Atheism the Belief

[floydjones]

Atheism is not a lack of belief, it's disbelief. It's a positive position held that deities do not exist, and answer to the question "do deities exist?" in the negative.

 

Otherwise you might as well describe my dog as atheist since he isn't capable of understanding the question and thus doesn't have belief.

 

Disbelief

 

Inability or refusal to accept that something is true or real:

 

 

Disbelief doesn't mean you accept that something isn't real or true.

 

 

RootsBooster is correct and you are not.

 

A new born baby is an atheist because they are unable to accept that Gods exist, they are also unable to accept that Gods don't exist, they just lack belief in them. Same goes for your dog, unless they believe in their own version of God, my dog might think I am God because I provide everything she needs.

[RootsBooster]

I think it may be worth pointing out that your question "do deities exist?" can have many answers, ie;

 

-Yes, definitely (something a 'gnostic theist' might say)

-No, certainly not (something a 'gnostic atheist' might say)

-I believe so, but I don't know for sure (something an 'agnostic theist' might say)

-I believe not, but I don't know for sure (something an 'agnostic atheist' might say)

-I don't really have any reason to believe so. Probably not (also something a 'gnostic theist' might say)

-Some do but not all

-Possibly

-Probably

-Sort of

-I don't know

-Etc.

 

The question I asked was a very specific one regarding only your position of belief, which is a binary state. There can only really be two answers to it.

 

---------- Post added 29-09-2015 at 15:25 ----------

 

A new born baby is an atheist because they are unable to accept that Gods exist, they are also unable to accept that Gods don't exist, they just lack belief in them. Same goes for your dog, unless they believe in their own version of God, my dog might think I am God because I provide everything she needs.

 

To simplify, the only qualifier necessary is that the baby is without belief, the reason(s) for the absence of belief are irrelevant

Edited September 29, 2015 by RootsBooster

[unbeliever]

I think it may be worth pointing out that your question "do deities exist?" can have many answers, ie;

 

-Yes, definitely (something a 'gnostic theist' might say)

-No, certainly not (something a 'gnostic atheist' might say)

-I believe so, but I don't know for sure (something an 'agnostic theist' might say)

-I believe not, but I don't know for sure (something an 'agnostic atheist' might say)

-I don't really have any reason to believe so. Probably not (also something a 'gnostic theist' might say)

-Possibly

-Probably

-Sort of

-I don't know

-Etc.

 

The question I asked was a very specific one regarding only your position of belief, which is a binary state. There can only really be two answers to it.

 

---------- Post added 29-09-2015 at 15:25 ----------

 

 

To simplify, the only qualifier necessary is that the baby is without belief, the reason(s) for the absence of belief are irrelevant

 

It's a binary question without a binary answer.

If 1 represents absolute certain belief, and 0 represents absolute certain disbelief, very few people would answer either 0 or 1. Many who call themselves atheists, including me, would be about 0.00000001. Many theists would be around 0.999999. Most people are somewhere in between.

As "belief" is a matter of the human psyche and not a hard fact, it may be useful to pose a binary question on the matter; but at least the vast majority of people don't have a truly binary answer.

 

It's not useful to describe everyone who is the slightest bit short of 100% certain of the existence of gods as a non-believer. Nor is it useful to describe somebody who can't understand or answer the question at all as a non-believer.

You're dealing here with the vagaries and complexities of the human mind and a trying to enforce binary logic on such matters is not very enlightening.

[Eric Arthur]

Atheism is not a lack of belief, it's disbelief. It's a positive position held that deities do not exist, and answer to the question "do deities exist?" in the negative.

 

It is easy to get yourself tied up in knots but I will make it simple by providing the definitive answer that I was taught at Cambridge:

Theism is a positive belief in deity held by arts graduates.

Atheism is a positive disbelief in deity held by science graduates

Agnosticism is a condescending meh held by classics graduates.

 

You may close the topic now.

[RootsBooster]

It's a binary question without a binary answer.

If 1 represents absolute certain belief, and 0 represents absolute certain disbelief, very few people would answer either 0 or 1. Many who call themselves atheists, including me, would be about 0.00000001. Many theists would be around 0.999999. Most people are somewhere in between.

As "belief" is a matter of the human psyche and not a hard fact, it may be useful to pose a binary question on the matter; but at least the vast majority of people don't have a truly binary answer.

 

If we're talking about the question I asked, 1 represents presence of belief and 0 represents absence of belief. Regardless of how strong or weak a belief is, if that belief is present it's a 1.

If it's not present then it's absent, it's a 0.

It's not useful to describe everyone who is the slightest bit short of 100% certain of the existence of gods as a non-believer. Nor is it useful to describe somebody who can't understand or answer the question at all as a non-believer.

You're dealing here with the vagaries and complexities of the human mind and a trying to enforce binary logic on such matters is not very enlightening.

It's the other way round, anyone who's got even 1% strength of a belief (or simply anything over 0%) is a believer.

Assuming you could make a belief-strength scale to judge it by.

Edited September 29, 2015 by RootsBooster

[unbeliever]

If we're talking about the question I asked, 1 represents presence of belief and 0 represents absence of belief. Regardless of how strong or weak a belief is, if that belief is present it's a 1.

If it's not present then it's absent, it's a 0.

 

That makes almost everybody a believer as anybody with the slightest thought that there might just be some kind of god is now classified as a believer.

That's not useful.

[RootsBooster]

That makes almost everybody a believer as anybody with the slightest thought that there might just be some kind of god is now classified as a believer.

That's not useful.

 

That's not belief though, not even in the slightest. That's just open-mindedness.

[John Hope]

Why is it that God can only talk to one guy and he usually got his message while sat alone in the mountains or some remote place.

 

Why can't God talk to everyone, send his message to everyone at the same time?

[unbeliever]

Why is it that God can only talk to one guy and he usually got his message while sat alone in the mountains or some remote place.

 

Why can't God talk to everyone, send his message to everyone at the same time?

 

Well quite.

I think if there were a god running the show, it would make itself clear.

[spider1]

Atheism is not a lack of belief, it's disbelief. It's a positive position held that deities do not exist, and answer to the question "do deities exist?" in the negative.

 

Otherwise you might as well describe my dog as atheist since he isn't capable of understanding the question and thus doesn't have belief.

 

Cyclone you never had a dog no chance youre not the type :hihi: