The poll is limited to the simple question "do you believe in God or possibly in gods?"
There are four ultimately discrete answers:
1. No
2. Undecided
3. Yes
4. No comment
All responses have reasons behind them, some of which are easily, if not completely, traced in this forum.
quote:
Most theists think that a Creator set it all in motion, don't they? That would be interesting broken down further anyway.
As to your second point, while there may be reasons why one does or does not believe in God, once belief is presumed, there are many ways how one believes in God. There is pretty much only one way how one does not believe in, or is undecided, about belief in God. The 'how' of belief automatically becomes irrelevant. The 'how' of belief, as it is personal and not subject to scientific proof, to paraphrase Einstein, becomes as diverse as the personal characteristics of the beliver, provided one does not become overly enraptured by other personalities, be they living or presume to speak from a position of absolute and unquestioning authority for their interpretation of past events. Therefore it should be no surprise there is a tremendous variety among self-described theists.
Yes, it would be interesting, as IMHO there are many ways to God, to each according to our understanding.
As to your first point, not all belief systems assume a completely linear relationship between creator and created, however I have digressed enough. Perhaps the best place to elaborate upon one's 'how' is through the thread of the personal belief statement rather than a poll with a limited number of discrete outcomes.
Edited by anglagard, : forgot backslash in quote