12 Responses to “What is an atheist~? Definition, etc?”

1. By Paul B on Oct 21, 2008 | Reply

   Atheists simply don't believe in the existence of any deity. Nothing more, nothing less.

   I wouldn't say I'm "fixed in my (dis)belief"… If somebody can show me evidence for a deity, I'll pay attention.
   References :

2. By SD on Oct 21, 2008 | Reply

   Atheists are people that are able to say that there is no God because they have look absolutely everywhere for him (or her which ever your belief is.
   Agnostics say that there is no God but admit that they have not yet looked every where so for the moment they will believe that He (or She) doesn’t exist.
   Seeing as there is no one on this planet that has looked everywhere there shouldn’t be any atheists.
   References :

3. By Isaac Newton is my Homeboy! on Oct 21, 2008 | Reply

   varies from person to person.
   generally
   atheists = believes in no god/s
   agnostic = maybe there is, maybe there isn’t

   but like any religion the beliefs vary.
   References :

4. By trinity on Oct 21, 2008 | Reply

   I believe that Atheist = No God, Agnostic= show me the proof please.

   Or then again, I could be wrong. lol
   Blessings on your quest for clarification of such terms.

   )o(
   trinity
   References :

5. By interested1208 on Oct 21, 2008 | Reply

   I don’t choose not to believe. I just accept that there aren’t any gods to start with. There is a difference. But that’s about it…
   References :
   IMHO

6. By Robert Abuse on Oct 21, 2008 | Reply

   The only belief that is fixed is `there are no gods` that is all.

   (It does that, American software I think, it does the same thing to most words, tries to exchange `ess` for `zed` and attempts to remove `u` from most words that use it. Just keep a wary eye on it and don`t let it fool you)
   References :

7. By catty blond on Oct 21, 2008 | Reply

   Essentially, an atheist is a person who rejects the concept
   of god. The word “atheist” is derived from the Greek word
   iheos, which means “god” or “gods.” The word theology, for example,
   refers to the “study of god.” When the negative prefix a is
   added to theos, the derivative form becomes atheist and simply
   means “without god,” just as asexual reproduction means reproduction without sex

   the word “atheist” means a rejection of all supernatural beings and phenomena that are normally associated with the idea of god. Atheists, for example, do not believe in Heaven, Hell, devils, angels, miracles, holy ghosts, or rising from the dead.

   In short, an Atheist is someone who has no invisible means of support.”
   References :
   Atheist Universe

8. By rac (euro atheist) on Oct 21, 2008 | Reply

   An atheist believes in no god. They may or may not deny the possibility of any gods existing.

   Agnostics are not sure whether gods exist or not. Although unsure, they may still believe or not believe there are any.

   So you can be both atheist and agnostic.

   Oh, and YA thinks that any 2 punctuation marks in sequence is too much punctuation, and any 2 caps in sequence means you have the caps lock on..
   References :

9. By Ctr 4 Atheist Secular Evangelism on Oct 21, 2008 | Reply

   There are two definitions for atheist:-

   1. Orthodox, a-theo-ist, believes there is no God in a positive way. Such people are usually convinced of arguments that God cannot exist because his definition is internally contradictory or contrary to the observed nature of the universe.

   2. Modern, a-theist, has no positive belief in a God. This is usually the “not enough evidence” crowd.

   Please note, a person does not have to examine all angles and aspects of the universe to determine God doesn’t exist. Merely compare the definition with that which is capable of existence.

   Also, YA spell checker is nuts. It thinks using a comma is too much punctuation.
   References :

10. By ZER0 C00L •AM• •VT• •student• on Oct 21, 2008 | Reply

    Atheism: a lack of belief in the existence of god(s).

    Atheist: a person who lacks believe in the existence of god(s).
    References :

11. By Lion in a Cage on Oct 21, 2008 | Reply

    i was born an Atheist and will die as an Atheist
    References :

12. By xwrathbringerx on Oct 22, 2008 | Reply

    SOURCE #1: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atheism

    Atheists believe in the nonexistence of gods OR reject theism (the belief of at least one god). It is also defined more broadly as those who have an absence of belief in deities.

    Many self-described atheists are skeptical of all supernatural beings and cite a lack of empirical evidence for the existence of deities. Others argue for atheism on philosophical, social or historical grounds. Although many self-described atheists tend toward secular philosophies such as humanism and naturalism, there is no one ideology or set of behaviors to which all atheists adhere; and some religions, such as Jainism and Buddhism, do not require belief in a personal god.

    SOURCE #2: http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/mathew/intro.html

    Atheists are characterised by an absence of belief in the existence of gods. This absence of belief generally comes about either through deliberate choice or from an inherent inability to believe religious teachings which seem literally incredible. It is not a lack of belief born out of simple ignorance of religious teachings.

    Some atheists go beyond a mere absence of belief in gods: they actively believe that particular gods, or all gods, do not exist. Just lacking belief in Gods is often referred to as the “weak atheist” position; whereas believing that gods do not (or cannot) exist is known as “strong atheism.”

    SOURCE #3: http://www.carm.org/atheism/atheism.htm

    Some definitions of atheist by atheists:

    •”An atheist is someone who believes and/or knows there is no god.”
    •”An atheist lacks belief in a god.”
    •”An atheist exercises no faith in the concept of god at all.”
    •”An atheist is someone who is free from religious oppression and bigotry.”
    •”An atheist is someone who is a free-thinker, free from religion and its ideas.”

    Agnostic atheists are those who deny God’s existence based on an examination of evidence. Agnosticism means ‘not knowing,’ or ‘no knowledge.’ They have looked at the evidence and have concluded that there is no God but they say they are open to further evidence for God’s existence.

    Hence, in answer to your question: There are many different types of atheists and they fall into different categories. Agnostic atheists are those that want more details. ‘Strong’ atheists claim there is NO God and are fixed in their beliefs.
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