What is an atheist

[tor]

Atheist is someone who is not a theist.

[Marsellus Wallace]

Thanks captain obvious for stating the obvious

[pocaracas]

Have to agree with fr0d0... all of the above... and then some.
Tor's definition seems to be most all-encompassing, while still retaining simplicity. kudos to you!

[Marsellus Wallace]

Have to agree with fr0d0... all of the above... and then some.
Tor's definition seems to be most all-encompassing, while still retaining simplicity. kudos to you!

WHAT ? Tor said the opposite of a word in the dictionary, simple but not defining much , cuz what is a theist ? here we go for another endless loop of defining something else . You can't always define something using its opposite word .

[tor]

Have to agree with fr0d0... all of the above... and then some.
Tor's definition seems to be most all-encompassing, while still retaining simplicity. kudos to you!

WHAT ? Tor said the opposite of a word in the dictionary, simple but not defining much , cuz what is a theist ? here we go for another endless loop of defining something else . You can't always define something using its opposite word .

Yes you can.
Do you believe in god? Yes. Theist. No. Atheist.

[Tobie]

No.... All cats believe they are god.

There are good reasons to suspect they might be right.

Point.

I'm just wondering from a demographic point of view. I imagine in the US one sort of has to pick a side. In the UK however it's quite possible to not think about God at all. Are these people who never even consider God, either as a positive or a negative atheist? Or are they a sort of schrodingerist, both theist and atheist until you make them think about it and collapse the waveform, forcing them to resolve into one state or other.

Someone who is not a theist, but does not have any knowledge of theism so can't consciously reject theism, is called an Implicit Atheist.

Tiberius posted this a while ago The Tiberius-Braeloch Scale

[Ben Davis]

Someone who is not a theist, but does not have any knowledge of theism so can't consciously reject theism, is called an Implicit Atheist.

The atheism of a stone or a newborn are the most common examples of this.

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Do you believe in god? Yes. Theist. Anything else, including "I don't know", Atheist.

Fixed that for you

[KichigaiNeko]

All of the above.

And yes, cats have not forgotten that they were once worshiped as gods.

[archangle]

we can and do make up stuff to make it seem "more rational" Than them. We demonize the enemy by mocking and belittle them.

To claim there is "nothing" goes beyond what is known. To use this phrase as more becomes "literal atheistism". In effect we become my enemy. We are making a claim without evidence. In fact it is worse, we are making a claim that goes against observation. We are "locking onto" a fixed point for self justification and to alleviate our fears.

Also, if we were "hurt" by somebody, and we can't strike back at that person, we will strike at anything. "Real" or not doesn't make a difference. That how I see many follows of this atheistic literal sect.

for me, I use the dictionary. I do not believe in "their" type of "deity".

[pavetheway]

My personal approach & 'Atheism' as I understand it; is that you believe there is nothing at all to suggest a creator of any sort exists, and masses of physical & documented evidence to back up the theories of evolution through vast subjects of Science.

If you follow truths, reason and facts based on evidence (I know, Theists REALLY struggle with grasping the meaning of the words 'truth', 'reason' & 'evidence') - there is a high possibility you'll be classed as 'Atheist'.


I think most Atheists, like Theists, have a mutual starting block - then personal experience, moral approach & opinion comes into play which binds their own 'beliefs' on said subject.

Hope this makes sense.