Can you persuade me from Agnostic to Atheist?

[rexbeccarox]

I am an agnostic atheist, also; as always, Wikipedia has a good article:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnostic_atheism

So you're really just an agnostic. Got it.

What?

[ignoramus]

Matey, you're now just an atheist with lingering doubts about hell.
This is normal and will subside.

The more you catch up on the 4 horsemen, the more confident you will become in your non belief.

[SteelCurtain]

So you're really just an agnostic. Got it.

What?

She likes being a contrarian. The irony of defining someone differently than they define themselves is palpable, though.

[Thumpalumpacus]

Can anyone here persuade or convert me from being agnostic to being atheist?

Why should anyone care?

[wiploc]

They're not mutually exclusive terms. I am an agnostic atheist.

A/gnosticism has to do with knowledge; A/theism has to do with belief.

By agnostic I meant I am neither a believer nor disbeliever that there is a God.  To me maybe there is a God and maybe there isn't.

Can you persuade me that there isn't a God?

"Disbelieve" may not mean what you think it does. 

Here are the first two definitions at dictionary.comm:

1. to have no belief in; refuse or reject belief in:
 
2. to refuse or reject belief; have no belief.

If we look in enough dictionaries, or even look at more definitions at dictionary.comm, we may find some that say to disbelieve X is to believe the opposite of X.  So it's not like you're necessarily wrong. 

But it's still an awkward word to use when it matters whether you mean "not believe X" or "believe not-X."  Saying that you neither a believer nor a disbeliever in gods will confuse a lot of people.  It will seem a logical impossibility.  

-

Do you want us to pick the gods, or do you have a specific god in mind?  It should be easy to persuade you to believe there is no such thing as a god who can do anything but who can't defeat iron chariots.  So, if I'm picking, I pick that one, and my job here is done. 

But, if you want to pick the god, then you need to describe it so that we can decide whether we think it exists. marshal our arguments.

[wiploc]

You do know that the principle atheist position is not that "there is not a god", right?

You've got me curious.  Could you elaborate?

[wiploc]

It's a weird situation because there really isn't a singular term for the position "I believe there are no gods."

That's a strong atheist.  

 Some people use the term "strong atheist" or "gnostic atheist," but I think those are problematic as well in my opinion.  

Try not to conflate those terms.  A strong atheist believes that gods do not exist.  A gnostic knows (or thinks she knows) whether gods exist.  

Until we find a word to describe someone who actively asserts that "No gods exist,"

"Strong atheist."  Why do you object to that term?


[/quote]

[wiploc]

How could you possibly know such a thing?

A good persuader could persuade me.

I'm a strong atheist: I believe that there are no gods. 

I will share some of my reasoning.

[wiploc]

A good persuader could persuade me.

The vast majority of atheists do not claim to know, with absolute certainty, that gods do not exist.

So, in effect, you want to be persuaded of a certain position, by people that do not hold that position. 

It may be that most atheists are weak atheists (those who don't believe either that gods do exist or that they do not), but many of us are strong atheists (those who believe that no gods exist). 

He's asking for strong atheists to justify our position.  He's not asking for weak atheists to justify the strong atheist position.  That would be nuts, but that's not what he's requesting.

[account_inactive]

What?

She likes being a contrarian.

I'll take that as a compliment. I get what you said about the ironic bit.

Just forget my original post. I said something stupid...blah blah blah.