(July 4, 2014 at 3:47 pm)SkepticismFirst Wrote: You're missing the point. Instead of arguing over definitions, you could be defending a proposition. Why not do that instead? It'll force the theists you talk to into a difficult position where they'll have to try to rebut strong arguments. Simply repeating "I lack belief!" at them ad nauseum accomplishes nothing.
This is the thing about many hard/gnostic/strong atheists which I don't understand. What is the rush to meet the theist in battle? Looks like a variant of Rumsfeld's maxim, 'sometimes you have to go to war with the definitions you have'. Many gnostics, theists and atheists, seem more moved by emotion than reason.
If you have a reason to think atheism is true -as well as reason to think theism false- there is still a third proposition that should be considered. Do you have sufficient reason to wish to see an end to theism? Not looking for an emotional itch to scratch here. What I'm asking is do you understand enough about humanity to be sure theism is more harmful than beneficial. I don't know that, except for the fundamentalist variants of all religions of course.
