(April 4, 2015 at 1:29 am)Creed of Heresy Wrote:Hmm. I mean, is atheism contrary to theism in the sense that on a number of points, say, if you don't go right you must go left, and if you don't go up you must down, etc., so that the lack of belief claim is to some degree interchangeable?(April 4, 2015 at 12:57 am)Nestor Wrote: Could any form of theism ever be stated as a lack of belief? For example, if your idea of God was an abstract being who exists necessarily and only moves at will in the sense of complete freedom, and as opposed to being necessitated by antecedents, could you ever frame your position as something such as a lack of belief in material causation for the Universe, or as a lack of belief in eternal physical bodies, (taking the universe to be a body), or infinite motion, or something of that sort? Or does theism necessarily, even in the vaguest sense, entail certain doctrines that atheism does not?
Theism, noun
1.
the belief in one God as the creator and ruler of the universe, without rejection of revelation (distinguished from deism ).
2.
belief in the existence of a god or gods (opposed to atheism ).
So...yes? I guess? I dunno, your post was a bit convoluted...
Does "I lack belief in X" imply that "I believe this about Y," say X is God (including certain properties) and Y is universe (including certain properties) to an atheist, and vice versa, X is universe and Y is God to a theist?
He who loves God cannot endeavour that God should love him in return - Baruch Spinoza