Are Atheists Heathens?

Answer 1

mostly..

Answer 2

By one definition of heathen, yes.

1. an unconverted individual of a people that do not acknowledge the God of the Bible; a person who is neither a Jew, Christian, nor Muslim; pagan.

However I would never call an Atheist heathen because another definition of this word is rather insulting and very different from the first.

2. an irreligious, uncultured, or uncivilized person.

Atheists are neither uncultured or uncivilized as a whole or even by large. A few perhaps but you find that in all groups of thought. Most are cultured, civilized, and highly intelligent.

Answer 3

I don't think most Heathens would count Atheists amongst their numbers. If the Atheists knew what good Viking parties the Heathens threw, however, they might want in. Most Heathens believe in the Norse Gods, though, so that kinda rules out Atheism.

Answer 4

Of course they are. Heathen is just an offensive term meaning atheist. It's pretty redundant to say a heathen is an atheist.

Answer 5

Heathen: 1. A member of a people or nation that does not recognize the God of Judaism, Christianity, or Islam. 2. An uncivilized, unenlightened, or irreligious person.

Atheism: Denial or disbelief in the existance of God.

Answer 6

Only if they live on a heath, which is what a heathen originally was.

Heathen was a pejorative created by the Christian church to describe the people who lived outside of the major cities, and held to old beliefs.

The current analogy would be "redneck" or "hick".

Answer 7

Pagan usually implies a religious practice outside Christianity, Judaism and Islam while heathen usually describes a person who is neither a Christian or a Judaist.

Answer 8

I'm with the Saint. I kinda like the sound of 'heathen'.

Answer 9

Christians would say yes, but we Heathens would say no.

Heathen is usually synonymous with Pagan these days, so I say no.

Answer 10

Im not a Heathen...

Answer 11

Well this is what it says in Wikipedia

Heathen
Heathen is from Old English hæðen "not Christian or Jewish", (c.f. Old Norse heiðinn). Historically, the term was probably influenced by Gothic haiþi "dwelling on the heath", appearing as haiþno in Ulfilas' bible as "gentile woman," (translating the "Hellene" in Mark 7:26). This translation probably influenced by Latin paganus, "country dweller", or it was chosen because of its similarity to the Greek ethne, "gentile". It has even been suggested that Gothic haiþi is not related to "heath" at all, but rather a loan from Armenian hethanos, itself loaned from Greek ethnos