Which is nobler, to be a skeptic or religious?

Question

Discuss.

Answer 1

Neither would be "nobler" than the other. Nobility has nothing to do with religion or skepticism.

Answer 2

I don't see how nobility is related to either. It can be noble to be willing to die for ones religion especially if it results from doing good works (like Christians helping Jews in WWII Europe due to their understanding of the commandment to love all people). Skepticism in the face of religious persecution of skeptics can also be noble.

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Answer 3

Nobility has more to do with other attributes that many other posters have already outlined... however all other things being equal it's more noble to doubt and to question to ACTUALLY seek after truth than just to accept without question what you have been told. That's not to say that either a sceptic or a religious person has more inherent nobility but rather that someone who looks for their own answers has more nobility than someone who just accepts what they are told. Also there is more nobility in someone who allows other's to find their own answers than someone who seeks to reduce the world to only the answers that they personally accept - those religious people who try to force their religion on others and those sceptics who try to force their scepticism on others lack the nobility of those content to let others find their own answers even if they don't agree personally with what those other's find. It's the fundamentalists of all stripes (religious or not) who lack nobility, it's a sign of having little or no faith in your own beliefs if you can't allow other's to question whether those beliefs are right for them.

Answer 4

I don't think either is more noble. both are skeptical so you must define the skeptic to separate it from religious. but religion has standards and values, whereas skeptics only have skepticism which is a very repressive form of thinking.

Answer 5

Do you mean "Is it nobler doubt God's existence than to subscribe to a particular religion?

The more important question: "Is it more reasonable to be skeptical of a God whose annointed messengers are political charlatans than to blindly follow said charlatans?"

Answer 6

Most people believe what they have been taught to believe while they were raised. There is nothing noble nor shameful about it. If you were born in Japan you would probably believe that your ancestors were watching over the interest of the family, in Arabia that you were going to get 72 virgins if you die a martyr and if you were born in Alabama you most likely believe that Jesus was your savior and that you would meet him in heaven.

Answer 7

I don't think the comparison between the two begs a question of nobility. Nobility is the inherent feeling of obligation toward action that may have a negative personal repercussions based upon a moral assessment.

Answer 8

Your religious beliefs or non-beliefs, have nothing to do w/ how noble a person is. It is all about how you treat your fellow man, and how you act when people are not looking.

Answer 9

I don't think either holds nobleness. It is how you are. Do you respect people? Do you respect yourself? Are you kind? Understanding? At peace. Etc.

Answer 10

skeptic - someone who doubts everything
religious - someone who follows a set of rules
Christian - someone who has met the rule maker

Who cares about nobility?

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