I'd say an atheist is a person that doesn't believe. I'm not sure at what age the person has to grow to before they are considered mature enough to be a 'person' able to believe. What age is the age of reason?
So I definitely don't consider rocks atheists. I would stretch the definition to be 'an atheist is a person who does not believe that has also reached the age of reason' so babies wouldn't count either. But I am not sure at what point someone reaches the 'age of reason' so that complicates things.
As far as the 'rocks and babies are non-theists' but not atheists.... I get the point you are trying to make so I do agree with you in a sense.... but - as far as I am concerned the meaning of an atheist and a non-theist is exactly the same... so I'd say rocks and babies aren't non-theists either. If only because neither are capable of being judged on belief or non-belief, since one isn't even a person and the other hasn't reached the age of reason.
For me "rocks and babies are not atheists but they are certainly non-theists" just technically reads exactly the same to me as saying "rocks and babies are not atheists but they are certainly atheists" which of course is contradictory and nonsensical technically.
But the main thing is I DO GET the point you are trying to make Mister
So I definitely don't consider rocks atheists. I would stretch the definition to be 'an atheist is a person who does not believe that has also reached the age of reason' so babies wouldn't count either. But I am not sure at what point someone reaches the 'age of reason' so that complicates things.
As far as the 'rocks and babies are non-theists' but not atheists.... I get the point you are trying to make so I do agree with you in a sense.... but - as far as I am concerned the meaning of an atheist and a non-theist is exactly the same... so I'd say rocks and babies aren't non-theists either. If only because neither are capable of being judged on belief or non-belief, since one isn't even a person and the other hasn't reached the age of reason.
For me "rocks and babies are not atheists but they are certainly non-theists" just technically reads exactly the same to me as saying "rocks and babies are not atheists but they are certainly atheists" which of course is contradictory and nonsensical technically.
But the main thing is I DO GET the point you are trying to make Mister
