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Replying to post 7 by Jagella]
William wrote:
William wrote:If people are confused as to 'what makes an atheist an 'atheist' due to some atheists saying one thing while other atheists say another thing, the OP question cannot be answered satisfactorily.
The question for debate does not mention the word "atheists."
Indeed, did you forget the thread heading which is a question which does mention the word "Atheist"?
Perhaps you did, but this reader did not.
Thread Title
Question:
Are Christians atheists?
Under the thread title question the 'question for debate' adds to this query up for debate.
Question for Debate: Do the actions of Christians speak more loudly than their words demonstrating that they don't really believe in any gods but only hope that the Christian god exists?
So the question is asking if Christian Theists actually do believe in any GODs,
while implying that they don't and therefore should be regarded as 'atheists' because - as you wrote;
It should be clear that an atheist is a person who doesn't believe in any gods.
It SHOULD indeed be clear, but it is not, because not all folk who call themselves 'atheists' agree that an atheist is someone doesn't believe in any gods, because some atheists believe that GODs do not exist, giving that as the
reason why they don't believe in gods, and
why they refer to themselves as 'atheists'.
That is why the OPQ cannot be answered
satisfactorily, which is what I pointed out in my initial post.
Please answer the question for debate.
Please ask questions which can be satisfactorily answered with debate, if indeed you want Theists to contribute to your threads.
Otherwise such thread topics become merely little chat-rooms where non-theists can gather and 'do their thang' and since there is thoughtfully already an
actual sub-forum provided to atheists and agnostics for that purpose, there is no productive
point to creating this type of thread and asking these type of questions in this particular sub-forum.
If one wants Theists to participate in thread debates in
this sub-forum, one needs to make sure the questions up for debate are satisfactory clear in definition for Theists to participate in debating. Otherwise Theists will be so much less likely to participate.
