Ash Wednesday

[athoughtfulman]

I think that there is a difference between being convinced that God does not exist and being a gnostic atheist. A gnostic atheist KNOWS (i.e., has proof positive that is OBJECTIVELY undeniable) that god does not exist. As an agnostic atheist, I too am convinced, for all practical purposes, that there is no god. But I will not go so far as to say that I KNOW there is no god. Such a conclusion must be reached by FAITH, and I don't do faith.

I'm at the same point as you. Though to be fair, the two ideas are virtually identical. I'm an agnostic atheist and don't believe there is a god. A gnostic athiest knows (or thinks he knows) that there is no god and hence believes there is no god. The difference is in the way we look at it. I might be 100% convinced that there is no god, but I can't say that I know by empirical, observable evidence that god is not real.

What does a gnostic atheist use as his proof that there is no god? Can he actually find any? If not, why would a gnostic atheist be a gnostic atheist at all? Surely they understand that faith is not a form of proof.

[infidel666]

I think it is a matter of semantics, in part. As for the remainder, I think the gnostic atheist tends to see nothing wrong with having a belief system, while the agnostic atheist tends to view beliefs as suspect, per se.

[athoughtfulman]

I think it is a matter of semantics, in part. As for the remainder, I think the gnostic atheist tends to see nothing wrong with having a belief system, while the agnostic atheist tends to view beliefs as suspect, per se.

Nice way to put it

[Edwardo Piet]

What does a gnostic atheist use as his proof that there is no god? Can he actually find any? If not, why would a gnostic atheist be a gnostic atheist at all? Surely they understand that faith is not a form of proof.

He can't find any. Because there isn't any - you can't prove a negative.

A gnostic atheist believes God is disproved and that they KNOW there is no God. This is actually a logical fallacy though.

God is not disproved. A gnostic atheist doesn't know of any evidence that makes God disproved. But he thinks he does or simply thinks there absolutely is no God and that's a fact because the idea is "so absurd" or whatever.

However certain I am that God does not exist...I know you can't prove a negative so there is a possibility however improbable that God does exist. But that's just like with the FSM and the IPU...

A gnostic atheist is not only 100% certain...they believe there is not even a remote possibility that their certainty is wrong - or could be wrong. They don't believe there there is a possibility at all however improbable that possibility of God is. They are 100% certain there isn't one AND 100% they are not wrong. That its basically an absolute fact and truth that God doesn't exist and its impossible for them to be wrong...

An agnostic atheist you could say could be 100% certain...but they accept that their certainty could possibily wrong and God isn't disproven...its not an absolute FACT or TRUTH that God doesn't exist. He could still exist - there is still a possibility, however improbable it is that God exists...as with the FSM and the IPU and Zeus, etc.

And like I said after all...to believe that God is disproven or disprovable is a logical fallacy. You can't prove a negative - you can't prove the non-existence of something.

EvF