A poll for our Atheist members.

[Bunyip]

Quagmire

Given that you missed it - here is the main point under contention;

Sure, I believe that there are no gods. At the same time my atheism refers to my lack of a belief in a god.
You see a contradiction there that many of the participants here do not see.

Which is why so many participants have pointed out that they do not see disbelief and the absence of belief as mutually exclusive.

 

[Quagmire]

Quagmire

Given that you missed it - here is the main point under contention;

Sure, I believe that there are no gods. At the same time my atheism refers to my lack of a belief in a god.
You see a contradiction there that many of the participants here do not see.

Which is why so many participants have pointed out that they do not see disbelief and the absence of belief as mutually exclusive.

If there's actually a point in that mess somewhere, I'm sure I'll get the opportunity to discuss it in here with someone who's actually willing to have a reasonable discussion.

And without all the pointless hysterics.

 

[Bunyip]

If there's actually a point in that mess somewhere, I'm sure I'll get the opportunity to discuss it in here with someone who's actually willing to have a reasonable discussion.

And without all the pointless hysterics.

Grow up mate. There were no hysterics. You are whinging about nothing. The only party refusing to have a reasonable discussion on this thread so far is you buddy.

 

[Quagmire]

Grow up mate. There were no hysterics. You are whinging about nothing. The only party refusing to have a reasonable discussion on this thread so far is you buddy.

Listen, for the sake of not polluting this or the other thread any further I'm going to just stop responding to you.

Rant all you like from here on in, I'm not even going to read it.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

This question:

What I'm asking each person qualified to vote in the poll is: do you merely lack a belief in deity? Or are do you hold a definite opinion that there i no deity?

Will not give you the answer you say you're looking for:

I'm mainly trying to gauge what most people in here mean when they say "I'm an atheist".

It's like the difference between "do you wear a blue shirt while playing tennis?" and "do you think that a blue shirt is *needed* to play tennis?"

 

[Quagmire]

This question:



Will not give you the answer you say you're looking for:



It's like the difference between "do you wear a blue shirt while playing tennis?" and "do you think that a blue shirt is *needed* to play tennis?"

No it isn't, man. It's like the difference between: "Are you unconvinced there's a God?" and "Are you convinced that there is no God." There's a gradation there, and while everyone in the second category would by necessity also fall into the first category, not everyone in the first category would necessarily fall into the second.

And IMO if you add "Merely" to the first option: as in "Are you merely unconvinced there's a God?", anyone from the second category who also tries to claim membership in the first is either being dishonest or doesn't understand the question.

 

[Rick O'Shez]

I think we atheists should be as inclusive as possible, new members are welcome.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

No it isn't, man. It's like the difference between: "Are you unconvinced there's a God?" and "Are you convinced that there is no God." There's a gradation there, and while everyone in the second category would by necessity also fall into the first category, not everyone in the first category would necessarily fall into the second.

So you aren't interested in knowing what people mean when they say "I'm an atheist"?

And IMO if you add "Merely" to the first option: as in "Are you merely unconvinced there's a God?", anyone from the second category who also tries to claim membership in the first is either being dishonest or doesn't understand the question.

I don't understand the question, honestly. It isn't the "merely" that's giving me trouble, it's the "as an atheist".

I'm not sure what the difference is supposed to be between "I merely lack belief in God" and "as an atheist, I merely lack belief in God."

I can take that one of two ways:

- "I'm an atheist, and I merely lack belief in God"
- "merely lacking belief in God is what makes me an atheist"

... and I'm not sure which one you intended.[/I]

 

[Quagmire]

So you aren't interested in knowing what people mean when they say "I'm an atheist"?


I don't understand the question, honestly. It isn't the "merely" that's giving me trouble, it's the "as an atheist".

Well then maybe I should have just included "Atheist" in the title and left it out of the poll..

I'm not sure what the difference is supposed to be between "I merely lack belief in God" and "as an atheist, I merely lack belief in God."

There is no difference, and those weren't the poll options.

I can take that one of two ways:

- "I'm an atheist, and I merely lack belief in God"
- "merely lacking belief in God is what makes me an atheist"

... and I'm not sure which one you intended.

[/I]

Either one will do but they're both versions of option 1.

I wasn't asking people "What makes you an atheist", I was asking atheists what their personal belief---or opinion if that tastes better--- about the existence of God looked like:

--- "I just don't hold a belief in God(s)

or

--- "I'm of a definite opinion that there is/are no God(s)"

 

[Quagmire]

I think we atheists should be as inclusive as possible, new members are welcome.

Can my cat join? He almost never looks at the ceiling.

 

[ADigitalArtist]

I am an atheist who lacks beliefs in gods, in general. However, there are some gods which I actively reject due to various reasons. (Self-defeating definitions, wouldn't work with the known universe, etc.) I'm also an atheistic apatheist, since I wouldn't change my behavior or decide to worship any god even if one existed. So I would live as if there were no gods even if there were. (See atheist wager.)