RE: Atheist or Agnostic?
April 3, 2015 at 4:11 pm
(This post was last modified: April 3, 2015 at 4:12 pm by bennyboy.)
There are two ways to assemble the three parts of the word "atheist."
1) (a + theos) + ist: you have an "ism" about the lack of God, i.e. you believe that God does not exist. (called "hard atheism")
2) a + (theist): you are not a theist, i.e. do not subsribe to theistic beliefs. (called "weak atheism")
So, for example, if you have to fill out a form in which you choose from a denomination, you'd check "atheist," i.e. that you are not a theist of any type; this is "weak" atheism. If, on the other hand, you were asked "Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior?" and you thought the Bible was a collection of fairy tales and dark-age superstitions, you'd say, "Heck, no! The Biblical God is a logical impossibility!" and would be a "strong" atheist.
1) (a + theos) + ist: you have an "ism" about the lack of God, i.e. you believe that God does not exist. (called "hard atheism")
2) a + (theist): you are not a theist, i.e. do not subsribe to theistic beliefs. (called "weak atheism")
So, for example, if you have to fill out a form in which you choose from a denomination, you'd check "atheist," i.e. that you are not a theist of any type; this is "weak" atheism. If, on the other hand, you were asked "Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior?" and you thought the Bible was a collection of fairy tales and dark-age superstitions, you'd say, "Heck, no! The Biblical God is a logical impossibility!" and would be a "strong" atheist.
