But... atheism does not mean to believe there is no god. One that believes there is no god is an atheist, but that is not what the word atheist means. As an atheist, the question of Jesus' existence holds little meaning to me, because even if he did exist, I still do not believe in divinity. On that we can agree.
That assertion is strictly true. Atheism is the position of lacking a belief in gods and it is nothing more or less than that. Anything beyond or parallel to that lack of belief is not automatically inferred by the use of the word 'atheist'. An atheist can certainly insist that he or she believes that there is no god, but that belief is not what makes him or her an atheist. It is the fundamental lack of belief that deities exist that makes one an atheist. It may seem like semantics, but it is an important distinction.
Atheists can hold positions on any number of issues and their atheism most likely colors their views, but the only position that can accurately be called 'atheist' is the lack of belief in gods.
Existentialist Wrote:It has been boldly asserted in this thread that there is no atheist position on any matter other than the existence of gods.
That assertion is strictly true. Atheism is the position of lacking a belief in gods and it is nothing more or less than that. Anything beyond or parallel to that lack of belief is not automatically inferred by the use of the word 'atheist'. An atheist can certainly insist that he or she believes that there is no god, but that belief is not what makes him or her an atheist. It is the fundamental lack of belief that deities exist that makes one an atheist. It may seem like semantics, but it is an important distinction.
Atheists can hold positions on any number of issues and their atheism most likely colors their views, but the only position that can accurately be called 'atheist' is the lack of belief in gods.
