Part of the reason I've been thinking about this lately is due to some discussions (and the associated stereotyping) on another website of who is or is not an atheist, and what exactly it means to be an atheist, and to some extent if atheism is an active belief in no god/s, or a sort of default/passive absence of belief in gods, or both (hence the baby question).
Granted, I'm not an atheist, so while it doesn't really *apply* to me, I still use the English language, and therefore have a vested interest in what other people think, and the ways they use the term.
For example (from the other thread):
Implies that atheism is a reasoned (and to some extent educated?) CHOICE to not believe in *something*.
Implies that theism is a choice that develops (by conditioning?) and that atheism is a "default" setting for not believing in *something*
So...which is it?
Is atheism a default setting for no specific belief in deity (or is that where non-theism comes in?), or is it an active and educated belief that there are no gods? What does it mean to call oneself an atheist?
If you look at the dictionary (Mirriam Webster), they define atheism as "a disbelief in the existence of deity" and "the doctrine that there is no deity"...by such a definition, one has to be capable of belief to NOT believe...but
Granted, I'm not an atheist, so while it doesn't really *apply* to me, I still use the English language, and therefore have a vested interest in what other people think, and the ways they use the term.
For example (from the other thread):
Originally posted by LadyGarnetRose
View Post
Originally posted by Shadow Dragon
View Post
So...which is it?
Is atheism a default setting for no specific belief in deity (or is that where non-theism comes in?), or is it an active and educated belief that there are no gods? What does it mean to call oneself an atheist?
If you look at the dictionary (Mirriam Webster), they define atheism as "a disbelief in the existence of deity" and "the doctrine that there is no deity"...by such a definition, one has to be capable of belief to NOT believe...but
Comment