Theists, do you understand this?

Question

An atheist does not have to say "I KNOW there is no god," to be an atheist.

There's this argument going around a lot tonight that says, "They don't know, so they aren't really atheist, they are agnostic."

Agnostic means you have the philosophy that no one can know if there is a god or gods. An atheist can say, "I don't know, but I don't believe either," and be both atheist and agnostic.

Do you understand this? As long as there is no *belief* the person is an atheist.

My point is that it's rude to presume to decide for someone else what their worldview is.

Answer 1

You are quite right!

Actually the terms are mutually exclusive and can be used in conjunction as you did point out.

Agnosticism simply means a lack of knowledge. One can be agnostic about anything... not only god. Atheists hold no belief in any gods. The word itself means "no gods" it has nothing to do with knowledge of god.

This question seems to pop up on a monthly, if not weekly basis here in R&S. I find it funny how the theist role in this board seems to be to post the same tired arguments over and over, while the atheist role here seems to be correcting their flawed logic and pointing out a lack of research beihind what they are trying to discredit.

Answer 2

I think there is strong and weak agnosticism, just as there is strong and weak atheism.

A weak agnostic is one who basically says "I don't know, and I don't see how I would come to know."

A strong agnostic says "I don't know, and I think it is simply not knowable."

I lean towards being a strong agnostic. I think that if this universe was willfully created by a supreme being, it probably came up with the set of physical laws, set off the big bang, and then did no further manipulation of any kind. Such a supreme being would be completely undetectable. There would be no experiment we could conduct that would differentiate between a universe that was intelligently created, and one that "just happened".

I can think this because I don't think it helps us in any way to postulate the existence of a supreme being in order to explain why the universe exists, since we are then just left with the bigger question, of why does the supreme being exist?

So, I'm very close to being a strong agnostic about a supreme creator.

But the God of Abraham? I'm convince that god is in the same class as Zeus: a mythical creation of superstitious men. That's way I generally keep it simple and just say I am an atheist.

Answer 3

You are correct in the differences between agnosticism and atheism.

The problem for the atheist becomes he has nothing but a string of weak philosophical arguments against the idea of God in order to support his belief statement: "I BELIEVE there is no god." Therefore there is not sufficient positive evidence to warrant such a view but an atheist doesnt hate God with his mind, he hates him with his heart.

Answer 4

You think they understand that a Christian can also be agnostic?

As an agnostic atheistic smart-*** I only believe in Agnostic Christians. Non-Agnostic Christians are too arrogant for my taste.

Answer 5

There is still a belief regardless.

Really, it is a focus. That would be more true.

Just as you focus on music and travel into the other person view of reality and associate it with your own experience, that also is a focus that many cannot experience.

Some people cannot get lost into music like you and I, and we could never explain to them what it feels like to "travel" in that way

Answer 6

Either way you are able to know that organized religion is false, wrong, money grabbing and a bad influence on society. This I think is more important then the is there a god or not question

Answer 7

If there is No Belief in GOD, then your not Born-Again.
You can only Believe in GOD AFTER your Spirit has been Recreated.
I suggest to you that Everybody was an Atheist BEFOR they got Saved.
Technically Speaking that is.

Now, you can Mentally Agree that there is a GOD and that will Help GOD to get you Saved.

But you cannot Believe in GOD till you are Born-Again.

Don't Shout me down now.

I will tell you Something Else if you can Handle it.
Untill your Spirit is Recreated, the Spirit you were Born With has the Nature of satan in it (NOT DEMON POSSESSION) and HATES GOD.
Befor you were Born-Again, deep down inside of you---YOU HATED GOD.
I did too, befor I got SAVED.

Answer 8

I agree with you, it is rude for someone to decide someone else's beliefs. It's likewise rude for some atheists to assume that all Christians are Fundamentalist Bible-thumpers who do nothing except preach on street corners.

Answer 9

The burden of proof is on you and ur cult. If it's presume rude then that's ur problem. No one cares what an atheist is. Comprehende!

Answer 10

You don't even know what you just wrote. You contradicted yourself, and all atheists know that they don't believe in God. That's why they call themselves atheists. Do you understand this?