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What came first, the atheist or the theist?

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What came first, the atheist or the theist?
Tiberius Offline
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RE: What came first, the atheist or the theist?
July 30, 2010 at 7:32 pm
(July 30, 2010 at 6:13 pm)Spencer Wrote: Yes atheism exists to us NOW as a result of theism we can refer to them as atheists I will agree with you there. No question.

Also this baby example keeps coming up. Is the question what are we as humans first? or am I reading the question wrong. Maybe the OP can weigh in on this.
No, atheism (the thing) is not the result of theism. "belief in God" doesn't need to exist in order to "not have belief in God", just as cars don't have to exist in order to not have them either.

Atheism (the word) is a result of theism, but what atheism describes (i.e. the non-belief in God) is as old as the universe itself.

The baby example is simple. Do newborn babies believe in God? No, for the same reason they don't believe in Santa Clause; they don't have the capacity of understanding to believe yet. So if they don't have a belief in God, what are they? Oh yes...atheists! Passive ones, I'll grant you that, but atheists all the same.
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Atheist Forums › Community › Atheism v
What came first, the atheist or the theist?

Messages In This Thread
What came first, the atheist or the theist? - by Cecco - July 22, 2010 at 7:24 pm
RE: What came first, the atheist or the theist? - by Tiberius - July 30, 2010 at 7:32 pm
RE: What came first, the atheist or the theist? - by fr0d0 - August 1, 2010 at 10:29 am
RE: What came first, the atheist or the theist? - by fr0d0 - August 1, 2010 at 10:41 am
RE: What came first, the atheist or the theist? - by fr0d0 - August 1, 2010 at 11:34 am
RE: What came first, the atheist or the theist? - by fr0d0 - August 4, 2010 at 10:29 pm

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