Defining "Atheism"

[Paul the Human]

It seems to me that the subject of atheism is an enquiry into the existence or non-existence of god.

Atheism itself is not an inquiry into anything. It is a response to an inquiry. That of the existence of gods. It seems as if you are complicating and expanding the simple definition of the word atheism, which causes people like me to attempt clarification, which in turn... derails threads (not this one, as this is the topic).

People question, debate, doubt, and contemplate the existence of gods, but only those which lack belief in their existence are atheists. The person that claims a solid belief that there are no gods, does lack belief, and so is an atheist with or without the belief that there are none.

---

I do not understand why you cannot understand that.

I do understand that, but certain people who have asked the question I mentioned earlier insist that atheism has been redefined as a lack of belief in a god, when before it was defined as a strong belief that there is no god.

Do you understand that?

I understand the etymology of the word atheist. Someone that holds a strong belief that there is no god is, indeed, an atheist, but one is not required to hold that belief in order to lack a belief in god. Only the lack of belief is required to be considered an atheist.

And I am tired of typing that over and over again. Heheh. I don't really care that much.

By the way, I personally believe that there are no gods. That is for another thread, however.