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Proper term for someone who actively believes there is no god?
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 (October 24, 2011 at 12:39 am)Lehrling Wrote: I pointedly ignored #3, as it doesn't really say what I am trying to say. It does; you're just throwing the term "knowledge, not belief" around. Atheist means a lack of belief in god. Gnostic means a certainty of that belief. They are inherently related.  
H0ary H0bbit Religious Views: “Never to suffer would never to have been blessed.” - Edgar Allan Poe
You could argue that the term 'Theist' is equally vague. Hence the need for a position in addition. Most atheists I know would distance themselves from the 'belief' part. Is it a belief statement? Depends how you think about it. Lack of belief/ positive disbelief. Reasons to believe otherwise. No reasons to support beilef... therefore reasoned disbelief.
(October 24, 2011 at 7:31 am)fr0d0 Wrote: You could argue that the term 'Theist' is equally vague. Hence the need for a position in addition. Most atheists I know would distance themselves from the 'belief' part. Is it a belief statement? Depends how you think about it. Lack of belief/ positive disbelief. Reasons to believe otherwise. No reasons to support beilef... therefore reasoned disbelief. But disbelief isn't necessarily actively believing there is no god. It can also mean not believing there is one. I don't think those are equivalent. Yes, a theist could be someone who doesn't believe god doesn't exist, if that makes sense... but I think most theists are gnostic theists, whereas most atheists (that I know) aren't.  (October 24, 2011 at 7:02 am)edk141 Wrote:(October 24, 2011 at 12:39 am)Lehrling Wrote: I pointedly ignored #3, as it doesn't really say what I am trying to say. I respectfully disagree, although I get what you are trying to say. Atheism means a "lack" of belief in god (disbelief is not the anti-thesis of belief), and I am not "certain" in my disbelief, so it actually doesn't say what I'm trying to say. 
![[Image: images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQJ7QA6UraSubYrmCW4YJp...Sax3cLx1iQ]](https://images.weserv.nl/?url=t3.gstatic.com%2Fimages%3Fq%3Dtbn%3AANd9GcQJ7QA6UraSubYrmCW4YJpwoOmkWnioYXRyXDChyG4FSax3cLx1iQ)
H0ary H0bbit Religious Views: “Never to suffer would never to have been blessed.” - Edgar Allan Poe (October 24, 2011 at 7:33 am)edk141 Wrote: But disbelief isn't necessarily actively believing there is no god. It can also mean not believing there is one. I don't think those are equivalent.Yes I understand that to be what most atheists say. I was challenging that. (October 24, 2011 at 7:33 am)edk141 Wrote: Yes, a theist could be someone who doesn't believe god doesn't exist, if that makes sense... but I think most theists are gnostic theists, whereas most atheists (that I know) aren't.I don't know any gnostic Xtians. I think that would be unbiblical. Xtians are urged to be sure of their commitments, but none that I know of have faith 'greater than a mustard seed'. 
Most dictionaries have the primary definition of atheist as someone who disbelieves or denies the existence of God. Since 'disbelief' is 'not believing', this defintion includes both agnostic and gnostic atheists. A particular dictionary may have a different defintion, but as long as an equally authoritative dictionary has the disbelieve definition, the inclusive defintion of atheist wins.
@ the OP. Sane.
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
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