- Frank Segro
- Poultney, VT
- United States
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Abolishing the use of the term Atheism.
We all know that the term "atheist" means without god. However, as an atheist I often find it annoying when people talk about it as a belief system. Lack of belief does not constitute belief in anything else. No one would call me an a-paleontologist simply because I'm not one. Simultaneous to being an atheist I may be a rational empiricist or follow some other set of beliefs. I believe that we should stop using convenient designators such as atheism when we "classify" ourselves to others or are classified by them, because there is simply nothing behind it.
Thoughts?
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Fred Lanisake
A simple lack of believing anything would be agnosticism. "He who does not know" or "he who does not claim to know". Disbelief is still a belief in the antithesis.
Semantic arguements aside, popularly atheism often incorporates philosophies such as rationalism and naturalism. Thus we have a belief system commonly referenced when one brings up the concept of atheism, regardless if these philosophies are implied by the name.
Frank Segro
There are no beliefs associated with atheism. Not believing in a positive statement like there is a god doesn't count as a belief. Call it disbelief if you will. But it only brands itself as the antithesis to theology because people misunderstand what the word actually means.
As I mentioned earlier, atheism does not at all imply any belief in anything. It simply states that you do not believe in this. Although I do not believe in God, that does not assert anything that I do believe in. Because I don't believe in fairies doesn't necessitate that I believe in something else. To me that space need not be filled and I think the same is true of atheism.
Gisela McKay 30+
If you simply had a lack of belief, there wouldn't be this compulsion to convert others.
I was staying out of this like a good agnostic, but that was a step too far.
Charles De Farias
As for the "conversion" comment, that's not true. To be an "atheist' is to lack belief, that is all. This compulsion to convert as you put it is merely human nature.
If somebody tells you 2+2=22, and you know (or think you know) that 2+2=4, you're going to feel compelled to "convert" them into accepting the "truth" that 2+2=4. It's just how most people are. Note the "most", not all Atheists have that compulsion. Just like not all people would bother to get you to understand that 2+2=4.
Fred Lanisake
There's an underlying tone of self righteousness to your arguements. It's similar to a Christian saying that Christianity "isn't a religion, but a relationship." Atheism is professed by a large following of people who firmly believe there are no gods. If you feel this paradigm doesn't represent your views then why care what they choose to call themselves?
And if it does represent your views, then I have to call bullshit on the way you're rationalizing all this. "There is no God" is a positive statement.
Gabo Moreno 100+
"there are Agnostic Theists and there are Agnostic Atheists"
Got it now? Most atheists claim not to believe in gods, not that they know that there is no gods. Agnosticism is about whether you know, not about whether you reject or accept something. A gnostic atheist would be one claiming to know that there is no gods. But I know just a couple of them.
I am convinced that there is no gods whatsoever. However, I can't claim to **know** that there is no gods whatsoever. Thus, I would be an agnostic atheist. What's wrong with that? How is that a "religion"?
You seem inclined to the possibility that there is some god(s), thus you might be an "agnostic theist." I have no idea. I would however never claim that you follow the "religion of agnostic theism." That would be plainly stupid.
Now, I don't want to create strict boxes. Let us say you don't feel comfortable with either theism nor atheism, but you are fine with "agnostic." Fine by me. I would still not be justified to say that you follow the religion of "agnosticism." Just like above, that would be plainly stupid.
(I don't understand why people give you "thumbs up" for failing in reading comprehension.)