Atheism is simply a lack of belief in god claims. That is the definition.

You can't base a conclusion on a lack of belief in an outlandish claim, other than the conclusion that the claim hasn't met its burden of proof. You are trying to connect atheism to other ideas, and that is faulty. If an individual atheist makes a positive claim about belief, it stands or falls on its own merits and has nothing to do with being an atheist.

What conclusions are these you are talking about, that atheists don't back up when pressed?

And yet you seem ok with insisting that atheism is a "belief in the lack of [the] divine" and entails unspoken consequences, responsibility for which that supposed belief absolves us. Are you going to tell us what these consequences are or are we free to put words into your mouth?

(November 3, 2014 at 11:32 am)Stimbo Wrote: And yet you seem ok with insisting that atheism is a "belief in the lack of [the] divine" and entails unspoken consequences, responsibility for which that supposed belief absolves us. Are you going to tell us what these consequences are or are we free to put words into your mouth?

Yes, I do believe that ideas have consequences if only to the extent that they guide our thoughts, either explicitly or tacitly, in certain directions. The specific directions vary according to the individual. I have not explored every possible logical consequence of atheism anymore than anyone else could explore the details of every Christian denomination. All the atheistic solutions I have explored seem to correspond with those promoted on AF.

(November 2, 2014 at 8:34 am)dimaniac Wrote: It is scientific and logical

First, shouldn't you establish that they deny it? And second, how do you justify putting the word 'just' in front of something as amazing as a 'biorobot'?

(November 3, 2014 at 11:49 am)ChadWooters Wrote: I have not explored every possible logical consequence of atheism anymore than anyone else could explore the details of every Christian denomination. All the atheistic solutions I have explored seem to correspond with those promoted on AF.

I didn't ask for every logical consequence. How about your top five?

(November 2, 2014 at 8:06 pm)ChadWooters Wrote:

(November 2, 2014 at 8:52 am)Brian37 Wrote: What a fucking asinine claim. "atheist" merely denotes "off" on god claims.

...therefore I can avoid taking any further responsibility for what belief in the lack of divine entails...

Therefore you can't fucking assume you know what else we think.

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(November 3, 2014 at 11:04 am)ChadWooters Wrote:

(November 2, 2014 at 8:10 pm)Stimbo Wrote: Such as? You're big on the empty rhetoric; not so much on the substance.

Perhaps so. I have learned that as a general rule some people have reached various conclusions based on their atheism. Then when pressed to define those conclusions, they back away into the "no, no, atheism is simply the lack of belief." I suppose it is fair to say atheism doesn't really mean anything other than that disbelief, but it seems to serve many very well as a springboard for various doctrines like naturalism, moral relativism, and fatalism. When that is the case, I think it petty when someone focuses on semantics and not really defend the issues he or she are promoting.

You've got the springboard mixed up with the pool.

(November 3, 2014 at 11:53 am)Stimbo Wrote:

(November 3, 2014 at 11:49 am)ChadWooters Wrote: I have not explored every possible logical consequence of atheism anymore than anyone else could explore the details of every Christian denomination. All the atheistic solutions I have explored seem to correspond with those promoted on AF.

I didn't ask for every logical consequence. How about your top five?

Ontological naturalism, physical monism, absurdism, physical causal closure, and radical empiricism...and that's just a start.

Fine. Now how are they logical consequences of "belief in the lack of [the] divine" and how does that alleged belief absolve one of those consequences?

Belief in God counters ontological naturalism by providing a basis for formal and final causes. Without these two supplements to efficient and material causes certain features of reality, like the persistence of sensible bodies throughout change, are left unexplained.

Beep boop, bullshit detected.