2007-06-30 19:51:22 · 10 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
That is, is atheism a "belief" in the sense that you "believe" God does not exist?
2007-06-30 19:58:44 · update #1
They're very different.
They operate on different motivations. One operates on "the truth" and the other operates on "what I most want to be true."
I wish I could remember the exact wording of a quote I just heard in "Serenity" (aka "Firefly") Imma replay it and type it for ya Squirrel....
(ok...here it is) "It's my estimation that any somb1tch who ever got a statue made of em, didn't deserve it. It isn't about you. It's about them. It's about what they need."
Carl Sagan put it better (!?) when he said "It comes down to a deep-seated need to believe"
2007-06-30 19:54:52 · answer #1 · answered by Laptop Jesus 3.9 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Thank you! I've been meaning to ask this question after my newborns/atheists/not applicable questions. And then Laptop had to go ahead and quote one of the greatest shows/movies EVAR!
Sorry. Ahem.
This is where I am confused. Many people on my question said that newborns were atheists because they lacked belief. I thought this was an insult to atheists who had done the pondering to come to the decision that god doesn't exist. So, if we're going with the most literal denotation of the word "atheist," there are two kinds of atheists: those who lack belief, and those who actively made the decision to belief that god does not exist.
Even though atheism is the lack of belief in god, it is still a belief in some particular stance. I don't believe unicorns exist, but I made the decision to come to that stance.
So, I think the lack of belief is the same thing as active belief because to decide not to believe is a belief in itself.
It's like deciding not to do something about a certain situation. That decision is still a decision.
I hope that makes sense. I know it does in my head.
2007-07-01 11:14:04 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It depends on what you mean by that.
Atheism is a lack of belief in gods. Each religion is a different type of god belief. Atheism is to religion as not collecting stamps is to having a hobby.
But being an atheist means you have a worldview that does not include gods, and that is a belief about the nature of the universe.
I also just have to add that I am sick of the semantic gymnastics and rationalizations that people stubbornly go through in an effort to stick to their guns. Atheists just don't like anyone telling them that they have beliefs regarding gods. come on! We do have a belief about gods. A belief that gods do not exist.
2007-07-01 02:54:07 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Lack of belief means more of a fact to me and not a belief at all.
2007-07-01 03:01:11 · answer #4 · answered by Gorgeoustxwoman2013 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I don't understand the question...
If you believe you are an active believer...
If you lack in beliefs you are not!!
Seems plain to me...
2007-07-01 02:54:43 · answer #5 · answered by Rebel 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Disbelief is the same as belief only if bald is a hair color.
2007-07-01 02:57:06 · answer #6 · answered by Snark 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
do you believe in the non-existence of the marsh mellow man?
2007-07-01 09:28:44 · answer #7 · answered by . 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
How could they be the same when they're so opposite? or I didn't understand your question, I'm sorry!
2007-07-01 02:55:20 · answer #8 · answered by njm 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Absolutely not.
2007-07-01 02:54:28 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
wtf?
2007-07-01 02:57:49 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋