janie48 Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 Sometimes I can't help but think that god belief is a form of paranoia (or it at least originated as a form of paranoia). I guess atheism is the cure [/quote In terms of belief, i find your definition of paranoia somewhat obscure. I might understand better if you had given a clearer explanation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phanerothyme Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 ;8514072']Not being a theist. End of. If your answer to the question 'do you believe in god?' is anything but yes' date=' then you're an atheist.[/quote'] What if I reply "maybe" - Am I then an atheist? Nope. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plekhanov Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 What if I reply "maybe" - Am I then an atheist? Nope. If that's your answer you are indeed an atheist. This is very much a binary situation either you have belief or you don't. If you believe, regardless of how unsure you are you're a theist. If you don't believe, regardless of how unsure you are you're an atheist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[Matt] Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 What if I reply "maybe" - Am I then an atheist? Nope. Saying maybe is simply avoiding an answer. Its like being asked whether you ate an apple 10 minutes ago and answering "Maybe I did. Maybe I didn't." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quisquose Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 What if I reply "maybe" - Am I then an atheist? Nope. If that's your answer you are indeed an atheist. This is very much a binary situation either you have belief or you don't. If you believe, regardless of how unsure you are you're a theist. If you don't believe, regardless of how unsure you are you're an atheist. ^ This theist = somebody with belief in god or gods a'theism = somebody who lacks belief in god or gods gnosis = common greek noun for knowledge a'gnostic = somebody who lacks knowledge I lack belief in god or gods, but I also think that absolute proof of non-existence is impossible and remain open-minded to the possibility, no matter how unlikely I think it is. I am therefore an a'gnotic a'theist, which danot thinks is very funny for some reason. From my own understanding, and I fully understand that Phanerothyme is able to define himself according to his own understanding, I would call him an a'gnostic a'theist as well, if his answer to the question was "maybe". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phanerothyme Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 So "belief" is a binary state. You people crack me up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyclone Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 ^ This theist = somebody with belief in god or gods a'theism = somebody who lacks belief in god or gods gnosis = common greek noun for knowledge a'gnostic = somebody who lacks knowledge I lack belief in god or gods, but I also think that absolute proof of non-existence is impossible and remain open-minded to the possibility, no matter how unlikely I think it is. I am therefore an a'gnotic a'theist, which danot thinks is very funny for some reason. From my own understanding, and I fully understand that Phanerothyme is able to define himself according to his own understanding, I would call him an a'gnostic a'theist as well, if his answer to the question was "maybe". You could argue that an agnostic atheist is a little bit dim though. They (by definition) don't know, yet they've managed to come to a conclusion regarding belief/disbelief despite their self stated position of lacking the knowledge required to reach a conclusion. Isn't it normal to only come a conclusion on something when you believe that you have enough knowledge to formulate such a conclusion? For rational people I mean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyclone Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 What if I reply "maybe" - Am I then an atheist? Nope. No, definitely not, you're probably agnostic, in that you don't believe you have enough knowledge/information to reach a conclusion and so you decline to do so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flamingjimmy Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 [Agnostic atheists] (by definition) don't know, yet they've managed to come to a conclusion regarding belief/disbelief despite their self stated position of lacking the knowledge required to reach a conclusion.No-one knows, believer or atheist. Calling yourself an agnostic is just an admission of that. No-one can know for sure whether there are any gods or not. Also, being an atheist does not mean 'coming to the conclusion' that god/s do not exist, it simply means that you don't believe that they do. Isn't it normal to only come a conclusion on something when you believe that you have enough knowledge to formulate such a conclusion? For rational people I mean. Having enough knowledge to formulate an opinion is not the same as knowing whether something is true or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quisquose Posted January 27, 2012 Share Posted January 27, 2012 No-one knows, believer or atheist. Calling yourself an agnostic is just an admission of that. No-one can know for sure whether there are any gods or not. Also, being an atheist does not mean 'coming to the conclusion' that god/s do not exist, it simply means that you don't believe that they do. Having enough knowledge to formulate an opinion is not the same as knowing whether something is true or not. ^This. Once again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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