Are You An Atheist?

[Reverend AtheiStar]

http://www.reverendatheistar.com/atheist_test.htm

[DanInPA]

Well, that was easy.

[Reverend AtheiStar]

Well, that was easy.

 

Yup. Precisely the point! Notice the jumbo, kid size letters? lol.... Theists, fundy Christians mostly, make the definition of Atheism into something it's not. For instance, Ray Comfort said that he doesn't beleve in Atheists (so clever, huh?). Why? Because he uses the wrong definition of "Atheist" and even "know!" He says that the Atheist is "one who knows there is no god" and trots out the tired "10% of all knowledge" crap that us, poor, sad humans possess! We won't even get into how he knows that all the other millions of gods and goddesses man has said exist are in fact imaginary, just like we say they all are! An Atheist, merely needs to lack belief. He doesn't need to know. But what does it mean to "know," anyway?

 

know v. knew, (n, ny) known, (nn) know·ing, knows

v. tr.

To perceive directly; grasp in the mind with clarity or certainty.

To regard as true beyond doubt: I know she won't fail.

To have a practical understanding of, as through experience; be skilled in: knows how to cook.

To have fixed in the mind: knows her Latin verbs.

To have experience of: “a black stubble that had known no razor” (William Faulkner).

 

To perceive as familiar; recognize: I know that face.

To be acquainted with: He doesn't know his neighbors.

To be able to distinguish; recognize as distinct: knows right from wrong.

To discern the character or nature of: knew him for a liar.

Archaic. To have sexual intercourse with.

 

Other than the last definition (lol), I can see no reason as to why it's impossible to "know" that there are no deities.

[Antlerman]

One thing I run into is those who say that atheism is a faith that there is no god(s). They will pull out the dictionary and cite it is a "disbelief in God". My answer to this is that dictionaries are reflective of the use of words in a culture which are ever evolving, and a largly Christian culuture has shaped the idea of what an athiest is. Dictionaries are not Holy Bibles with absolute, inflexible meanings. Words don't work like that. I believe most writers of the dictionary try to be careful to not call it a Belief, with a big B as in a belief system, but use belief in the common use of "any cognitive content held as true".

 

This sort of belief is no more a religious faith than me saying I believe that George Bush is president, or I disbelieve a claim that Madonna is actually President. Religious belief, "big B", on the other hand would believe in something through faith that has no evidence, i.e., that Madonna actually is President. To argue that I believe through a religious type faith that there is no evidence would be a ridiculous idea. Is it a religious belief that horses aren’t apple trees, or that they can’t fly? Yet I fully believe they can't, and all without faith.

 

I’m wondering if you have a more succinct way of addressing this Rev?

[Reverend AtheiStar]

One thing I run into is those who say that atheism is a faith that there is no god(s). They will pull out the dictionary and cite it is a "disbelief in God". My answer to this is that dictionaries are reflective of the use of words in a culture which are ever evolving, and a largly Christian culuture has shaped the idea of what an athiest is. Dictionaries are not Holy Bibles with absolute, inflexible meanings. Words don't work like that. I believe most writers of the dictionary try to be careful to not call it a Belief, with a big B as in a belief system, but use belief in the common use of "any cognitive content held as true".

 

This sort of belief is no more a religious faith than me saying I believe that George Bush is president, or I disbelieve a claim that Madonna is actually President. Religious belief, "big B", on the other hand would believe in something through faith that has no evidence, i.e., that Madonna actually is President. To argue that I believe through a religious type faith that there is no evidence would be a ridiculous idea. Is it a religious belief that horses aren’t apple trees, or that they can’t fly? Yet I fully believe they can't, and all without faith.

 

I’m wondering if you have a more succinct way of addressing this Rev?

 

Two terms: framing and definition switching. When they frame the argument in such a way as to make our lack of belief a faith, they drag us down to our level so they can fight something they know. They know religion, they know how to attack it. The other tactic is done by those who are familar with the multiple defionitions of "faith." They are right when they say we have faith (confidence), but wrong when they say we have faith (belief without evdience). They could even say that just about anything we believe is a faith (a belief)!