difference, but as your questions were used for research, you need to know a fact. I am a female.

Edit: It throws everyone off. There in lies the fun.

Answer 2

I missed the second one. But my answer would have been to skip the slow death. If I had to die I would say whatever crap I had to say to get it over with quickly instead of a slow death.
For this question, my answer is this : generalizations are often mostly true but are never all true. People are all different from eachother. I am not just like any member of my family except maybe my son, but still we have our differences in some things. So, you could ask the same questions a hundred times and get different answers, and some of the same ones. The human element is akin to the element of chaos. Chew on that one for a while.

Answer 3

I enjoyed your questions, but I am little confused in some of the answers. If I understood your questions correctly, would a person denounce God for this reason and that reason. My answers were I could not deny God for any reason. Now some answers were given they would die for anyone on your list. That was not what you were asking, am I correct. I would gladly lay down MY life to save another if I were asked to, but I cannot deny my belief in God for any reason, but I would take the place of my mother, my son, my friend, my enemy or a stranger if I were asked to change places with them, but not if I had to deny God.

Answer 4

Your questions are interesting. I find them tough to answer in that my beliefs are a part of my being in a way that I wouldn't even know how to give them up. Its a way of thinking & being in this world for me; of honoring my realtionship to God & Jesus the Christ.
Q. #1) In my understanding, this world is the illusion, the dream. And the Truth of who we are only exists when we are on the other side of this so called 'reality'.. So, to be killed would be sending me home to the only reality that actually exists. It is impossible to kill the part of me (or any living being) that is eternal so technically, I could never be killed. Nor could any other living being be killed. Does that answer your question?

Q 2.) To end a life quickly in order to escape pain & suffering goes aginst a fundamental belief for me. I could never end it more quickly because that suffering is an experiecne that I agreed to endure on a soul level otherwise it wouldnt be happening. To end it quickly or un-timely, would line me up for another opportuntity to suffer the same or similar situation agian. Why not just get it over with the first time? Why not full fill my souls lesson/experience and be done with that?

Q 3.) Agian, my beliefs are Me - the only reality of me. This world does not exist. The idea of saving somone else is no more valid than the idea of saving myself. I could not save something that does not exist in the first place.

Answer 5

This is very interesting. I just did my own little experiment as well. I listed five questions pert. to the bible and things in it, to see what type of answers i received. over 70% were christian and were hostile/mean/aggressive. 0% of the atheists were hostile/mean/aggressive. And the questions were not mean or biased, etc.. just plain questions. My hypotheses were correct.

As for the atheists vs christians in your questions.. not surprising. Atheists are more earth based - in tune to survival (such as stating there is a god just to survive). Christians are not as afraid or saddened by death because they believe they are going to a better place.

The last one about the christian letting her daughter be killed for her beliefs.. well, i wouldn't. I love my children over any type of "magical" entity. Most parents do lol.

Answer 6

very interesting indeed as this also proves a theory I had years ago that no matter what the few minor differences in culture and societies that people were people and generally willing to do what was right according to their heart.

Answer 7

Sorry, but I think your survey is flawed. What do the aethist have to lose. Denouncing their faith doesn't remove them from heaven because they don't believe in it in the first place. The Christian would have to risk their eternal life.

Answer 8

1 and 3 are easy yes! However, I hate pain and don't know if I could handle #2. (I have had pain in my life and it su(ks) I know I should be able to say I would but I am just telling the truth.

Answer 9

God sacraficed his only Son for us, so why wouldn't we be willing to sacrafice our child for Him? If your child ended up dying, they would be going to heaven, so I understand the Christian response to #3.

Answer 10

Sorry, I missed the last one.