My friend and I were conversing about how atheists title themselves as "atheists".
My friend said without religion, atheists wouldnt exist.
I couldn't help but agree...
the root word in atheist is "theist," therefore if there were no theists, there would be no atheists....
However, we would still be in existance... so we would be called "people"?
would you agree?? disagree??? Why?
2007-11-04 17:56:41 · 15 answers · asked by Atomic New Theory 5 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I think its bizarre that we even have to have a specific word.
We don't have special words for people who don't believe in leprechauns or the loch ness monster.
2007-11-04 18:03:47 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 7⤊ 1⤋
Correct.
But we're not there yet.
Any more than we've reached the point where an actor getting an Oscar won't have his skin colour mentioned if he's black.
I look forward to the day when that's as likely as their eye-colour being referenced.
"In a great advance for hazel-eyed people..."
And anyway, it will linger for a long while linguistically.
We still have penknives, though the necessity of a knife to recondition a pen almost vanished 150 years ago.
2007-11-04 18:50:13 · answer #2 · answered by Pedestal 42 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It takes MORE faith to believe that there is no God, than it does to be convinced that God really DOES exist.
Most Atheists just don't want there to be a "God" as they do not like what God says for one reason or another!
Even your most "outspoken atheist, Anthony Flew" now considers himself a Theist!
As did Albert Einstein, a great Scientist & Mathematician, who also began as an Atheist, became a Deist!
The more you look at the TRUTH and the evidence around you, the more you will KNOW that God really does EXIST!
2007-11-04 18:13:43 · answer #3 · answered by maranatha132 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.
If there were no windows to throw theists out of we would not have a need for the term "Defenestration"
A-Fairy-tale-ist
2007-11-04 18:05:32 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
No, there would be no need for for that. We would just be normal rational people in a world where religion was non-existent. That's like saying if we could only see one color would it have a name.
2007-11-04 18:00:43 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 6⤊ 1⤋
Interesting question... not the one I thought you were asking though. I think a good percentage of athiests are actually just contrarians. If their parents or society believe in god, then by god they won't believe in god. Similiar to trendy homosexuals like Anne Heche, not all athiests are really athiest. They're just defining their individuality by disagreeing with the majority.
2007-11-04 18:08:47 · answer #6 · answered by A Plague on your houses 5 · 0⤊ 3⤋
We wouldn't have a term for the word, true. Just like we don't have a term for people who cannot turn into green lobsters at will
2007-11-04 18:05:09 · answer #7 · answered by Salvador 7 · 3⤊ 1⤋
YAY!!! you got it! Without religon we are all just human people!!!!
thats the first step you are on your way to free thinking !!
2007-11-04 18:05:07 · answer #8 · answered by froggy_logic 6 · 4⤊ 1⤋
I;m sure we would not call ourselves that.
After all, how many people call themselves a-unicornists.
2007-11-04 18:05:53 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Humans, yep.
2007-11-04 18:02:15 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋