Atheist vs. agnostic vs. agnostic atheist

[Colanth]

I think this is the case.

A theist is someone that has an active belief (hold the propositions to be true) that a god or gods exist.

If someone does not have the belief that a god or gods exist, whether they phrase it as "I don't know", "I'm still processing", they are still in the psychological state of not having having the belief that a god exists.

I don't think that description is really an adequate one, because many things meet the criteria of lacking a belief. For example, by your literal description, my beagle is an atheist. So is his blankie.

Yes, and? The usual phrase is "a chair is a trivial atheist" - because "atheism" is "lacking any belief in any god or gods". It doesn't require the ability to believe.

So is a lifelong confirmed Christian who is currently asleep or in a coma.

Only in BennyWorld.

There's an unspoken assumption: that one has a mechanism which COULD form positive ideas about the existence of God.

If you're human, yes. If you're a chair, no. But that's not a requirement of lacking belief.

But now you're up against philosophical issues with free will, determinism, etc.

Not as far as whether any particular entity has or lacks a belief in any god.

To avoid calling beagles atheists

But they are - they have no belief in any gods as far as we can ascertain.

, I think it's more sensible to consider questions in both forms: "Do you believe God exists? Do you believe God does not exist?"

A positive belief that the Christian god (that's the one you named) doesn't exist isn't a requirement of atheism. Neither is the ability to believe in gods.

If you lack BOTH of those beliefs, or if you accept BOTH as plausible candidates for reality, agnostic is a better term.

Agnosticism has nothing at all to do with beliefs - it's not making positive statements for which you have no evidence. (And I'm not agnostic about that, I have actual evidence that that's what agnosticism is.)

You have a model in your mind of a human being as a singular entity, capable of having only one answer to a yes/no question.

Atheism is concerned with only a 'yes' question - "do you believe in any god?" If the answer is 'no', you lack belief. You are "without belief in gods" - a-theistic.

Baby diapers are ALSO atheists, by your criteria.

And by the definition of the word.

Therefore, I do not think those criteria are adequate, because talking about the lack of religious belief of diapers isn't a very useful conversation.

Neither is talking about the inability of computers to think. Yet both are completely true.

I do agree, however, that there was nothing useful about your posing the original question. Both here and on atheistforums.com, back when you were told the same things you've been told here.