(January 12, 2015 at 3:32 pm)Drich Wrote: You all have sucessfully blurred the lines of belief enough for me to call myself an atheist! You all have convinced me with your endless arguements that despite what 'rule' a given affiliation may have they mean little to nothing compared to what a person 'feels' or claims for himself.
So... I feel like I have spent enough time around atheists to identify myself as one by proxcimity (Not by core belief) But as you all say core belief is just a formality. Who are any of you to say I am not an atheist if i say that I am?
So from now on I wish to be identified as a God loving Atheist!
...That is unless you all can conceed that there are indeed rules to being affiliated with a given group, other than a verbal proclaimation stating that one is indeed apart of said group.
Atheism is, broadly, a rejection of belief in deities. This is not a 'rule', its a definition. Atheists do not have a 'group', its an individual statement on the position of belief in deities.
Atheism is not a religion or a religious movement, it has no symbol, it has no leader because it does not exist in that way.
The fact that some of us are actually nice people (myself not included) and get on well together is arbitrary to our individual atheistic assertions.
You can stick your 'social' box up your social 'box'.
MM
"The greatest deception men suffer is from their own opinions" - Leonardo da Vinci
"I think I use the term “radical” rather loosely, just for emphasis. If you describe yourself as “atheist,” some people will say, “Don’t you mean ‘agnostic’?” I have to reply that I really do mean atheist, I really do not believe that there is a god; in fact, I am convinced that there is not a god (a subtle difference). I see not a shred of evidence to suggest that there is one ... etc., etc. It’s easier to say that I am a radical atheist, just to signal that I really mean it, have thought about it a great deal, and that it’s an opinion I hold seriously." - Douglas Adams (and I echo the sentiment)
"I think I use the term “radical” rather loosely, just for emphasis. If you describe yourself as “atheist,” some people will say, “Don’t you mean ‘agnostic’?” I have to reply that I really do mean atheist, I really do not believe that there is a god; in fact, I am convinced that there is not a god (a subtle difference). I see not a shred of evidence to suggest that there is one ... etc., etc. It’s easier to say that I am a radical atheist, just to signal that I really mean it, have thought about it a great deal, and that it’s an opinion I hold seriously." - Douglas Adams (and I echo the sentiment)
