I'm confused because there are so many different atheists that tell me what atheists are. Each definition for atheist is different for each person who answers to me, and it's really irritating to not be able to fully understand.
2007-05-02 20:39:54 · 24 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
See here we go. Different answers.
2007-05-02 20:43:37 · update #1
It really is a matter of opinion and how you look at it. A matter of semantics at most, but most of all it doesn't really matter; there are no implications for either. What is important to know is that Atheism isn't a religion, but it is a minority world view.
2007-05-02 20:56:26 · answer #1 · answered by Missionary Kid 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
after refrencing the definition of a belief, yes it is a belief.
A belief is something a person considers to be true. Atheists think thier proposition of "there is no god" is true so they believe it.
Everyone has thier own take on everything. Different people interpret the bible in different ways, some say it's strict truth other theologians say it's an allegory. Mormons, protestants, babtists, not to mention each individual 16 yr old's understanding of god and angels.
2007-05-03 03:46:12 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
An atheist is a person who believes there is no god.
This is different from not believing there is a god, which more properly defines an agnostic. Although these sound the same they are not. An Atheist is sure there is no god while an agnostic isn't sure one way or the other.
Generally a simple definition is always the more likely to be accurate. I hope these simple definitions work for you.
2007-05-03 03:45:38 · answer #3 · answered by Warren D 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Atheism and belief are a contradiction in terms. Atheism is the negation of belief. Something is because of Belief is not an answer. E=mc2 is an answer. We do not believe in anything. We either know or we don't. Occasionally we have an attack of wishful thinking but if our data does not agree we can through it out. Religion is incapable of such mental acrobatics. So god made it all immutable and a few thousand years ago and hang geology, biology, astronomy, physics, medicine, electronics, hang them all.
2007-05-03 03:58:14 · answer #4 · answered by The Stainless Steel Rat 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It can be either, but more often than not, it's a LACK of belief.
There are all different kinds of atheists. There are weak, strong, implicit and explicit atheists. Weak atheists lack belief in gods while strong atheists profess a positive belief that gods do not exist. Implicit atheists are weak by default because implicit atheism is a lack of belief due to never being exposed to the concept of a deity or devoid the capacity to conceive of such a concept. Explicit atheists are those who consciously reject the notion of gods.
2007-05-03 03:41:57 · answer #5 · answered by ZER0 C00L ••AM••VT•• 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
You're going to get a whole bunch of different answers because atheists seem to come in as many spots and stripes as religious people.
I will say this, however: atheists are just like religious people because they are fallible human beings. They behave just like religious people because religious people are fallible human beings. Any organization or preacher (Sam Harris or Richard Dawkins springs to mind) is just like religious organizations or religious preachers because they are all organized and maintained, in the end, by fallible human beings.
So is atheism a belief? You're going to get a lot of different answers because we're all fallible human beings.
2007-05-03 05:24:41 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's kind of like saying "I don't believe you" You can take it two ways. You can take it to mean "I do not believe you are telling the truth" or "I do not believe what you are saying is true" or you can take it as "I believe you are lying."
As semantics go, the first intepretation is correct which would be the same with atheism. If you choose to intpret a disbelief as a belief that something is untrue then that is upto you and the "follower" of this apparent belief.
2007-05-03 05:11:25 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Atheists don't seem to realise it, but atheism is a belief just like theism.
I used to be an atheist for five long years. But soon I realised the futility of it. I was busy propagating the 'concept' of "no-God". I was just another Christian selling the concept of "salvation through Jesus". I was just another Hindu selling the "concept" of reincarnation and 'karma'.
Soon I realised that I was "believing" in "no-God". But I had the strength and the power to "undo" it all and now I'm AGNOSTIC.....
Agnosticism is wonderful in the sense that it is fully "neutral" and doesn't rest on the superstructure of any "concept"!
2007-05-03 03:44:19 · answer #8 · answered by The Maulvi Who Sold His Maruti 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Atheism is a lack of belief. The conflicting answers you are getting are not from atheists, but from retarded theistically infected's that don't know jack
2007-05-03 03:50:03 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Atheism is not the rejection of God.
Atheism is the choice not to believe in God.
The first choice would imply that I am very anti-religion and would seek-out people and tell them that their god does not exist and is false.
The second simply means that I personally belief that God does not exist and I am content with that.
2007-05-03 03:45:31 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋