(August 23, 2013 at 4:56 pm)Maelstrom Wrote: I meant my comment the way I stated it. Plain and simple.
Since this was my comment:
Quote:When an atheist mentions god, he is mentioning the fictitious character from the boring fiction book that should be retitled The Unholy Babble.
Do you see mention of all atheists or even a pluralization of the word in that statement?
Tisk tisk tisk....
My fellow writer!!!
You should know that when a person writes:
When an atheist etc. etc..... that the phrase "an atheist" is what is termed a "collective plural" and is the same as saying: "any atheist".
For example, if I were to make the statement:
"When an atheist talks about God, they are talking about something they do not believe exists."
The above is understood to mean: When any atheist talks about God. Not some atheists, not two atheists, not a whole bunch of jolly atheists.... but "any" atheist.
If I wanted to refer to a couple, or three, or a whole bunch, then whatever I was trying to convey would be given in the sentence and it would precede the word atheist(s) as a specifier.
