An agnostic may lean heavily in one direction or another but in the final analysis says, I'm just not sure. An atheist says: "I know for an absolute fact without the slightest possibility to the contrary, that THERE IS NO GOD! What incredible faith.
Most religious people have doubts sometimes. It's part of being human. But to have absolute knoledge about something that can't be proven either way seems to hint at meglomania of somekind.
2007-09-28 18:54:57 · 23 answers · asked by karate 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I totally agree with all defined descriptions... however, I had posed a question earlier regarding the one type of atheist that may not fit your atheist of certainty--the defected christian-turned atheist. Some atheists got offended and started ranting on my ignorance of what atheism is... Well, I used to be one of the defected kinds. I believe that is an atheism.
Yes, I am a believer in God with a personality tendency to doubt...but not "religious". Your last comment about megalomania and atheists--? They'll deny it, but it seems that way to the objective outsider!
2007-09-28 19:01:35 · answer #1 · answered by Pansy 4 · 0⤊ 4⤋
Some atheists are quite religious ... some believe in reincarnation. Many atheists do not say that they know with absolute certainty that there is no god, but rather that they have absolutely no evidence that there is a god, that there is nothing in the world that cannot be explained without resorting to a god, and that barring any new and certain revelation, that they simply do not feel a need to jump to the conclusion that there is a god.
Some atheists are simply not as dogmatic as others. To allow for the future possibility of evidence contrary to present belief does not disqualify one as an atheist any more than did Mother Theresa's doubts disqualify her as a Christian.
It is a philosophical position, stating merely that in the absence of proof or apparent necessity for a god, that they will not assume one such being exists. Rather, they take the position that until there is evidence, that they assume that nothing exists without evidence of its existence.
2007-09-28 19:09:41 · answer #2 · answered by Deirdre H 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
We all start out as atheists. And by the way you're wrong about the definition of atheist. Atheism by definition simply means without theism.
It's a pretty common mistake to expand it to mean other things. Heck even some atheists do it but fundamentally the word speaks for itself. The prefix 'a' literally means without or not.
In fact I suspect even some atheists here are about to define it wrong. The fact is for most atheists it's a pretty small part of who they are. Beyond the basic definition you'll find a whole lot of variation in ideas among atheists. I disagree with them all the time and I am one. Some may even claim to know for certain (I've never met those) but you can't paint them all with the same brush.
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"But to have absolute knoledge about something that can't be proven either way seems to hint at meglomania of somekind."
Isn't that religion?
2007-09-28 18:57:58 · answer #3 · answered by Demetri w 4 · 4⤊ 1⤋
How do you know that for a fact there is a god? Isn't that religion? Do we not have complete faith in somethings?
At least take the time to look up what the word atheist means. It is derived from the Greek word "a" meaning "without" and "theos" meaning "God". Thus the definition of atheism is "without God" or the BELIEF that no God actually exists.
An agnostic is one who believes that the evidence for and against the existence of God is inconclusive.
There is simply not enough evidence to support either argument, but really, like someone else said, I wish not to waste my time.
P.S. I am agnostic.
2007-09-28 19:19:34 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
I agree that some atheists are a little too sure. Anybody who can't admit that they might possibly be wrong has a problem.
I'm an atheist, and I find the idea of any God or gods, as described by most religions, to be so incredibly unlikely, that I just couldn't call myself an agnostic. I admit that I don't have absolute knowledge, but I feel sure that I'm right.
2007-09-28 19:02:22 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 1⤋
Why do believers think that atheism is only valid if atheists can 100% absolutely prove that there is no God(s)?
I can't prove that there are absolutely no carnivorous flying cows either,. But the available evidence (i.e. none) proves, to my own satisfaction (key phrase) that they do not exist.
Until new evidence arises that forces me to reconsider my "atheism" concerning flying carnivorous cows, my lack of belief in them is a perfectly valid and defensible world-view.
It's much like the difference between "beyond reasonable doubt" and "beyond a shadow of a doubt" in court. The former is the standard, because the latter is unattainable.
2007-09-29 01:49:44 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
No we do not say we know with absolute fact that no god exists we simply do not believe he exists but are willing to admit he does if it is proved.It is our belief....some Atheists would say they understand someone being agnostic but how can you justify being absolutely certain a god does exist?
2007-09-28 19:06:01 · answer #7 · answered by ͏҉ ßõhrçmrïñsÿ★ 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No indication that there is any deity. No evidence that there is one. Holy books have no evidence for them - espcially for miracles contained in them. Many, many religons all claiming to be right or just myths.
I can very easily say that there is no Santa, and not be considered anything but a rational adult, why is it meglomania for applying the same rational to any mythological being?
No one can prove a negative i.e prove that God/Santa doesn't exist. As this is true, the proof rests on the positve claim i.e. God/Santa exists. If you can't proof it or even supply evidence for it, it is false.
2007-09-28 19:05:37 · answer #8 · answered by Pirate AM™ 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I thought all atheism required was that I not believe in god. It's the same way with theism, they can't prove god's existence, but that doesn't mean they don't have the right to believe in god.
This is just one more common misconception of atheists, that they claim to know everything. We don't know everything, no one knows everything.
All atheism entails is "I don't believe in god". Nothing else, nothing about absolute fact, or afterlives, or spirituality.
I hope this clears things up.
2007-09-29 09:54:39 · answer #9 · answered by X Y 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No, atheists acknowledge that anything is possible, even God. We just use deductive reasoning, logic and common sense to come to the conclusion that there most probably isn't one. Our minds are open - if evidence of a God suddenly surfaced, we'd be theists. But why believe in something that has no evidence? God has no more merit than a tea kettle orbiting Pluto, because he has no more evidence.
2007-09-28 18:58:09 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 7⤊ 0⤋