Theism is consistently defined as “belief in the existence of a god or gods,” so atheism is therefore “the absence of belief in the existence of a god or gods,” which makes it a broad term that has many implications, not just absolute denial.
So theists believe in a literal God: a living, thinking, supernatural being, as opposed to a metaphor such as “god is love” or “god is the universe”. If you don’t have a belief in any literal god(s), you are without theism, you’re an atheist.
If you don’t have a belief in any literal god(s) but aren’t sure none exist, you’re an atheist.
If you don’t have a belief in any literal god(s) but you like/follow some religious traditions (Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, or whatever) in which you were raised and maybe even agree with some of the religion’s nonsupernatural teachings (e.g., “Love thy neighbor”), you’re an atheist.
If you don’t have a belief in any literal god(s), but you wish there were a god and maybe still hold out hope for one to show up, you’re an atheist.
Atheist is the broadest term and, again, means only “the absence of a belief in a god or gods.” Agnostics, Secular/Humanistic Jews, Secular Humanists, Brights, some Buddhists, some Hindus, and all “apatheists” are atheists.
Agnostic is a useless term when used as a religious identifier. It states that gods, the finite details of the universe, etc., are simply unknowable, which is not an expression of belief or disbelief, but rather of knowledge. This is a totally useless concept because anyone can say that about everything. We don’t know with 100 percent certainty that Santa Claus isn’t up in the North Pole or that we are living in a Matrix.
Know does not imply perfect knowledge. I know there is no god just as surely as I know there is no Santa Claus, of which I am quite certain even though I’ve never been to the North Pole personally. Again, when Santa lands on my roof, I will believe. Until there is proof, Santa, like God, is a myth.
So theists believe in a literal God: a living, thinking, supernatural being, as opposed to a metaphor such as “god is love” or “god is the universe”. If you don’t have a belief in any literal god(s), you are without theism, you’re an atheist.
If you don’t have a belief in any literal god(s) but aren’t sure none exist, you’re an atheist.
If you don’t have a belief in any literal god(s) but you like/follow some religious traditions (Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, or whatever) in which you were raised and maybe even agree with some of the religion’s nonsupernatural teachings (e.g., “Love thy neighbor”), you’re an atheist.
If you don’t have a belief in any literal god(s), but you wish there were a god and maybe still hold out hope for one to show up, you’re an atheist.
Atheist is the broadest term and, again, means only “the absence of a belief in a god or gods.” Agnostics, Secular/Humanistic Jews, Secular Humanists, Brights, some Buddhists, some Hindus, and all “apatheists” are atheists.
Agnostic is a useless term when used as a religious identifier. It states that gods, the finite details of the universe, etc., are simply unknowable, which is not an expression of belief or disbelief, but rather of knowledge. This is a totally useless concept because anyone can say that about everything. We don’t know with 100 percent certainty that Santa Claus isn’t up in the North Pole or that we are living in a Matrix.
Know does not imply perfect knowledge. I know there is no god just as surely as I know there is no Santa Claus, of which I am quite certain even though I’ve never been to the North Pole personally. Again, when Santa lands on my roof, I will believe. Until there is proof, Santa, like God, is a myth.
teachings of the Bible are so muddled and self-contradictory that it was possible for Christians to happily burn heretics alive for five long centuries. It was even possible for the most venerated patriarchs of the Church, like St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas, to conclude that heretics should be tortured (Augustine) or killed outright (Aquinas). Martin Luther and John Calvin advocated the wholesale murder of heretics, apostates, Jews, and witches. - Sam Harris, "Letter To A Christian Nation"
