(April 12, 2020 at 4:59 am)Gwaithmir Wrote: Atheism is nothing more than the absence of god beliefs. I was born without any beliefs in gods or the supernatural. That makes me, by definition, an atheist.
I think we're all born without belief in any gods. That kind of belief has to be taught.
But if I'm understanding the OP at all, he has a point. Just because we're born without a certain belief doesn't mean that it's the default position for everyone to remain without it. Everyone is born a blank (more or less) and everyone is taught how the world works.
An analogy with Chomsky on language is maybe useful here. Everyone is born without language, but it is natural for that gap to be filled. Remaining without language is not a default position, though which language we take in depends on when and where we are. To say that we are born without a system for explaining the world and therefore it is the default to remain without one would be wrong, I think. There is something in the mind which evolved to take in explanations. Which explanation we take in -- a religious one or a non-religious one -- depends on when and where we are.
And there are kids who are taught religion early on, but are also taught the tools to reject it.
