"I believe there isn't a god, though of course it's possible I could be wrong since nobody knows everything. I consider it pretty unlikely though, and I'm going to live my life as though there's no god until I see some decent evidence to the contrary."
And if you call it "agnostic", then how do you differentiate it from this position?:
"I have no idea what to think about the existence of a god: maybe there is, maybe there ain't. I expect we'll never know for sure."
Essentially, you're insisting that you don't really believe something if you admit even a faint possibility that you might be wrong. I hear this a lot, and I think it stems from failure to understand that in religions, unswerving belief is seen as a good thing, whereas for scientists it's a bad thing.
And if you call it "agnostic", then how do you differentiate it from this position?:
"I have no idea what to think about the existence of a god: maybe there is, maybe there ain't. I expect we'll never know for sure."
Essentially, you're insisting that you don't really believe something if you admit even a faint possibility that you might be wrong. I hear this a lot, and I think it stems from failure to understand that in religions, unswerving belief is seen as a good thing, whereas for scientists it's a bad thing.
Vigilantibus non dormientibus jura subveniunt.
—Nous disons en allemand : le guerre, le mort, le lune, alors que 'soleil' et 'amour' sont du sexe féminin : la soleil, la amour. La vie est neutre.
—La vie ? Neutre ? C'est très joli, et surtout très logique.
—Nous disons en allemand : le guerre, le mort, le lune, alors que 'soleil' et 'amour' sont du sexe féminin : la soleil, la amour. La vie est neutre.
—La vie ? Neutre ? C'est très joli, et surtout très logique.
Do you know the best way to anger an atheist?
28/02/2012 07:10:57 PM
- 1857 Views
Or, you could baptize one of them, posthumously.
28/02/2012 07:32:48 PM
- 1188 Views
I can't think of any reason for an atheist to be annoyed by that.
28/02/2012 11:08:44 PM
- 946 Views
Well, for starters, it's really effing rude.
28/02/2012 11:31:36 PM
- 984 Views
It is an act of love.
29/02/2012 12:34:03 AM
- 1009 Views
Everyone does it for that reason? (edits for clarity)
29/02/2012 10:27:02 AM
- 898 Views
I have some disturbing news for you...
29/02/2012 06:42:41 PM
- 946 Views
For anyone reading this: the guy above is wrong, and I am admitting that to you on his behalf, so
29/02/2012 07:15:38 PM
- 956 Views
Maybe without realizing it, you have articulated....
29/02/2012 07:24:13 PM
- 811 Views
I actually find that conversation quite interesting.
29/02/2012 08:18:35 PM
- 934 Views
Re: I actually find that conversation quite interesting.
29/02/2012 09:07:06 PM
- 957 Views
I cannot possibly agree more with these two paragraphs of yours...
29/02/2012 09:28:09 PM
- 968 Views
I find the Fall perhaps the most interesting part.
02/03/2012 09:05:29 AM
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Re: I find the Fall perhaps the most interesting part.
02/03/2012 06:26:06 PM
- 1109 Views
There are 3 critical distinctions: 1) Ability to sin, 2) Awareness of sin and 3) Appreciation of sin
05/03/2012 04:08:36 AM
- 879 Views
It is not an act of love to defy the beliefs of a loved one.
29/02/2012 02:32:45 PM
- 1054 Views
Rape? That is ridiculous.
29/02/2012 05:26:13 PM
- 957 Views
It's a bit of hyperbole, but not too far from it, imo
29/02/2012 05:45:39 PM
- 989 Views
"Spiritual rape" might be going a bit far, but otherwise that sounds about right.
02/03/2012 08:06:48 AM
- 1018 Views
Isn't religion different than faith, though?
28/02/2012 07:44:07 PM
- 1013 Views
Yeah that's pretty much what I said
28/02/2012 08:21:56 PM
- 803 Views
that won't work on Buddists
28/02/2012 09:21:48 PM
- 952 Views
For some reason I always imagine Buddhists as the monk class on RPG games... *NM*
28/02/2012 10:13:27 PM
- 473 Views
That's always been my view of the issue. Half-assed non-religious types are just as obnoxious too.
28/02/2012 10:34:12 PM
- 1167 Views
Seems a got both a pat on the back and a scathing rebuke. I call that a good day
28/02/2012 11:57:45 PM
- 1235 Views
Best way to anger an atheist, by declaring all atheists are the same. *NM*
28/02/2012 10:38:51 PM
- 616 Views
Common error number 1: "Atheism isn't a lack of belief, but rather a belief that God doesn't exist."
28/02/2012 11:18:23 PM
- 1097 Views
Curiously, anger at statements of simple obvious facts is a hallmark of religious fundamentalism.
29/02/2012 10:27:29 AM
- 1037 Views
What you're doing there is defining "atheist" and "agnostic" in a way that suits you, but...
29/02/2012 11:50:27 AM
- 836 Views
What I am doing is using the terms as they were universally used until about the time I was born.
05/03/2012 01:11:21 AM
- 972 Views
So what do you call this position?:
05/03/2012 08:43:20 AM
- 929 Views
I call them both agnostic, but the former leans toward atheism while the latter has no lean.
05/03/2012 10:53:02 AM
- 982 Views
See, there you go again, defining atheism in such a way as to make it sound ridiculous.
05/03/2012 11:21:17 AM
- 805 Views
Well, is unswerving belief a good thing, or not?
05/03/2012 11:57:05 AM
- 1034 Views
What's happening
05/03/2012 02:24:41 PM
- 1015 Views
Conversationally, DKs use of "atheism" at the start of this convo is the only practical definition.
07/03/2012 03:10:18 AM
- 1322 Views
Oh really? The guy who was doing it to annoy people?
07/03/2012 09:53:38 PM
- 920 Views
The guy who was doing it to annoy atheists based on the terms technical and popular meaning, yes.
11/03/2012 04:04:36 AM
- 795 Views
Whatever.
12/03/2012 12:39:24 AM
- 1236 Views
I understand that as "I completely agree."
13/03/2012 12:11:18 AM
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I have known very few people who "believe" their religion from rearing and actually understand it.
29/02/2012 12:08:01 PM
- 1164 Views
I thought that was "best way to make an atheist roll his/her eyes at you"? *NM*
29/02/2012 11:05:21 PM
- 566 Views