Does every atheist really believe that god doesn't exist?
Someone who doesn't believe in X doesn't mean that that someone believes that X doesn't exist necessarily.
The real definition for atheist should be "someone who believes that god doesnt exist". This (dis)belief is different from the agnostical "someone who doesn't believe in god".
Given that real agnostics don't believe in the existence nor in the inexistence of god.
lack of belief = more like an agnostic = agnostical atheist?
disbelief = atheist.
Well, I just wish to have to opinion about the subtilities between "lack of belief" and "disbelief" in atheists.
Thank you :-)
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2007-12-23 03:11:01 · 16 answers · asked by Axel ∇ 5 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Real agnostics also have a lack of belief in "god".
2007-12-23 03:31:00 · update #1
"I don't believe in the existence of god" = atheist
"I believe that god doesn't exist" = atheist.
The key is the word "EXISTENCE". It makes all the difference.
"I don't believe in god" is different from "I don't believe in the existence of god".
2007-12-23 04:02:48 · update #2
Funny you should ask this. I had a conversation with a girl a few month ago. She has always professed what seemed to be a strong atheistic position. That is till I heard the following come from her lips "I hate God."
When buttons are pushed, it's amazing what language betrays.
2007-12-23 03:48:23 · answer #1 · answered by tczubernat 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Agnostics don't believe or disbelieve, essentially they take the position that gods are unknown at this time.
Atheist do not believe in gods. There is no belief involved in this.
To say that an atheist believes that gods don't exist, makes the statement a matter of faith and not of evidence. Contrast this with belief or disbelief in Santa, the Tooth Fairy or Zeus, as it is the exact same thing. Once you know there is no evidence for a myth, there is no belief involved.
2007-12-23 11:20:47 · answer #2 · answered by Pirate AM™ 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Atheism itself is just the absence of belief in gods. It can be divided into strong atheism and weak atheism, which are also sometimes called gnostic atheism and agnostic atheism respectively. Strong atheism is the positive belief that no gods exist.
Note however that even a weak atheist might say 'I believe that God doesn't exist', since typically it's only the general concept of gods that they're uncertain about. So they might hold a positive belief in the nonexistence of any number of specific gods.
2007-12-23 11:19:34 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Actually, agnosticism is *not* the "in-between" position between atheism and theism. It is a principle not about belief, but about knowing. ("A" = without, "gnosis" = knowledge) An agnostic is one who holds to the principle that it is impossible to have knowledge about the existence of god/s.
There are two schools of atheism, though. Weak atheism is that which states "I do not believe in god/s," while strong atheism is that which states "I believe that no god/s exist".
2007-12-23 11:17:17 · answer #4 · answered by N 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have no label for what I believe . I believe only in the natural . If it can't be seen , can't be tested for , can't be duplicated , can't pass a scientific examination - - - it's just superstition to me . All of it - - ghosts , gods , evil eye , angels , astrology , psysics , fortune tellers , spells and curses , faith healing ,Satan , visions ,miracles , and all else in the superstitious imagination .
If this non-belief has a name , I don't know what it is , and have no interest in it being named .
So you can put on any " subtilities " that you care to .
2007-12-23 11:30:15 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Weak Atheists don't believe in God. Agnostics are a type of weak atheist because they don't believe or disbelieve.
Strong Atheists believe God does not exist.
2007-12-23 11:17:34 · answer #6 · answered by moon watcher 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
cant speak for others only myself-i dont have a disbelief in a god-that to me is an act of faith and i would rather go by what limited facts i know and leave others to speculate on what might or might not be-i refer to myself as an atheist because i see no reason for a god to even exist-maybe someday someone will find new evidence of many things and when that happens my thoughts will change-i think it is best not to get to hung up on labels as when you apply them to people it limits how you can see them-----just my thoughts---smile and enjoy the night
2007-12-23 11:20:58 · answer #7 · answered by lazaruslong138 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
One is determined as "strong atheism" and the other "weak atheism" - as classified by those differences a few hundred years ago.
Agnosticism isn't the same thing. It has to do with what we can "know" (and so the word "gnosis"). That means that it is impossible to prove one way or another if god exists.
2007-12-23 11:15:14 · answer #8 · answered by Laptop Jesus 3.9 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It isn't "I believe that god doesn't exist"
It's "I don't belierve that god exists."
There is a difference, obviously. The former is a statment of belief and the latter is a statement of lack thereof.
Atheism is about belief; agnosticism is about knowledge. This is explained quite well in an about.com article called "atheism vs. agnosticism"
2007-12-23 11:14:08 · answer #9 · answered by Godless AM™ VT 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
You are getting into semantics. Agnostics believe in a higher power...they just don't want to call this power God. Atheist believe "what you see is what you get" and have no belief in either a higher power or God. I do not believe there is such as thing as believing in a higher power but not...that would define this agnostical atheist thing you are trying to get going on here.
2007-12-23 11:18:26 · answer #10 · answered by RT 66 6 · 0⤊ 3⤋