Learner
Veteran Member
Perhaps not so far off to no-one-particular I am not religious myself (by any faith) nor do I completely discount Creation as would an Atheist. Although fair to say ... I am an Agnostic of sorts.
Someone can believe sometimes, and not believe at other times, and not define themselves as either "atheist" or "theist". I've had many experiences that point towards something, although at times I tend to think it may be a plot to make me into a willing slave (so I have to avoid working).Hate to be the one to break it to you, but that still makes you an atheist. If you don't believe (including saying you don't know, or some variation thereof) in god then you're an atheist. It's a binary position; you either do, or do not. Saying "I don't know" is an added qualifier, but doesn't represent some third option: it's functionally the same as saying you don't believe.
Then perhaps you should define and describe this middle path, rather than offer a list of things you think you're not.As a follower of the middle path I consider myself to be neither a theist nor an atheist.
When my kid was little, he decided that he was white.No I'm not agnostic either. I'm not undecided. I have decided and I choose neither.
Then what's the right question to ask?Sometimes the answer to a question is that it's the wrong question to ask.
Polaris.Whats north of the North Pole?
A rational person would know what the word means and could identify rather easily whether or not therre are people in the room to which the word can be expected to apply.A rational person could answer the question "do black people exist" with a yes or no but a rational person would not be able to answer the question "Do n-----s exist" with a yes or no.
Unless we're slapping palms and saying 'W'as'up, nigger.' Not everyone who disagrees with you is not rational.The difference between a black person and a n----- is that we see the latter as being all bad
Noooooo..... we used to spread shit on the fields, back on the farm.The difference between poo and s--- is that we see the latter as being all bad. Good for nothing. Fit only for damnation.
I honestly don't comprehend how this has anything at all to do with whether or not you believe that there are things in the universe to which the termIn reality nothing is all good or all bad. Even God would have a shadow, though many people, consciously or unconsciously, think otherwise.
Um...no, it's not.The concept of God, like the concept of n----, is such that its impossible to answer the question "does God exist" with a simple yes or no.
Perhaps not so far off to no-one-particular I am not religious myself (by any faith) nor do I completely discount Creation as would an Atheist. Although fair to say ... I am an Agnostic of sorts.
Someone can believe sometimes, and not believe at other times, and not define themselves as either "atheist" or "theist".
I've had many experiences that point towards something, although at times I tend to think it may be a plot to make me into a willing slave (so I have to avoid working).
Atheism and theism is just another way the rich have of scamming the poor.
Nope. Those labels are too strong, and they don't really define who a person is as a whole. You say a person is being atheistic when they focus on thoughts of non-belief. This does not define the person as an atheist. You can describe a person as being theistic, when they focus on belief in God. This does not define the person as a theist.Like I said in my post above; that doesn't mean you're not either a theist or an atheist. It also doesn't matter if you only 'sometimes' believe or not believe. You're an atheist in those moments you don't believe, and a theist in the moments that you do. There's no ambiguity there.
Nope. Those labels are too strong,
and they don't really define who a person is as a whole.
You say a person is being atheistic when they focus on thoughts of non-belief.
This does not define the person as an atheist. You can describe a person as being theistic, when they focus on belief in God. This does not define the person as a theist.
And truthfully, someone who knows God is an atheist, because they don't have belief in God, they simply know God, like they know 1+1=2. So you have that dichotomy too.
It's not like God is incapable of sneaking up on a theist or an atheist...
As the two groups continue to polarize, it becomes harder and harder to credit this sort of idiocy.There is no republicans vs democrats.
No, dystopian, he's not for real.There is no communists vs capitalists. There is no atheists vs theists. There is only rich vs poor.
Atheism and theism is just another way the rich have of scamming the poor.
As a follower of the middle path I consider myself to be neither a theist nor an atheist.
No I'm not agnostic either.
Sometimes the answer to the question is that it's the wrong question to be asking.
Whats north of the North Pole? Whats 1/0? Have you stopped beating your wife?
For myself, I'm an igtheist. I can be atheist or theist depending on the definition of god. I'm atheist to most known definitions, and agnostic about all unknown definitions. It's untrue to believe a person must be either atheist or theist, unless you have just one particular (and defined) god in mind.
Not if you look it up on the Merriam Webster website, as you well know (well, any atheist worth their salt should know the definitions that support the common modern usage of the word, rather than what atheists want the word to mean). It's a person who believes that there is no deity, or a person who believes that God does not exist.What I said, is that a person is an atheist when they LACK a belief in god. Nothing more, nothing less. You want to know why I said that? Because that's the fucking definition of the word 'atheist'.
For someone who cares about what words mean, you really don't seem to understand how they are used, and what they really mean. I have a disbelief in your understanding of what certain words mean, such as "disbelief".Again, because that's what the fucking words MEAN.
Theism; belief in the existence of a god or gods.
Atheism; disbelief in the existence of a god or gods.
Not if you look it up on the Merriam Webster website, as you well know (well, any atheist worth their salt should know the definitions that support the common modern usage of the word, rather than what atheists want the word to mean). It's a person who believes that there is no deity, or a person who believes that God does not exist.
Now, this is more along the lines of an antitheist than an atheist. But lacking belief being equated with belief against something... now that is totally biblical "those who are not for me, are against me." So you're basically fitting right in with the biblical definitions... you bibliophobic bible lover.... hahaha...
disbelief: the inability or refusal to believe or to accept something as true
It's just I don't say "I'm an atheist" when I'm looking at things from an atheistic perspective, unless I'm being very immature and childish, stomping my feet pretending God doesn't exist.
There is no republicans vs democrats. There is no communists vs capitalists. There is no atheists vs theists. There is only rich vs poor.
Atheism and theism is just another way the rich have of scamming the poor.
Yeah dumb dumb. Sure it does. Look up atheist, not atheism:Nonsense. The common usage of a word is often irrelevant to the actual meaning of the word. It is a *doctor* that gets to define medical terms, not a layperson. Similarly, it is an atheist who gets to define atheism; not 'society'. Incidentally, the merriam webster website does in fact use my definition. Not yours.
You're right. It isn't from the Merriam Webster dictionary.Incidentally, the definition for disbelief you've come up with is NOT what the merriam webster dictionary you so value gives as the definition of disbelief:
But not all of the gods are creator gods.Really the question is not about some imaginary being.
The question is about what we all can experience.
The question is: How did the universe get here?
And for some the answer is; Some sentient being or beings created it. This makes you a theist.
And for some the answer is: No sentient beings were involved. This makes you an atheist.
And for some the answer is; I don't know. This makes you an agnostic.
The creator god is the last refuge of the gods. We have better reasons to explain the winds and the weather than on some invisible gods.But not all of the gods are creator gods.
To me, the question of what happens when we die is far more important than where the universe came from. This would be true whether it was created by god(s), or merely found as god(s) was passing by. Are we judged? Is there anything we can do to improve the judge(s)' reaction? Is there a dependable rubric available to us, and can we identify it among all the man-made dross?