Sorry to seem dumb, but I'm reading all these questions and some of them mention atheists.
2007-03-03 17:54:39 · 18 answers · asked by Dillon C 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
The quickest answer is they do not believe in God. But here's what they say about themselves:
Atheism is a doctrine that states that nothing exists but natural phenomena (matter), that thought is a property or function of matter, and that death irreversibly and totally terminates individual organic units. This definition means that there are no forces, phenomena, or entities which exist outside of or apart from physical nature, or which transcend nature, or are “super” natural, nor can there be. Humankind is on its own.
2007-03-03 17:59:39 · answer #1 · answered by byroncaroline 2 · 0⤊ 3⤋
NO QUESTION IS STUPID: you indicate your intelligence when you ask about something that you don't know. (how it sickens me that some of the people on this forum are sooooo smug that they treat you as though you are a nothing because you do not know. they use the exclamation mark at the end of their answers. THEY, not you, seem stupid to me). A-THEISM:
A-THEISM = atheism, which means "not" "theic."
"theic" refers to the belief in God. "theism" is the act of believing in God.
whenever a word is preceded by the letter "a," it means the opposite of the word, you see?
for example, some music is called tonal. its opposite is called atonal. tonal music incorporates notes and melodies that sound structured to us, when atonal music sounds very modern and dissonent. atonal music is performed by musicians as a modern art form FOR other musicians, but the public doesn't usually like it--to most of us, it is scattered and irritating noise.
i also think that the biting arguments that go on inside of the religion section of this group amount to a lot of irritating noise. if you choose to not worship a God that you don't understand, then that's fine, be an atheist. if you choose to believe in the God that you do understand, that's okay too. but God is love, and God would never chide anyone asking what he does not understand.
oh! PS: "secular" refers to living that doesn't include religion.
2007-03-04 02:08:46 · answer #2 · answered by nothoughtpolice 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
An atheist is a person who does not believe that any god or gods exist.
No more, no less.
Most atheists do not believe in heaven, hell, or the supernatural, but this isn't true of all atheists.
Most atheists accept the findings of modern science, and science may indeed have led many of them to disbelief in gods. However, science is not what makes them atheists; their disbelief in gods is what makes them atheists.
Correction to one of the above answers:
polytheist = one who believes in many gods.
pantheist = one who equates the universe with God.
2007-03-04 02:08:54 · answer #3 · answered by RickySTT, EAC 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
An atheist does not believe in the existence of any sort of god, or other supernatural power. This is slightly different from "agnostic", which means to not know whether there is such a thing as a god.
2007-03-04 02:00:12 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
an atheist is basically someone who believes in science. They are usually smart, intelligent, oftentimes even kind people, but they hold a fairly strict view that either there is no God, or no proof of God, or no reasonable way of knowing either way. Yet the funny thing about them is they usually hang around religious sections, talking to people about God and life and morality and such. They, I think, are good people, but the stereo type that they seem to create for themselves are people that don't believe in anything. I guess the bible was not appealing enough for them, or they saw things otherwise. I don't blame them for anything, I certainly don't hate them, in fact I kind of like having them around. It's fun, and the most important thing is, I know for sure they are unbiased, maybe not entirely unbiased when it comes to science, but at least they'll always give a skeptical eye. And that's good.
2007-03-04 02:01:55 · answer #5 · answered by Julian 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?r=2&q=atheist :
a·the·ist Pronunciation[ey-thee-ist]
–noun a person who denies or disbelieves the existence of a supreme being or beings.
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[Origin: 1565–75; < Gk áthe(os) godless + -ist]
—Synonyms Atheist, agnostic, infidel, skeptic refer to persons not inclined toward religious belief or a particular form of religious belief. An atheist is one who denies the existence of a deity or of divine beings. An agnostic is one who believes it impossible to know anything about God or about the creation of the universe and refrains from commitment to any religious doctrine. Infidel means an unbeliever, especially a nonbeliever in Islam or Christianity. A skeptic doubts and is critical of all accepted doctrines and creeds.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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here is my personal views:
Atheist is someone who believes in not believing in a religion.
If that makes sense, a lot of people who claim to be atheist are just keen in the idea of being against something (religion of any kind) because it angers people. Not ALL people believe this way, but some.
2007-03-04 02:00:23 · answer #6 · answered by Faylina M 1 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Weak Atheist: Someone without the belief of any deities
Strong Atheist: Someone who doesn't believe in any deities
2007-03-04 01:58:21 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
An atheist is someone who has no beliefs in any god(s).
A = without
Theism = belief in god(s).
A+Theism = Atheism = without belief in god(s).
This does not mean that atheists do not believe in anything. It just means that atheists do not believe in god(s).
2007-03-04 02:10:25 · answer #8 · answered by CC 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
An atheist is someone who does not believe God exists.
2007-03-04 01:59:54 · answer #9 · answered by Thumbs down me now 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
An atheist does not believe in any gods. A monotheist believes in only one God, and a pantheist believes in many gods.
2007-03-04 01:57:26 · answer #10 · answered by Curious1usa 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋