(May 17, 2013 at 2:40 pm)Drew_2013 Wrote: Barring smoking gun irrefutable evidence you can always say they have failed to shoulder the burden of proof. Theism is a belief just as naturalism is. Even though most atheists believe the universe and life is the result of mindless forces that didn't plan or intend our existence they also know it is very difficult to defend that belief.
I'm not obligated to defend what other atheists believe, and I'm certainly not obligated to defend what you think other atheists believe, because... well, I'm absolutely willing to bet you're wrong, simply due to the fact that no two atheists have exactly the same beliefs, nor does atheism ascribe an actual cause to the universe. Atheism is a single position, a disbelief in the existence of gods. Not a belief that there are no gods, not the belief that the universe came about through naturalistic means, just that singular disbelief in theistic claims.
Now, there are definitely atheists that hold varying views about the origin of the universe, yes: but those views aren't atheism. And saying they are, over and over (and over and over and over) again doesn't make you correct, it just makes you seem incapable of listening to anyone who responds to you.
What you think atheists believe doesn't mean a single fucking goddamn thing. You are not the arbiter of reality; we will, and many of us have, told you what we believe. I've told you what I believe, and that's the only position I'm required to defend. Beyond that, if you want to keep building strawmen to attack, I'll just let you know that even if you manage to beat one of them, defeating a position I don't hold doesn't mean you've beaten me in a debate, and it definitely doesn't mean you've beaten the multitude of other atheists who've come here and told you what they believe.
Quote:The problem is the word atheism and the claim to be an atheist in the popular lexicon (and dictionary definition) doesn't mean I don't know and is a confession of ignorance. To anyone on the street atheist means a person who doesn't believe God exists.
If talking to you has proven one thing, it's that it's not my problem who misinterprets my beliefs based on dictionary definitions. Why on earth should it be?
Oh, and by the way? That man on the street position? I hold it: I don't believe that a god exists, and I don't know whether one exists. Those aren't mutually exclusive premises, and I have to ask you: what makes you think I would ever believe in something for which there is no evidence? If I don't know whether or not something exists, how can I be justified in expressing belief?
And if I can't be justified, then aren't I, as I've been saying, an atheist?
Quote: Secondly, I've never stated theism as anything other than a belief based on circumstantial and inferential evidence. The truth is by claiming to be an atheist you promote the belief God doesnt' exist even though your unwilling to defend or support that belief.
No. Sorry dude, but I'll let you know the positions I'm promoting, you don't get to decide them for me. Any "promotion" of the belief that god doesn't exist coming from me is solely down to misunderstanding or misinterpretation, willful or otherwise, from guys like you who apparently see no need to actually talk to me about the things in my head before they decide they know all about me.
If people want to be idiots around me, that's fine, but I'm not required to defend positions you think I ought to be holding.
"YOU take the hard look in the mirror. You are everything that is wrong with this world. The only thing important to you, is you." - ronedee
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Want to see more of my writing? Check out my (safe for work!) site, Unprotected Sects!