ATHEIST: Did you know you STILL Believe in GOD?

Question

I am a bit Tired of the MIS-APPLICATION of the Term Atheist! Has ANYONE done the required study before FOISTING this term upon yourself?? It seems that Atheist in todays world are supporting a view that Atheism is a negation of God. The term comes from the word ATHEOS, which the Athenians used to Describe Socrates after he returned from Egipt...where he became an Adept of the Mysteries. The Word Atheist, THEN, is referring to one who believes in God, but in a Non-Traditional Sense.

Being an Atheist Myself, I am appalled at those who have appropriated the Term to mean something it is not.

I mean, if you do not believe there is a God, then WHY spend all of your Time disputing? Do you Dispute the Validity of Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny with one another??

Answer 1

I KNOW there is no God. It doesn't matter what you use to label me... I do not believe.

Answer 2

Except the dictionary definition we use today and how most atheists describe themselves is as someone without a belief in a god

so it's kind of irrelevant how the word came into being. It's also silly to insist that because of our pigeon hole term we really must believe in gods. That ain't rational or logical

Capitalising the first letters of random words is weird btw

Does anyone insist that Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny really do exist and we really have to believe in and worship them or we're going to be tortured for all eternity?

Answer 3

Etymologically speaking, the derivative word-parts are 'a-', meaning 'against, absence of', and 'theos', meaning gods, or deities. I believe it is in this context that the majority use it today. I think the viewpoint you are trying to express would more likely be understood by the masses at large by the term 'theist' - this would, by removing the 'a-' prefix, tend to indicate a belief in a deity.

Also, I am afraid I don't know about the history regarding Socrates and Greece's usage of the term; however, I would like to point out that best estimates trace the origin of the word to 16th century France, not ancient Egypt or Athens.

Answer 4

Here are some other original meanings:

I am GAY (which does not mean I'm joyful), I find other people NICE (which does not mean I find them stupid), and when I really enjoy something I often say it was WICKED (which does not mean evil).

Etymology does not confer meaning. You can still be on Route 1 in Maine or in Florida. Limiting yourself to the ORIGIN of a word is simply intellectual hubris and communication failure.

And as for why to dispute the existence of God, if you hadn't noticed, it happens to be a culturally hot topic. I also am prepared to talk about music, astronomy, poetry, mental health and addictions, gardening, pet care, and a host of other topics. But this is the religion & spirituality Answers section.

In today's English, in any dictionary, you will find that Atheists either hold no faith in any deity or deny the existence of any deity. It reflects the evolution of language. If it has ceased to describe you, then perhaps the language has left your philosophy behind. And perhaps you're just too "nice" to notice.

Answer 5

I'm sorry, but there is no threat of classes in public schools being created to educate people about the easter bunny...... people aren't trying to get santa's naughty/nice list posted in front of government buildings.

What is wrong with disputing? And how do you know people here spend "All" of their time disputing the existence/non-existence of a god?

Why do you care so much and what makes you think we care what you think about the word atheist & the way people choose to interpret/use it? Everyone has their own definitions of just about every word created. You are no different. stop taking this site so seriously..... go outside and get some fresh air.

Answer 6

I think your confusing Atheist with A - Theist. I think the reason I don't spend my days disputing the validity of Santa clause is because no one tries to force me into believing in Santa clause, From what I know, no one kills in the same of Easter bunny. People don't go around criticizing you for not believing in the tooth fairy. Its not specifically god, its the way people react to not believing in it, that bothers me. Why is there something wrong with me if I decide Santa's not real. Why do people tell me I'm gonna burn in an eternal fire if I don't believe the Easter bunny lays colorful eggs for my kids to find. So you see its not specifically the validity of god were disputing against, its the people that choose to worship it and use it against us to make US seem like were crazy.

Answer 7

No, I don't go around disputing the validity of Santa Claus or the easter bunny.

But, I also do not have Santa Clausians running around trying to convert me at every corner.

Telling me I'm gonna be on his naughty list, and not get anything if I don't just believe. And how they "know" he's real, cause they can "feel" his presence. If I could just open my eyes and hearts and read the bible "Twas the Night Before Christmas", and I would just feel his presence as well.

I am sure if this group of people started accosting you to believe with their "intelligent" arguments, you would feel obligated to defend yourself to.

The origin of the word has nothing to do with it's accepted meaning today. Maybe you're agnostic, but don't like that it implies that "you don't know".

I'm an atheist, with all the meanings of the defined word as we know it, according to Webster's Dictionary.

Answer 8

I do not believe in god, I am not sure what label you want to put on me. I just know that I don't believe in god. Stop trying to label people.
I do not argue about the validity of Santa Claus and such, at a young age I realized he wasn't real, and I put god in the same category sometime after. If you believe in these fairy tales then that is your prerogative.

Answer 9

How the bloody hell can you tell someone what THEY believe? Maybe YOU still believe in a God, but that is NOT what the word in English means. If we were speaking Attic dialect Greek with Socrates, maybe it WOULD have a different meaning, but we aren't.

Edit: Boy meets world, just so you don't blame the atheists, I'm the one who thumbs downed you, and I'm a theist.

Answer 10

You do know that you just might be speaking for yourself not for every atheist. If you're a wolf in sheep's clothing someone would be bound to be onto you. Besides if you still believe in god then you're not quite atheist are you now? hehe nice try though but millions of miles off.

Answer 11

Because people do not base their lives on the easter bunny and do not make laws because the easter bunny said so. This is a ridiculous question.

And atheos means godless, severing ties with gods.