Moderator: Moderators
I think it is clearer than the one I usually espouse which is that atheism is the lack of belief in god/gods. The only issue I have with is its singular nature. Perhaps, Atheism is the condition of not believing that any gods or deities exist, would be better."Atheism is the condition of not believing that a God or deity exists."
I first became interested in internet discussions when I was a Christian hoping to find answers to resolve the doubts I was having about the Bible and God. Obviously, that didn't work out so well, or rather it did but not in the way I'd expected. In any case, once I became an atheist, I simply continued to stay involved in these debates/discussions.TRANSPONDER wrote: ↑Sat Aug 20, 2022 6:13 am
Then 'weak atheist' seems to be a misnomer for an uninformed atheist' which is a fair point. Most are and only a small modicum of non theists get into the arguments. I didn't myself until really in the 80's when the ID push drew the debate to my attention.
And a pet peeve of mine, having spent most of my adult life in and around Philadelphia, true hoagies can only be found in that area. So-called "Philly Subs" found here in the Mid-West and elsewhere ain't hoagies. It's even worse when it comes to Philly cheese steaks. Gotta go to Pat's or Geno's if you want a real one. Similar to some religious discussions, depending on which one of those you choose, some will still tell you you've not had a real one.
I do wonder if we might find greater accord on this issue if, instead of taking the position that atheism is one of these definitions and not the other, we instead acknowledge that the term atheism as it is used today has multiple definitions.
Now, personally, I think that, if accuracy is our primary concern, then having separate terms to describe these separate positions would be preferable to using just one term for all three, and then each time having to clarify which sense you are referring to.Wikipedia wrote:
Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities.
I feel like this summarizes the debate neatly.TRANSPONDER wrote: ↑Fri Aug 19, 2022 2:06 pm
Theist and non-theist will do. I'm just sorta attached to the name Atheist'.
I can't speak for TRANSPONDER, but I feel no emotional attachment to the word atheist. Nontheist would fit just as well, but I think in general the word atheist is much more widely known. And most undoubtedly more vilified. One can identify as an agnostic and folks mat be surprised, but not necessarily think ill of the person. Tell someone you're an atheist (which I rarely do) and you're likely to be viewed as a monster of some sort. Very odd and maybe I'm trying to swim against the tide. Oh well. That's where I find myself.
Not sure that I have one. We eat something similar to that I guess but it usually also includes boiled shrimp.
Sorry, that was just a (very online) joke for anyone following Pennsylvania politics. I'll see myself out now.
