Definition of Atheism >?

Question

Doesn't atheism mean disbelief in God, but not denying the existence of God? Which means atheists neither deny nor believe in the existence of God. Or did I get the definition wrong?
I am curious because I heard somewhere that atheists believe that something out there, some supreme being not necessarily God, is behind all this.

Answer 1

atheism is active disbelief in a higher power.

agnosticism is the system that says there could be but they're not sure.

Answer 2

A theist believes in God, knows God exists.

A monotheist believes in one true God, the supreme being. I think that most religions today are of this kind.

A polytheist has a belief system in which there are several Gods, none of them supreme beings.
There's a lot of these in ancient human history ... the Greek Gods, Norse Gods, for example, but I don't think those kind of religions are very prevalent today.

An atheist believes in none of the above ... there's no such animal as a God. An atheist denies the existence of God.

An agnostic is not sure & sometimes just wants to be left alone, not botthered by the missionaries promoting some set of beliefs. An agnostic neither denies the existence of God, nor believes in the existence of God, claims to have an open mind.

God is not something that can be scientifically proven or disproven ... it is a faith of the heart, not logic of the head ... it is like LOVE ... you either love someone or you do not ... that is not something you can go through some analysis with then determine that the logical result is that you will love this person and hate that other one ... we get into the condition of love and hate by a mechanism other than logic.

Homosexuality and heterosexuality same way ... some people's bodies are "wired" that way ... it is not something we reach by choice, or by reasoning.

There's a name for someone who believes in the Bible, or some other holy book, but not in organized religion.

I claim to be an agnostic ... I want to believe in a God that is other than how portrayed by many religions.

I am told that the Bible is the word of God, put down in print by humans who were divinely inspired by God to write it correctly.

I have trouble believing this ... they were in a patriarchal society and they wrote stuff that was sexist, racist, etc.

Answer 3

Different atheists use different definitions, and often atheists will use different definitions depending on their current circumstances. The one thing all atheists have a common is a lack of belief in any kind of deity. Not all atheists are materialists, some accept the idea of impersonal supernatural forces, although this isn't common in the West.

Some atheists simply aren't convinced that there is a god, and aren't looking to find more evidence for one. This is "soft" atheism.

Some atheists are convinced by various evidences that there is no God. This, as you probably guessed, is "hard" atheism. The differences between the two are mostly semantic and philosophical, the basics of their belief systems are not effected in any practical way.

The belief you mention at the end is called "Deism." Deists believe that there is some kind of "Supreme Being," often because of design and philosophical arguments. However, unlike traditional religions, deists deny that this God intervenes in the universe through revelations, miracles, answered prayers or anything else. "He" is completely transcendent and possibly not even a conscious human-like spiritual entity.

Hope I helped.

Answer 4

You're thinking too specifically.

If you break atheism down to its roots, you get the prefix "a-", meaning without, and "theism", meaning belief in a deity or god.

By definition alone, atheism means "without belief in a deity or god". Basically atheists don't believe in any gods, not just the Abrahamic one that everyone calls "God".

Atheism doesn't imply that one must openly deny the existence of any higher power, just deities/gods. And 'deny' is probably the wrong word there, they just don't buy into the whole thing the same way nobody wouldn't buy into the idea of teapots being the controllers of the worlds great nations, if that makes sense.

Answer 5

You're mixing up Atheism and Agnosticism.

The former staunchly denies the existence of a supreme supernatural power- ie. a god, in any form.

The latter remains noncommittal. They deny neither the existence nor non-existence of god. They are therefore irreligious, but not atheists.

If you're still unsure, look up the exact meanings on Dictionary.com.

Hope I helped!

Answer 6

Although atheism is often equated with irreligion, some religious philosophies, such as secular theology and some varieties of Theravada Buddhism, also lack belief in a personal god.
Many self-described atheists are skeptical of all supernatural beings and cite a lack of empirical evidence for the existence of deities. Others argue for atheism on philosophical, social or historical grounds. Although many self-described atheists tend toward secular philosophies such as humanism[5] and naturalism,[6] there is no one ideology or set of behaviors to which all atheists adhere

Answer 7

I don't think any logical person would say that the existence of God is absolutely true or absolutely untrue because there is no complete evidence either way.

To believe means to hold as true and we believe things in order to get somewhere or do something. To believe is an act of the intellect. I believe in God because I want to find my Creator and the love I hope that he has for me. Other people disbelieve in God because they don't want His authority over their lives.

Only a Creator can give our lives real purpose. Some God rejectors have tried to invent a Creator (this mysterious supreme being) who created us for a purpose but then doesn't get involved in our lives.

Answer 8

Illogical atheism claims that "God is not." This is logically impossible, as such a universal negative cannot be proven, save with Omniscience and Omnipresence.

More rational, less psychologistic, atheism, simply finds no evidence for "God."

In the latter case, agnosticism, or "unknowing," re God Is/is not, is more appropriate/accurate. No evidence does not mean one has any logical basis for denying God or not continuing to be open to proferred evidence.

"Climb the Highest Mountain," Mark Prophet, "Watch Your Dreams," Ann Ree Colton, "Extraordinary Knowing," Dr. Elizabeth Mayer, "The Master of Lucid Dreams," Dr. Olga Kharitidi, "Light Is a Living Spirit," O. M. Aivanhov, and "The Reincarnation of Edgar Cayce?", Free and Wilcock http://www.divinecosmos.com are worthwhile in this type of evidence.

cordially,

j.

Answer 9

Agnosticism is an ambiguous belief that there may be a God, but He is not involved with mankind.

Atheists actively believe there is no God; He doesn't exist

I have experienced faith in God that means a lot to me. I have a relationship with Jesus Christ. So I am definitely a "Theist". I believe in God and I believe the God of the Holy Bible
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Answer 10

1. the doctrine or belief that there is no God.
2. disbelief in the existence of a supreme being or beings.

Answer 11

Every atheist i've ever met says they dont actively "believe firmly that there is no god" they are simply people who lack the belief in a god. And would believe in god if given the right kind of evidence and reason.
I think its only people who AREN'T atheists that call atheists people "firmly believe that there is no god".