Different types of Atheism?

Question

Well, I've heard of "different types" of Atheism. I believe one I heard was "millitant"? And I was wondering what are, if any, the different types of Atheism, and what separates them?

Answer 1

That's an interesting question. Generally speaking, I don't think we're sub-categorised, like that. I think we all just follow our own paths. It's not like we're an organised force or religion. We just are.

Answer 2

I am really only aware of two type:

Weak and Strong.

Weak atheism is also known as agnostic atheism, and is the position that something should not be believed until evidnce can be produced. I.e. since there is no evidence FOR god, we don't believe in god. Most atheists are weak atheists.

Strong atheism is the certain belief that god does not exist. It is not simply a lack of belief (weak-atheism), but the certainty of non existence. I do not know how this position is justified.

Answer 3

There's Strong/Positive Atheism, Weak/Negative Atheism and Agnostic Atheism just to name a few forms of Atheism.

Answer 4

Militant atheism is not an actual term, but is something invented by people who want to denounce atheism.

There are however variants: Weak and strong atheism. Weak atheism is close to agnosticism, allowing the possibility of spiritual whatever-you-may to exist but simply seeing no evidence for it and not willing to assume absent evidence whereas strong atheism is the affirmation that spiritual foo does not exist at all.

Answer 5

Atheists can be of the "weak" position (being without belief), the "strong" (belief that gods do not exist). They can also be "explicit" (consciously rejecting the notion of a god) or "implicit" (being of the "weak" position either because they are incapable of conceiving of the concept or because they were never introduced to it). Weak and implicit atheism do not require familiarity with the concept.

There is also:

Ignosticism: the view that the question of the existence of God is meaningless because it has no verifiable (or testable) consequences and should therefore be ignored. It is often considered synonymous with theological noncognitivism (the argument that religious language, and specifically words like "god", are not cognitively meaningful).

An apatheist is someone who lacks belief in gods and lacks interest in gods to the point that he or she doesn't bother to determine whether he or she actually disbelieves in gods.

Answer 6

Strong Atheism and Weak Atheism

Look it up.

Answer 7

I would imagine it's similar to the way it is with religious people....some are more open minded to other's rights to have differing beliefs, and some are more like "it's my way or the highway".....some are radical, some are mainstream, etc. I have met many different kinds of atheists myself, and they do seem to bear that out. Some of them can't even be friends with people who are not also atheists (like a guy I used to work with)....others are more open minded (like a good friend of mine, who even comes to my church occasionally as a gesture of goodwill to me, even though I know she thinks it's basically a load of crap :)

Answer 8

I doubt that such a differentiation could be found -- at least in some sensible form. The common thread, of course, is to believe that there is no evidence of the existence of god, and that it is thus pointless to believe in any such thing.

Answer 9

Atheism is simply the non belief in a god or gods. Don't try to make it complicated.

Answer 10

strong atheism- the absolute denial of god and its existance.

weak atheism - essentially agnostism. isnt 100% sure, but is non-religious.