Although theists are more than welcome to join in with debates and discussions on these forums you must remember that this is primarily a forum for like minded individuals.
Therefore I have prepared a short list of things that some theists tend to say which can detract from the discussion and/or are simply irrational, rude, annoying and disrespectful.
Please keep the following list in mind when posting and we should all get along very nicely.
You are asked to avoid..
When talking to atheists
Most theists have a rather naive view of what an atheist actually is. So, before you start debating with atheists it's best to be armed with a bit of knowledge.
An atheist is simply someone who is not a theist. Commonly, atheists don't believe in a god or gods. Most typically this takes the form of the god of the Bible, the Koran etc.
Other than that there is no particular reason why atheists should have anything else in common.
Here are a few things that atheists are not..
What is an agnostic?
Agnostics are people who claim that it is either unknown or impossible to know whether any deity exists or not. The word derives from the Greek word gnosis (knowledge) being negated by the privative alpha, giving us the Greek word agnosis (without knowledge). Agnosticism is compatible with both atheism and theism; an agnostic atheist says, "I don't know if God exists or not but I don't believe he does" (or "I believe he doesn't"), while an agnostic theist says, "I don't know if God exists or not but I believe he does." There is an important difference between what one knows and what one believes; people can believe things they don't know, e.g., that life exists on other planets. (It is disputed whether or not it is possible for an agnostic to be neither atheist nor theist.)
Agnostic (weak) atheist
This is the most typical kind of atheist. An agnostic atheist will admit that there is no way to prove or disprove the existence of a god but chooses not to believe. This is largely but not exclusively due to the lack of evidence.
Gnostic (strong) atheist
Strong atheism is a position that certain types of gods definitely do not exist. An atheist may be gnostic towards the non-existence of some types of gods yet an agnostic atheist towards other types of gods.
From http://www.strongatheism.net:
"Strong Atheism is the proposition that we should not suspend judgment about the non-existence of a god or gods. More extensively, it is a positive position against theistic values, semantics and anti-materialism, a rational inquiry in the nature of religious thought, a new way of thinking about religious and spiritual issues."
What is an apatheist?
Apatheism is not having a belief in god and couldn't care less if a god exists or not.
Therefore I have prepared a short list of things that some theists tend to say which can detract from the discussion and/or are simply irrational, rude, annoying and disrespectful.
Please keep the following list in mind when posting and we should all get along very nicely.
You are asked to avoid..
- Telling them that since there isn't a god they might as well kill themselves now.
- Telling them that since there isn't a god they might as well kill other people.
- Telling them they don't believe because an evil power is controlling their lives.
- Trying to make your belief appear more truthful by TYPING IN CAPITALS.
- Telling them that they don’t believe because something bad happened in their lives.
- Telling them you know God exists because the Bible says so and that the Bible is true because God said so.
- Insisting that they really do believe in God but are afraid to admit it.
- Ending your posts with “god loves you” or “I’ll pray for you.”
- Arguing that evolution isn’t true by simply pointing to a site such as AnswersInGenesis or being so ignorant as to say "it's just a theory".
- Quoting Psalm 14:1
- Asking them to open their hearts and give Jesus a chance.
- Telling them they are going to hell.
When talking to atheists
Most theists have a rather naive view of what an atheist actually is. So, before you start debating with atheists it's best to be armed with a bit of knowledge.
An atheist is simply someone who is not a theist. Commonly, atheists don't believe in a god or gods. Most typically this takes the form of the god of the Bible, the Koran etc.
Other than that there is no particular reason why atheists should have anything else in common.
Here are a few things that atheists are not..
- Someone who hates God. You can't hate something you don't believe exists.
- In league with the Devil or Demons.
- Rebelling against religion or God.
- Under the control of evil spirits.
- Immoral, Emotionless, Heartless, Closed Minded, Cold etc.
- Someone who lacks beliefs, ideas and philosophies.
What is an agnostic?
Agnostics are people who claim that it is either unknown or impossible to know whether any deity exists or not. The word derives from the Greek word gnosis (knowledge) being negated by the privative alpha, giving us the Greek word agnosis (without knowledge). Agnosticism is compatible with both atheism and theism; an agnostic atheist says, "I don't know if God exists or not but I don't believe he does" (or "I believe he doesn't"), while an agnostic theist says, "I don't know if God exists or not but I believe he does." There is an important difference between what one knows and what one believes; people can believe things they don't know, e.g., that life exists on other planets. (It is disputed whether or not it is possible for an agnostic to be neither atheist nor theist.)
Agnostic (weak) atheist
This is the most typical kind of atheist. An agnostic atheist will admit that there is no way to prove or disprove the existence of a god but chooses not to believe. This is largely but not exclusively due to the lack of evidence.
Gnostic (strong) atheist
Strong atheism is a position that certain types of gods definitely do not exist. An atheist may be gnostic towards the non-existence of some types of gods yet an agnostic atheist towards other types of gods.
From http://www.strongatheism.net:
"Strong Atheism is the proposition that we should not suspend judgment about the non-existence of a god or gods. More extensively, it is a positive position against theistic values, semantics and anti-materialism, a rational inquiry in the nature of religious thought, a new way of thinking about religious and spiritual issues."
What is an apatheist?
Apatheism is not having a belief in god and couldn't care less if a god exists or not.
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