Okay, here's a little call for help.

This semester I am taking an Intro to Philosphy class and in it we are focusing on Naturalism. Meaning that scientific method is the only way to actually study our surroundings as opposed to relying on a supernatual explanation.

We have a paper coming that is to be on any aspect of Naturalism. It's a rather broad topic and with no real clear direction from the professor, I'm left to my own devices.

So I was considering focusing on the prevelance of non-spiritual, or even atheistic views among people in the IT industry. For example, I was born into a Catholic family but was never baptised, my parents never introduced me to Catholicism while I was growing up. But, due to my parents line of work, I grew up in several third world countries and saw many different religions and appreciate what they offer to their faithful. Personally though, I like hard, physical evidence. As such, I have a tendency towards logical problem solving, which translates well into troubleshooting connectivity issues across a network. A route is present or it isn't, cut and dry, 1 or 0.

However, as I thought more about the topic I had chosen, I began to find it difficult to back up my thought about religion playing a large role in the IT field. So I wanted to see what you're thoughts were since this board is comprised of many intelligent people.

For those of you who are in an IT related field and dont mind answering a question as personal as this, do you feel that your faith influences your ability in you job?

For those of you not an IT field, the same question.

Again, I realize this is a very personal question and if you would like to respond but via PM, I would greatly appreciate your opinion.

For those of you who are in an IT related field and dont mind answering a question as personal as this, do you feel that your faith influences your ability in you job?
I'd say no.

I am now in an IT field, but my forays into studying various world religions was more prevalent in college when I was a Business major.

I am currently agnostic, but I do believe there is some 'force' driving the universe. I won't state that any of our major world religions 'has it right,' as I've found many of the world religions have so many similarities that it's rather sad that they all seem to focus on their differences. While in college I studied several religions and philosophies, both inside the classroom and on my own time: Latter day saints, Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Anton LeVay's Church of Satan, Buddhism, Ba'Hai, and more.

I am not anti-religion by any stretch of the imagination, but I am certainly anti organized religion. The blatant hypocrisy that's rampant in any of the major world religions/philosophies when you get any number of a group of members together is staggering to me. Most of my direct experience with these hypocrisies have obviously been with people that claim to be of Christian faith. I can't count how many supremely judgmental people I have come across that claim to be Christian. Obviously we've all seen the hypocrisy of many Islamic fundamentalists through terrorism that isn't realistically founded in their religion. I could go on for hours, and break down problems I see in the members of most of the world's religions. That doesn't make the religions 'wrong;' it just shows the fallibility of people in general.

I can say that a few specific instances in Christian churches, and hypocrisy I have found in doctrine led me directly to my claim of being Agnostic more than anything to do with the IT field. I think me working in IT may have more to do with me being Agnostic than vice versa.

I don't think that IT makes you atheist or agnostic (Although after hearing some of the horror stories, I can imagine how it would). The qualities that make someone suitable for an IT job, however, seem to lend themselves towards an agnostic or atheist worldview.

You use logic-based systems that are simply incompatible with the idea that Jesus is magic!™

I think me working in IT may have more to do with me being Agnostic than vice versa.

Can I ask you to expand on that? Was the science the draw of the IT field to you, or was it just a "right time, right place" kind of thing? Or if you like, why IT over say...some sort of Engineering field, or if you prefer a non-scientific field of employment.

I think it was more the point of me being Agnostic before I ever considered a career in IT. I think everything you detailed in your first post helped point me to the career.

Okay, I follow you now, thanks Tal!

I'm a software developer. My views are similar to Taleren's, and the impact on my job has been negligible. (I've had to bite my tongue a couple times--my project manager is a strong Christian who has, for example, claimed that the U.S. is a "Christian nation"--but that's about it. Most of the time religion doesn't even enter discussion, apart from factual statements like "I have a meeting for our church group tonight".)

I have not taken the time to study religion as Taleren has. Instead I'd say my views have been most strongly influenced by the brief study of epistemology as part of a "Philosophical Problems in Space and Time" course that I took in college. With formal definitions of what it means to "know" something, I found it difficult to accept claims that anyone knows the answer to metaphysical questions--including "knowing" that there is a God or that there is no God.

Now, ordinarily the "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence" principle would lead back to atheism, not as a positive statement but as a default position. Interestingly, it is the study of science--physics in particular--that has pushed me away from atheism. There is just something about the beauty and symmetry of the equations that appear to govern the behavior of the universe, which suggests to me (irrationally) that there may be "something" beyond the universe, even though I am skeptical of any claims of knowledge about the nature of that "something". Combined with an inadequate explanation for consciousness--why am I, as an observer, tied to a particular portion of my body, especially when the molecules that make up my body are continuously replaced?--I suppose my views might even lean in a deist direction from the agnostic camp.

Since the IT field (in general) isn't focused on explaining the great mysteries of the world, my absence of faith has very little bearing on my job. If I were involved in biology (stell cell research), medicine (abortion), physics (how the universe started) or some other field, maybe it would matter.

As noted above, the qualities that might lead someone to shirk off the bonds of religion can make for good IT workers and scientists, though. Maybe you should direct the focus of your paper in that direction, instead of just focusing on IT.

Its interesting that the bulk of people on this forum who work in IT also don't seem to have a strong attachment to any religion or faith. This seems to point in the direction that those who work in IT are typically persons who think logically and require evidence, solid "1's and 0's" as you put it, to really put faith in something. Explainability is something we're used to in IT. Computers are man made and every part of them is 100% understandable.

That is not to say, however, that every person who works in IT is an atheist or agnostic. I, for instance, work in IT and am a very religious person. I was raised in the religion that I am a member of (a Christian religion), but remaining a member of my religion was my personal decision. I am 25 years old and have never questioned my faith. I do recognize the fact that there are some things that "just require having faith" about religion, however my personal feeling is that there is enough evidence to support my faith.

That said, I do not feel my job has had any effect on my faith or vice versa. I am a very logically minded person, and that is well suited for work with Computers. Technology has always interested me. I've always loved electronic games. We got our first NES when I was 5; first computer when I was 8. I do well in the IT field and I tend to just have an understanding about the way computers work and am able to figure out what is wrong with them reasonably well. I do not feel inhibited in my profession because I believe that all things were created by God. As a person that has faith in the Bible, it is my belief that mankind was created in God's image (not physically, of course, but in our thinking and emotional capacities); this being the case, God intended mankind to create things. Computers (and technology in general) are the creations of man.. I have an interest in this creation and that fuels my desire for knowledge about them and thus suits me to my career.

The funny thing is, I believe that part of the reason I am so solid in my faith is that as someone who thinks logically, I believe that complex creations (such as computers and technology) could not come about by chance. They require a designer and builder. In my mind, the same logic applies to all life.. and the entire Universe when you get down to it. And that is where faith comes in. Because there is no solid, physical "1's and 0's" evidence that there is an all powerful being in the universe, I have to have faith that one exists. But based on my feeling that the existence of life and the universe requires that there was a creator and my knowledge of the Bible, I feel my faith is well founded.

Akom hit the nail on the head.
I believe in a designer type of God, rather than 1 that meddles in daily affairs.

The Universe is His design. Much like a watch, He wound it, and is letting it run.
Just because you believe in a Deity of some sort, doesn't mean you can't work in IT. All you have to be able to do is understand the rules set in place, and it's all good.

Like Taleren, I also hold organized religions in contempt. To me, they are all just methods used to control other humans.

Some great replies, thanks everyone!

Akom, your post is extremely similar to the answers given to me by a close friend who also has a very strong Christian faith. The science of IT is a draw to him, but he gains more satisfaction from helping people with his skills (something the ministry instilled in him) as opposed to the satisfaction of solving a complex computer related issue.

I'm the opposite, I enjoy helping people and do gain satisfaction from it, but nothing makes me feel more accomplished or successful than when I or a team of people come up with a solution that took many head poundings and "WTF" moments. I just love that and can't wait to be done with school so I can get back in the work force!

Thanks everyone for your opinions and points of view, very enlightening!

Since the IT field (in general) isn't focused on explaining the great mysteries of the world, my absence of faith has very little bearing on my job. If I were involved in biology (stell cell research), medicine (abortion), physics (how the universe started) or some other field, maybe it would matter.

As noted above, the qualities that might lead someone to shirk off the bonds of religion can make for good IT workers and scientists, though. Maybe you should direct the focus of your paper in that direction, instead of just focusing on IT.

Very good point Esbat, and I actually had started out in that direction. But as I sat and started to draft my thoughts, I felt that I just didnt have enough information to speak intelligently about non-IT science. I didn't know anyone in a medical research field to pick their brain, so in the end, I stuck with a topic that I had working knowledge of.

That, and you have a semi-captive audience here with several individuals that work in the IT field.

Truth.

I'm not entirely sure what I am but I don't think my field or type of work I do influences those feelings. I've had at various stages in my life been very spiritual and others agnostic. Anymore it's just not something I think about every day of my life. I believe in some higher power but I don't think he interacts or affects my daily life, at least that is what I believe right now. That could change next week and I could believe in nothing. I can pinpoint that I starting doubting my faith while in college, prior to that I had grown up in a very Baptist family that was very active in the church and still are.

There are some interesting replies here and some interesting coorelations that I might have otherwise missed. I do think it's just coincidence however b/c I work with some serious bible thumpers and they are in the IT field.