(April 6, 2009 at 4:34 pm)Kyuuketsuki Wrote:(April 6, 2009 at 6:43 am)padraic Wrote: It occurred that these were children and that perhaps we should get a bunch of atheist kids of the same age to debate them. I have no idea exactly where one would a bunch of atheists 10 and 12 olds without going to say China.
My daughter (just turned 14) and most of her friends are atheist, I don't think the problem over here (UK) is lack of disbelief, I think it's lack of interest ... the difference is that I am more than willing to put myself out there and say I'm atheist, it's important to me because I believe religion is a bad thing. Both my daughter's are atheist (the other is 19) but where I can logically detail all the reasons why I am they don't give a crap ... it's just obvious to them (it's just obvious there's no god, shrug and walk away to do something more interesting).
Kyu
I am so entirely familiar with that attitude Kyu - for a start I used to be like that myself.
But basically ALL atheists I have ever know or ever know seem to either not mention it or use the word much...or they just think 'it's obvious' and they don't believe in God but they don't attack religion..
I've known of 1 or two people who are anti religion and will talk to you about it. But it's still only a very small thing for them and they don't really 'give a shit'.
And often there are those atheists who will CALL themselves atheists...but they never talk about religion for against. But at least they understand the actual definition eh?
Yep plenty of disinterested atheists who say their atheists and indeed do just mean 'they don't believe in God'. And that IS what it means.
It seems to me though that there are also plenty of people who are atheists by definition - they don't believe in God. They SAY they don't believe in God but they just don't 'call themselves atheists.'
Often these atheists will just say they are 'not religious'. But they don't believe in God so they are actually atheists by definition - but they either don't use the term because they think it's easily misunderstood and they don't like using a taboo word (one of the good reasons I think not to back away); either that or they misunderstand the definition themselves. They don't believe in God but they think atheists (or people who CALL themselves atheists) are just like 'overly militant non-believers' or something.
I've known - and known of - in the past; plenty of atheists who call themselves simply 'non-religious'.
I just want to say to those people "Hey guys if you don't believe in God then you're an atheist. That's all it means. It doesn't mean you are 'being a dick about it' if you call yourself an atheist when that is in fact what you are by definition - you can be as militant or non-militant as you like. You are an atheist by definition if you don't believe in God however militant or non-militant you are.
EvF
