McBlocker
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| Joined: 16 Nov 2008 |
| Total Posts: 1721 |
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| 12 Feb 2012 10:35 AM |
*Stolen from another forum*
Atheism is the lack of belief in gods. It stands in contrast with theism, the belief in one or more gods.
Could I be an atheist?
Maybe! Do you believe in God? If your answer is "no" / "not sure" / "don't care", or anything besides "yes", you are an atheist.
I'm an agnostic. I simply lack belief, I don't firmly believe in God's nonexistence.
You're an atheist. The terms "theist" and "atheist" together categorize every living person on Earth, in the same way the terms "have been to Canada" and "have not been to Canada" do. "Agnostic" refers to knowledge, not belief. Being agnostic means you don't claim to know for sure, as opposed to someone who is "gnostic" and does claim to know for sure. There are agnostic atheists and agnostic theists, as well as gnostic atheists and gnostic theists.
Why are these definitions important? I could care less.
They're important because "agnostic" has coloquially taken on the meaning of "honest uncertainty in the existence of God", while "atheist" is often taken to mean "angsty hardcore baby-eating God hater"
The redefining of terms turns atheism, a simple and honest lack of belief, into an easy target for hatred and misunderstanding. Particularly in parts of the world which are very religious. We're all a-somethings, whether it's unicorns, vampires, or alien abductions. An a-theist simply includes gods in this list.
People who flat-out deny the existence of God still fall in the atheist category, but they aren't the only ones sharing the title. There are degrees of atheism, which encompass the hardcore deniers and the softer belief-lackers. Not surprisingly these are known as "hard atheism" and "soft atheism". Richard Dawkins suggests a scale of 1 to 7, 1 being a complete conviction that God exists, and 7 a conviction that he does not. If you are a 1 or a 7, you bring an enormous burden of proof on yourself.
This thread is just to clear up some common prejudices about thiesm and athiesm. Don't be a hater. |
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TMario347
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| Joined: 19 Aug 2011 |
| Total Posts: 154 |
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| 12 Feb 2012 10:37 AM |
i'd rather not
it'll cause a flamewar
"Fixing toilets" -I'm the plumber, so what? |
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McBlocker
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| Joined: 16 Nov 2008 |
| Total Posts: 1721 |
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| 12 Feb 2012 10:39 AM |
| ONOES. I forgot to lock it. -_- |
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moaf
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| Joined: 17 Sep 2008 |
| Total Posts: 1320 |
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| 12 Feb 2012 10:40 AM |
Let us cause.
I am Athiest. |
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davidx2
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| Joined: 07 Jul 2010 |
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josiejo
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| Joined: 20 Aug 2009 |
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Alpha5001
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| Joined: 06 Mar 2011 |
| Total Posts: 10745 |
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| 12 Feb 2012 05:11 PM |
Alfa supportz.
~An Atheist Named Alpha~ |
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| 12 Feb 2012 05:12 PM |
I belive in God. UMAD?
-My top hat is taller then yours- |
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sherlox
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| Joined: 05 Apr 2009 |
| Total Posts: 2435 |
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| 12 Feb 2012 05:13 PM |
dear athist if god dont exist then how me a sherlox typing this message now |
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DrBradish
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| Joined: 11 Feb 2012 |
| Total Posts: 700 |
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| 12 Feb 2012 05:18 PM |
"You're an atheist? But..You're so nice."
Numero uno reaction when people find out my believes. Sucks living in America. Not even the bible belt. |
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| 05 Mar 2012 03:31 PM |
| Don't be an atheist. Somehow we live in a world where people think racial discrimination is wrong, but they hate atheists a lot. We can't live in a world where athism is accepted. |
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davidx2
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| Joined: 07 Jul 2010 |
| Total Posts: 1383 |
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| 05 Mar 2012 11:30 PM |
why?
thats just as bad as being rasest |
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