Does anyone know why it is gramaticly spelled incorect? You know.. Not following the I before E except after C rule.. Or is it a protest of rules? Not trying to be a smart a**.. My name is also gramaticly spelled wrong...
Contrary to popular belief no it is not Alley, or Jo or AlleycatJo..lol..
So anyway, back to my question..
2007-07-11 12:17:23 · 18 answers · asked by AlleycatJo 5 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Okay okay okay Red queen ya got me...
Maybe I am just missing Tragic Typo's tonight..lol
2007-07-11 12:26:28 · update #1
The word ‘atheism’ comes from the negative ‘a,’ which means ‘no,’ and ‘theos,’ which means ‘god.’ Hence, atheism, in the most basic terms, means ‘no god.’ Basically, atheism is the lack of belief in a god and/or the belief that there is no god
2007-07-11 12:21:48 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 5⤊ 3⤋
I think that TRASH and Rev Kip gave the best and correct answer.
“a” in this case indicates a negative and the Greek for god is theos, so, (a+theos) = not god, as they both said.
Atheism is not a new and especially not an American idea. Ever since mankind began to identify gods and describe them other men (women too of course) began to question these descriptions and especially the existence of the various gods of which we (modern man) have identified over 2,500.
Atheist have an advantage when discussing the relative existence of a god with a “true believer”.
The atheist must prove nothing. The requirement for proof lies with the person making a claim. This is always the case in science and life.
I say my horse is the fastest horse in the county. Somebody else says, “Oh yeah! Prove it!” And we are off and running.
I cannot say, and get away with it, you must prove that my horse is not the fastest horse in the county because I must first prove that my claim has merit. I made the claim…can I back it up?
Jim D
2007-07-11 19:52:01 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
No smarty pants answers from sarcastic theists please...because the word 'Atheist' is based on the word 'Theist'...so the real question is why is 'Theist' grammatically incorrect.
I'm not sure, but I'm off to find out...I'll be back...
......
Ok...here goes. Atheist/atheism is derived from the Greek word 'atheos' meaning 'godless' or 'denying the gods' which was derived from 'theos' which meant having a belief in God. The French added the suffix 'isme' to 'athe' to create 'theisme' and also 'atheisme'. The English word 'atheist' is derived from this word.
Perhaps this 'error' is because the French have different rules when it comes to spelling, or it may simply be that words with suffixes attatched are exempt from the normal rules of spelling.
2007-07-11 19:22:37 · answer #3 · answered by . 6 · 3⤊ 1⤋
Give Rev. Kip a best answer for this one. He is erudite, succinct and 100% correct.
I'd only add that the "i before e" rule applies only when those letters form a diphthong, two vowels forming a single sound, within the same syllable.
The E in atheist is part of the root word; and the I is part of the suffix.
2007-07-11 20:08:45 · answer #4 · answered by Grey Raven 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
LOL...because it comes from the Greek word Theos. When you drop the o and add the ist it makes theist which means "believer of God". When you add the "A" to some Greek words it gives it the Anti effect. So adding A to theist (Atheist) makes it mean "not a believer in God". It is grammatically correct in koine Greek.
2007-07-11 19:33:36 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Atheist is spelled with the "e" before the "i" because it comes from the Greek work for god or deity, "theos." The prefix "a-" means without or not and "-ist" is a state of being.....therefore someone who is without a deity or god.
It has absolutely nothing to do with the "i" before "e" except after "c" rule.
2007-07-11 19:46:20 · answer #6 · answered by E C 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I before E except after C is not a hard and fast rule. English just likes to chuck the odd spanner in the works for anyone learning it as a foreign language.
2007-07-11 19:21:40 · answer #7 · answered by Tom :: Athier than Thou 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I know what you mean...the first several times I spelled it the way I thought it should be written...Boy did I ever get told...
and I will never forget how to spell it..
even if it is not grammatically correct..
2007-07-11 19:22:45 · answer #8 · answered by Kerilyn 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
It's all in the "ism." Socialism. Theism. Conservatism. Atheism. See the connection?
Edit: I just noticed that you misspelled "incorrect." Not being a smart@ss, I just found it ironic.
2007-07-11 19:21:11 · answer #9 · answered by iamnoone 7 · 5⤊ 1⤋
The word is greek in origin. "A" meaning without, and "theist" a believer in god.
2007-07-11 19:23:49 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋