13 Responses to “Isn't 'Atheist' a definition of a person by what he/she does not believe, rather than what he/she believes?”

1. By Opinionatedkitten on Feb 13, 2008 | Reply

   It's faster than naming all the things they don't believe in one by one.
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2. By Morey000 on Feb 13, 2008 | Reply

   A Theist = Non- Theist

   i.e. a person who does not believe in a deity.
   which is quite different than a person who believes that there is no deity.
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3. By Robert Abuse on Feb 13, 2008 | Reply

   Yes.
   We believe in a vast multitude of different things, but we do not believe in god/gods.
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4. By oleowl_2000 on Feb 13, 2008 | Reply

   yes and no. yes to the first – atheist is definition by what a person is not. but "Acatholic" could be a Methodist, a Muslim, or a Jew, or a anybody else.
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5. By Jeff S on Feb 13, 2008 | Reply

   I don't believe in magic. does that make me an aillusionist?

   the spacebar has never felt more important as when "a theist" and "atheist" are antonyms.
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6. By CitrineWitch on Feb 13, 2008 | Reply

   Yes/ No really.. they are called Atheists because they do not believe in Theism; God(s).
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   Proud Pagan.

7. By BarrelBottom on Feb 13, 2008 | Reply

   BINGO

   …and the crowd goes wild

   (By George hes got it)
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8. By FSM Raguru AM™ on Feb 13, 2008 | Reply

   Basically, yes. It is the lack of a belief in a god or gods, nothing more. Some religious people say it is a religion, but since it lacks churches or temples, clergy members, tithing, ceremonies, sacraments, a deity, religious texts, etc. it clearly is not a religion. It is merely a lack of belief. Many atheists believe different things concerning social issues, morality, etc, but the one thing we all have in common is that we do not believe in god.
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9. By Captain Atheism on Feb 13, 2008 | Reply

   Yes, and it's a silly, worthless term.

   But we atheists didn't come up with it. Religious people call us atheists. We just have to accept it.

   But a true atheist is really nothing other than "normal" or "sane".

   We don't call people that don't believe in astrology, "non-astrologers". But the only reason we don't is because "non-astrologers" are not a minority.
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10. By Ŀ8 ßŀ°°Mεř on Feb 13, 2008 | Reply

    You're right. When there are no people left who would take the idea of a supernatural deity existing seriously, just as there are none today who take the idea of Centaurs existing seriously, then we could let go of that useless word.
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11. By JoJo on Feb 13, 2008 | Reply

    It's kind of like if a lot of people lack the capacity to think for themselves and some do.You would call the latter Alobotomized.It's also handy in societies with lots of quadraplegics to have a short hand for " guy with legs" so the quadraplegics can ask a walker to get something for them.The prescence of so many theists creates the atheist label.
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12. By F'sho on Feb 13, 2008 | Reply

    All human beings believe in and worship something or someone. Even if they themselves or what they produce are the idols of veneration.

    Some have chosen to simply worship man and his limited understanding of what God has made rather than come to know and worship Him.

    Therefore nothing is special about atheists. They are just like the rest of mankind, whether they like and admit to it or not.
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13. By FuriousBlue on Feb 13, 2008 | Reply

    Yeah, that's pretty much exactly what it is. Although a lot of thiests like to distort the definition into "belief that there is not a god" which is inaccurate.
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