RE: Why atheism is a belief.
December 7, 2011 at 1:22 am
(This post was last modified: December 7, 2011 at 1:25 am by Mister Agenda.)
Belief:
1.An acceptance that a statement is true or that something exists.
2.Something one accepts as true or real; a firmly held opinion or conviction.
I don't see 'evidence' anywhere in that definition. My lack of belief isn't a lack of belief because there isn't enough evidence to support me not believing. My lack of belief is a lack of belief because I don't freakin' believe. What is so hard about this concept? I don't accept the statement 'God is real' or that God exists. I don't accept it as true or real, I don't hold it as an opinion or conviction. I don't BELIEVE it.
You can say lots of things: you can say I believe I don't believe in God. You can say I believe there is insufficient evidence to accept the proposition that God exists. You can say that if I believe God doesn't exist, that's a belief. What you can't say, except out of a desire to be perverse, is that me not believing in God is a belief. Not believing is not belief. Nonbelief is not belief. Disbelief is not belief. It's so sad that any of that should have to be repeated or rephrased to get through. Even sadder that I don't have any expectation that it will.
1.An acceptance that a statement is true or that something exists.
2.Something one accepts as true or real; a firmly held opinion or conviction.
I don't see 'evidence' anywhere in that definition. My lack of belief isn't a lack of belief because there isn't enough evidence to support me not believing. My lack of belief is a lack of belief because I don't freakin' believe. What is so hard about this concept? I don't accept the statement 'God is real' or that God exists. I don't accept it as true or real, I don't hold it as an opinion or conviction. I don't BELIEVE it.
You can say lots of things: you can say I believe I don't believe in God. You can say I believe there is insufficient evidence to accept the proposition that God exists. You can say that if I believe God doesn't exist, that's a belief. What you can't say, except out of a desire to be perverse, is that me not believing in God is a belief. Not believing is not belief. Nonbelief is not belief. Disbelief is not belief. It's so sad that any of that should have to be repeated or rephrased to get through. Even sadder that I don't have any expectation that it will.
