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Forums - General Discussion - What does being athiest mean to you?

Boutros on 14 August 2011
Rath said:
Boutros said:
Rath said:
Boutros said:
Troll_Whisperer said:
Being an atheist means being a non-believer. I don't believe in a god. That's it.

That is not accurate.

Being an atheist is the belief that God doesn't exist. But it's still a belief.

Agnostics are the ones who can call themselves non-believers.

Agnosticism is the belief that it can't be known if god exists or not. You can be an atheist or a theist and still be an agnostic.

Well yeah but the way you say it everything is a belief. Agnostics is what could be considered as the closest to being a non-believer.


I don't think atheism is always a belief, it's most broad definition is the lack of a belief in any deity. The lack of a belief is in itself not a belief.

The statements 'I don't believe there is a god' and 'I believe there is no god' are quite different yet are both lumped under atheism.

Agnostism is simply a category that was created to define a certain way of thinking but you won't hear someone call himself an agnostic (or mostly not). Many people considered agnostics don't want to have anything to do with beliefs and they are certainly not the ones who want to be tagged in a category.

Anyway as you are saying they are trying to categorize something that really can't be categorized. It's rather shallow.



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Boutros on 14 August 2011
Troll_Whisperer said:
Boutros said:
Troll_Whisperer said:
Being an atheist means being a non-believer. I don't believe in a god. That's it.

That is not accurate.

Being an atheist is the belief that God doesn't exist. But it's still a belief.

Agnostics are the ones who can call themselves non-believers.

When you fill a form that asks for your religion (it happens in the UK for statistical purposes when, for example, you apply for university), there is no 'atheist' option, it says non-believer. It's the same.

I don't believe in god. Therefore I believe there is no god. What's the difference? I can't not believe in something and at the same time not have the belief that that something doesn't exist.

How can you not believe in god but at the same time not have the belief that there isn't a god? That's like saying not believing in bigfoot is not the same as the belief that there is no bigfoot.

You can if you accept that there's no way for a human to know or to prove the existence of a god or the opposite.



Troll_Whisperer on 14 August 2011
kurasakiichimaru said:
Troll_Whisperer said:
Boutros said:
Troll_Whisperer said:
Being an atheist means being a non-believer. I don't believe in a god. That's it.

That is not accurate.

Being an atheist is the belief that God doesn't exist. But it's still a belief.

Agnostics are the ones who can call themselves non-believers.

When you fill a form that asks for your religion (it happens in the UK for statistical purposes when, for example, you apply for university), there is no 'atheist' option, it says non-believer. It's the same.

I don't believe in god. Therefore I believe there is no god. What's the difference? I can't not believe in something and at the same time not have the belief that that something doesn't exist.

How can you not believe in god but at the same time not have the belief that there isn't a god? That's like saying not believing in bigfoot is not the same as the belief that there is no bigfoot

Eh We're hesitant. We just don't have that much attachment to either of the opposing beliefs as the debate over who is right and who is wrong had become like a cycle but we would welcome whatever is proven(if that's even proven.)

Ah, but being hesitant doesn't mean not believing. It means you're not sure what to believe.



No troll is too much for me to handle. I rehabilitate trolls, I train people. I am the Troll Whisperer.

Troll_Whisperer on 14 August 2011
Boutros said:
Troll_Whisperer said:
Boutros said:
Troll_Whisperer said:
Being an atheist means being a non-believer. I don't believe in a god. That's it.

That is not accurate.

Being an atheist is the belief that God doesn't exist. But it's still a belief.

Agnostics are the ones who can call themselves non-believers.

When you fill a form that asks for your religion (it happens in the UK for statistical purposes when, for example, you apply for university), there is no 'atheist' option, it says non-believer. It's the same.

I don't believe in god. Therefore I believe there is no god. What's the difference? I can't not believe in something and at the same time not have the belief that that something doesn't exist.

How can you not believe in god but at the same time not have the belief that there isn't a god? That's like saying not believing in bigfoot is not the same as the belief that there is no bigfoot.

You can if you accept that there's no way for a human to know or to prove the existence of a god or the opposite.

OK, let's use the Spaghetti Monster. I can't prove it doesn't exist. So you're saying that I can never say 'I don't believe in the spaghetti monster', because that would be implying that there is the possibility that it actually exists.

Actually, I can't say 'I don' believe in this or that' for anything, because I would always be implying that I don't have a belief against it existence and it may therefore exist. I must always say 'I believe this doesn't exist'. C'mon man, that would be a semantic nightmare.

From a logical and everyday situation viewpoint: not believing in X=believing there is no X



No troll is too much for me to handle. I rehabilitate trolls, I train people. I am the Troll Whisperer.

kurasakiichimaru on 14 August 2011
Troll_Whisperer said:
kurasakiichimaru said:
Troll_Whisperer said:
Boutros said:
Troll_Whisperer said:
Being an atheist means being a non-believer. I don't believe in a god. That's it.

That is not accurate.

Being an atheist is the belief that God doesn't exist. But it's still a belief.

Agnostics are the ones who can call themselves non-believers.

When you fill a form that asks for your religion (it happens in the UK for statistical purposes when, for example, you apply for university), there is no 'atheist' option, it says non-believer. It's the same.

I don't believe in god. Therefore I believe there is no god. What's the difference? I can't not believe in something and at the same time not have the belief that that something doesn't exist.

How can you not believe in god but at the same time not have the belief that there isn't a god? That's like saying not believing in bigfoot is not the same as the belief that there is no bigfoot

Eh We're hesitant. We just don't have that much attachment to either of the opposing beliefs as the debate over who is right and who is wrong had become like a cycle but we would welcome whatever is proven(if that's even proven.)

Ah, but being hesitant doesn't mean not believing. It means you're not sure what to believe.

It's hard not to have any beliefs after all.

I mean, I'm agnostic but I'm also leaning to theism because of my encounter with a supernatural being aka a ghost.



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snakenobi on 14 August 2011
MARCUSDJACKSON said:
kurasakiichimaru said:
MARCUSDJACKSON said:
freedom of belief without judgement. or non denominational.


I don't think your co-atheists practiced your belief.

srry i gave impression that im an atheist but my religion is the marcus d jackson religion which is to believe in whts logical and possible and if it makes sence then go with it but if it doesn't dismiss it.

now to answer your question its that freedom to not beleive in anything if chosen to do so, so its more about choice then anything else absent of the house(church) were each religions specific set of rules with the back hand liars that judge with'n the church where sin breeds.


don't mix religion with GOD

 

religion is just a culture formed around the concept of GOD by a group of people and laid some rules to it.

 

believing in GOD can be from the cretor and maintainer to just a creator



Boutros on 14 August 2011
Troll_Whisperer said:
Boutros said:
Troll_Whisperer said:
Boutros said:
Troll_Whisperer said:
Being an atheist means being a non-believer. I don't believe in a god. That's it.

That is not accurate.

Being an atheist is the belief that God doesn't exist. But it's still a belief.

Agnostics are the ones who can call themselves non-believers.

When you fill a form that asks for your religion (it happens in the UK for statistical purposes when, for example, you apply for university), there is no 'atheist' option, it says non-believer. It's the same.

I don't believe in god. Therefore I believe there is no god. What's the difference? I can't not believe in something and at the same time not have the belief that that something doesn't exist.

How can you not believe in god but at the same time not have the belief that there isn't a god? That's like saying not believing in bigfoot is not the same as the belief that there is no bigfoot.

You can if you accept that there's no way for a human to know or to prove the existence of a god or the opposite.

OK, let's use the Spaghetti Monster. I can't prove it doesn't exist. So you're saying that I can never say 'I don't believe in the spaghetti monster', because that would be implying that there is the possibility that it actually exists.

Actually, I can't say 'I don' believe in this or that' for anything, because I would always be implying that I don't have a belief against it existence and it may therefore exist. I must always say 'I believe this doesn't exist'. C'mon man, that would be a semantic nightmare.

From a logical and everyday situation viewpoint: not believing in X=believing there is no X

And that's true but it's not the two only options. There's also the idea of simply saying 'I don't know'. I don't know if there is a god. I don't if there's no god. That's what I'm talking about.



pearljammer on 14 August 2011

maverick40 said:

haha that was funny. I don't feel superior to both at all. As a scientist i need proof about all these things and there is no proof that god does or doesn't exist.

In the context of science though, there cannot be proof of the nonexistance of something. Asking one to do so with the consequence of calling them ignorant (as you did in your first post) is highly unfair.

Not making unproven assumptions is what makes somebody atheist. I don't think any (reasonable) atheist would argue that there is no chance of there being any diety, intervening or not - just simply that from what we know, that is highly unlikely and that there is absolutely no reason to make the assumption that there is.



Troll_Whisperer on 14 August 2011
Boutros said:
Troll_Whisperer said:
Boutros said:
Troll_Whisperer said:
Boutros said:
Troll_Whisperer said:
Being an atheist means being a non-believer. I don't believe in a god. That's it.

That is not accurate.

Being an atheist is the belief that God doesn't exist. But it's still a belief.

Agnostics are the ones who can call themselves non-believers.

When you fill a form that asks for your religion (it happens in the UK for statistical purposes when, for example, you apply for university), there is no 'atheist' option, it says non-believer. It's the same.

I don't believe in god. Therefore I believe there is no god. What's the difference? I can't not believe in something and at the same time not have the belief that that something doesn't exist.

How can you not believe in god but at the same time not have the belief that there isn't a god? That's like saying not believing in bigfoot is not the same as the belief that there is no bigfoot.

You can if you accept that there's no way for a human to know or to prove the existence of a god or the opposite.

OK, let's use the Spaghetti Monster. I can't prove it doesn't exist. So you're saying that I can never say 'I don't believe in the spaghetti monster', because that would be implying that there is the possibility that it actually exists.

Actually, I can't say 'I don' believe in this or that' for anything, because I would always be implying that I don't have a belief against it existence and it may therefore exist. I must always say 'I believe this doesn't exist'. C'mon man, that would be a semantic nightmare.

From a logical and everyday situation viewpoint: not believing in X=believing there is no X

And that's true but it's not the two only options. There's also the idea of simply saying 'I don't know'. I don't know if there is a god. I don't if there's no god. That's what I'm talking about.

I know what you mean, but in that case your belief is not defined. Do you usually say 'I don't believe in God'? I'm guessing you usually say 'I don't know if there is a god', as you just now said. If you say 'I don't believe in God' people understand it as 'I believe there is no God'. That's why even you don't say that.

So when I say I don't believen in God that's implied. You understand it as I believe there is no God. Otherwise I would say I don't know, like you.

As I said, even official papers use this terminology.

Anyway, I understand where you come from and I'm ok with that. This is just a very silly argument on semantics so if you wish we can leave it here.



No troll is too much for me to handle. I rehabilitate trolls, I train people. I am the Troll Whisperer.

Troll_Whisperer on 14 August 2011
kurasakiichimaru said:
Troll_Whisperer said:
kurasakiichimaru said:
Troll_Whisperer said:
Boutros said:
Troll_Whisperer said:
Being an atheist means being a non-believer. I don't believe in a god. That's it.

That is not accurate.

Being an atheist is the belief that God doesn't exist. But it's still a belief.

Agnostics are the ones who can call themselves non-believers.

When you fill a form that asks for your religion (it happens in the UK for statistical purposes when, for example, you apply for university), there is no 'atheist' option, it says non-believer. It's the same.

I don't believe in god. Therefore I believe there is no god. What's the difference? I can't not believe in something and at the same time not have the belief that that something doesn't exist.

How can you not believe in god but at the same time not have the belief that there isn't a god? That's like saying not believing in bigfoot is not the same as the belief that there is no bigfoot

Eh We're hesitant. We just don't have that much attachment to either of the opposing beliefs as the debate over who is right and who is wrong had become like a cycle but we would welcome whatever is proven(if that's even proven.)

Ah, but being hesitant doesn't mean not believing. It means you're not sure what to believe.

It's hard not to have any beliefs after all.

I mean, I'm agnostic but I'm also leaning to theism because of my encounter with a supernatural being aka a ghost.

Hmmm. It's not hard for me not have any religious belief. I just didn't grow up in a religious environment, no-one in my family is religious. So, you're right, you're an agnostic.

Anyway, I'm gonna tell you the same thing I told Boutros above.



No troll is too much for me to handle. I rehabilitate trolls, I train people. I am the Troll Whisperer.