Ask an Atheist | 28 comments (28 topical, 0 hidden)
Why God doesn't shine (none / 0)
To be an atheist DOES NOT MEAN TO CLAIM KNOWLEDGE.

Speak for yourself. I know God doesn't exist with as much certainty as I know the sun is a mass of incandescent gas, a gigantic nuclear furnace, where hydrogen is built into helium at a temperature of millions of degrees.

by OneHitKill on 03/09/2010 09:13:34 AM EST

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true... (none / 0)
There is a subset of atheists that claim to know gods don't exist. However this is not the defining thing. Again, a-theist means non-believer in god(s). I guess it's best to say, Atheists don't necessarily claim specific knowledge.

by mr science on 03/09/2010 11:27:45 AM EST

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Exactly (none / 0)
Atheism is just the lack of belief. It's not a assertive claim about anything. Some atheists may then go on to make an assertive claim that there is no god, but that's going beyond what the term atheism strictly implies.

by jhufford on 03/09/2010 12:34:14 PM EST

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Look again (none / 0)
I disagree. The etymology of the word is clear:

A = no

THEOS = god

An atheist is NOT someone who just doesn't believe in God. It's a person who DOES believe there is NO God. A person who just doesn't believe should be called something else. Maybe "acreist."

by OneHitKill on 03/09/2010 09:02:37 PM EST

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atheos? (none / 0)

The word is not atheos, its atheist. Theist may have derived from the root theos, but the word theist very clearly means believer in a god or gods.

by mr science on 03/09/2010 09:44:23 PM EST

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It's Greek (none / 0)
Atheos = Godless

The spelling is different but the meaning is the same. So what I contend remains: If a theist believes in the existence of God, then an atheist believes in the non-existence of God.

You can continue being Mr. Science. I, however, am Mr. Language.

by OneHitKill on 03/10/2010 09:37:09 AM EST

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godless (none / 0)
I am godless. All nonbelievers are.

by mr science on 03/10/2010 10:16:13 AM EST

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Ask an Atheist | 28 comments (28 topical, 0 hidden)