The definition of atheism

My take on the word atheist is this.A theist is someone who believes in one or many gods.An atheist is a person who is not a theist.Notice that this fits perfectly with the greek root of the word "godless".A newborn baby is without belief in any gods, actually the concept of gods is unknown to the baby.The strong atheist has been exposed to the concept of a god, but believes that such a thing does not exist. The weak atheist, like the newborn child, does not hold a belief in any gods.But both the strong and the weak atheist have no god. They are godless. Just like the greek root says.Atheism is solely defined by theism. Without theism, there would be no atheism, since without the concepts of gods, we would not recognize individuals who did not have faith in the existence of said entities./SorenThis message has been edited by kongstad, 21-Jul-2005 12:59 PM

HiThe Weak atheist will hold the position of nonbelief in either the existence or non-existence of god.So by definition a newborn is a weak atheist. But a weak atheist can just as well have met the concept of a god, but just not formed any belief in its existence. As long as the person does not believe in any gods, he or she is an atheist./Soren

"Why do people who are without a belief in god but not with a belief in no god want to be called atheists, even thought that’s not what the word really means?"Because the word litteraly means "godless", and if you have no belief in any gods you are godless!Atheists are everyone who isn't a theist.Its not much of a definition as it applies to everyone from newborn babies to hardcore atheists, that is from people who have no knowledge of the concept "god" to people who have studied the concept, and positively refuses it, but it makes sense as long as theists exist.The discussion of to not believe or belileve in non existence is a discussion of semantics in a large sense. Do you believe in the existense of the invisible pink unicorn? You may think you do not believe that she either exists or doesnt exist, or you may believe she doesnt exist, but basically your stance can at least be described as an aUPIist stance - since your do not fall in the set of UPI belivers./Soren

Well I was trying to be a little controversial - but I think my point holds. Knowing what we do about the psyche of newborns I think it is a fair assumption that they do not know of the concept "God". As such they are godless, which by definition makes them atheist.Atheism is a purely negative definition, defined by what it isn't, just like invertebrates are defined by missing a spine.Its true that some atheists do know of the concept god, and of these some do not profess any belief or disbelief in the existense of any gods, while others believe that no gods exists. It is the latter I think that Catholic Scientist OP is about, but I would think it wrong only to include these in the definition of atheists, since thise would necesitate a whole new definition of all the othe godless people./Soren

It is right before your eyes CS. Its stated in the definition your qouted - "Godlessnes". If you do not have a god, you are an atheist. Wether you believe that there can exist no godsm or you just dont believe in gods you are godless.A newborn baby is godless and thus an atheist. Only when it is smart enough to meet the concept of a god can it start believing and thus become a theist.And really believing in no god or not believing in any god is to a large extend semantics./SorenThis message has been edited by kongstad, 26-Jul-2005 11:33 AM

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The hypethetical scenario is that the person doesn't fit the definition of atheism, but chooses to use that word to describe themself, knowing that the theist will be shocked that someone would hold such an irrational position, then the self proclaimed athiest reveals that they hold a position that is different from the literal definition of the word atheism.

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Atheism is irrational? Pot, Kettel Black. Why is strong atheism irrational in the mind of a theist? Doesn't a theist believe in an unprovable entity?

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When a fundy christian sees "atheist", don't you think that they see something closer to "a godless heathen who thinks all theists have been brainwashed and that all religions are cults" rather than "a person who is without a belief in god"?

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When you believe in a god your a theist. when you are not a theist you are an atheist. So one would merely be using the correct nomeclature for oneself when one call oneself an atheist.That some fundies think atheists are immoral, godhating (and propably quers as well) is their problem.Last time I checked everyone is allowed freedom of religion, and that implies freedom from religion. It would be silly to invent new words to soothe the minds of religious freeks. If they are shocked by the fact that some people are different from them, then good! Perhaps they wouldn't be as judgemental./Soren