Atheist Activism

[Willamena]

process of elimination doesn't result in the abscence of everything. just results in an absence of deity, not an absence in beliefs.


still a belief system. a belief system has no requirement of deity. thats why it's called a "belief" system.

the system is made up of belief(s)

the word belief modifies the noun as an adjective.

I think you're speaking of a worldview, rather than a 'system' of beliefs.

 

[Willamena]

"Atheism" is a a cut-and-dry non belief.
I don't think beliefs necessarily comprise 'whole worlds.' Most beliefs are mundane; insignificant.
"Theism" may be composed around a belief, but atheism is not a belief. What can be composed around nothing?

Atheism isn't nothing.

 

[kittykittyhatesme]

If atheism isn't a belief system, why do atheists act from it and theist react to it? Can we have our cake and eat it too?

"The lady doth protest too much, methinks" - Queen Gertrude - Hamlet - Williamshakespeare


Freedom From Religion Foundation - Freedom From Religion Foundation

We take action because religious individuals hold power at every level of government and create/legislate laws, and make important decisions that are influenced by their religious beliefs. Many of these are decisions made solely due to religious doctrine.

 

[Rival]

We take action because religious individuals hold power at every level of government and create/legislate laws, and make important decisions that are influenced by their religious beliefs. Many of these are decisions made solely due to religious doctrine.

Uh, no, no they don't.

Welcome to the wonderful world of this isn't just the USA.

 

[Revoltingest]

Atheism is REACTIVE rather than PROACTIVE.

Wrongo pongo.
I've never believed in any god.
This was true even before I knew of religion.
It was neither reactive nor proactive...just a natural state.
Could even be that everyone starts out as an atheist, just as I did.
But some are then offered religion, & they react by abandoning their atheism.

Of course, for some people becoming an atheist is a reaction to religion.

 

[Blastcat]

If atheism isn't a belief system, why do atheists act from it and theist react to it? Can we have our cake and eat it too?

1. Atheism isn't a belief system.
2. People can react to concepts

amen




Freedom From Religion Foundation - Freedom From Religion Foundation

 

[Blastcat]

i think again is a belief.

you're defending your belief, your position, with another belief

you insist that atheism is a belief
that's your problem

amen

 

[Blastcat]

Fool, post: 5677390, member: 59127

"i never stated that atheism is a religion. i stated it's a belief system."

What on earth to mean "system"... atheism is a position on one topic, that's it. Atheism doesn't have a theology, a morality. rituals, dogma, or host of characters. Atheism is not a method, it has no goals.

When you say system, you want to make atheism sound like a religion, which DOES have a system.


amen

 

[ecco]

a belief is being used to act/react and defend/support a belief.

it's obvious you are and using belief to do it.

people act from belief

does not "seem" is a belief.

atheists have beliefs

If atheism isn't a belief system, why do atheists act from it and theist react to it? Can we have our cake and eat it too?

What, exactly, is the point you are trying to make other than the fact that you like to use and misuse the word "belief"?

 

[Willamena]

I can say that I don't believe in Bigfoot. Does that speak to a belief that I hold about Bigfoot?

You can bet your bottom dollar that it does.

 

[ecco]

Atheism has motivational effect, they are not passive many a time, they do it actively and many a time proactively in other words they assert it but they never give evidences for their stance/world-view.
Right, please?

Regards

I find it hard to believe that anyone who has read and posted in these forums could seriously state "they assert it but they never give evidences for their stance/world-view."

Just because many theists and creos dismiss evidence does not mean that none has been given.

 

[ecco]

Repeat: Atheism isn't a belief there are no Gods.

I guess atheist have different views on this. My atheism is certainly based on the belief that there are no gods.

be·lief
bəˈlēf/
noun
1.
an acceptance that a statement is true or that something exists.​

I accept that the statement "There are no gods" is true.

Actually, I believe most atheists share that view.


The words "believe" and "faith" have multiple definitions, one of which I cited above. Theists often try to conflate the various definitions.

 

[sealchan]

no

people act from belief; when not acting from knowledge. a mind reacts to the unknown with belief from prior experience; whether that prior experience is relevant, or not. babies react to the unknown, adults also.


i never stated that atheism is a religion. i stated it's a belief system. you're trying to make religion synonymous with belief. they aren't. we learn from the unknown all the time by using what we know and testing it against what we don't know.

we come into this would, unconscious of this world and by slow steps learn how to navigate the unknown.

This is a good description of the value of belief. Science also employs a similar methodology. One poster here suggested that you might be equivocating atheism with something else...in this case you might be trying to pick a fight with science via atheism. Atheists like to keep these things separate because they are. But like twins they seem to always be around together.

 

[Fool]

I think you're speaking of a worldview, rather than a 'system' of beliefs.

world view is still a belief system.

the words view, think, believe, opinion, idea, faith, all are belief remarks. they have nothing to do with facts. judgements of good and evil are opinions along the spectrum of service. they are internalized thoughts that are based on personal choices.

externalized events aren't beliefs. they are observable. upon seeing a cat a person knows its a cat having seen one. upon seeing a cat; if a person says that is a good cat that is a belief. they've quantified the cat.

 

[Fool]

What, exactly, is the point you are trying to make other than the fact that you like to use and misuse the word "belief"?

two points here:

1st ad hominems have nothing to do with the subject
2nd you're using a belief in regards to my use of the word belief.

atheism can be broken down into 3 parts

a - means without
the - means god
ism - means philosophy

philosophy is a belief system

yet atheist continue to use belief to support their non-belief. beliefs can be both negative and positive.

two beliefs are primarily needed in order to be atheist. 1. no belief in a god. 2. no belief in gods

just as both negative and postive numbers are a movement away from the other; so is atheism and theism

then atheist form other beliefs in relationship to how self should behave and other self too.

every conscious human being has a belief system that they function from

 

[Fool]

This is a good description of the value of belief. Science also employs a similar methodology. One poster here suggested that you might be equivocating atheism with something else...in this case you might be trying to pick a fight with science via atheism. Atheists like to keep these things separate because they are. But like twins they seem to always be around together.

science works with what it doesn't know all the time by speculating. it doesn't drop belief from the process. it works with it by questioning it, not ignoring what it doesn't know but making a best guess even if it might be wrong.

better to believe and question it than not believe and ignore what you don't understand all along. you can't question what you refuse to ignore.

out of sight, out of mind?


the problem with some theist is that they don't question their beliefs. the problem with some atheists is that keep claiming they have no beliefs to question.

atheists aren't all knowing

 

[ecco]

Atheism isn't a cut and dry belief system.

Types of atheism

From you link...

So to clear things up, here are 17 kinds of atheism,

1. Difference in Knowledge
A gnostic atheist not only believes there are no gods, he also claims to know there are no gods.
2. Difference in Affirmation
A positive atheist not only lacks a belief in gods, but also affirms that no gods exist
​

He then goes on to describe how different people use or act on their belief system.
For example...

5. Difference in Openness
A closet atheist has not yet revealed his disbelief to most people.
An open atheist has revealed his disbelief to most people.​

So to clear things up, here are NOT 17 kinds of atheism,

I don't understand why you posted that link. What was your purpose? Did you not see that his conclusion about "17 kinds of atheism" is completely bogus? Did you actually read and understand the contents of the article?

 

[dianaiad]

Common misconception.

Atheists are people, and therefore agents. But atheism is not a motivation even for us.

Anti-theism can be a motivation. Reaction to presumption of theism from the social environment may be a motivation. Even existential angst hypothetically related to atheism might conceivably be a motivation.

But Atheism proper is not a motivation.

.....and neither is 'theism proper.' The problem here is the fallacy of composition, and though both sides commit it, atheists seem to be more wedded to it. In fact, both sides commit the same brand.

Theists, when some atheistic group does something VERY 'religious like killing people because they are religious, or trying to pass laws prohibiting religious rights and freedoms, attack ALL atheists, not acknowledging that while some atheistic groups may be anti-theist, not ALL are.

Atheistic groups which may be guilty of attempting to limit religious rights, when getting reamed for doing something horrific, claim that since the whole class 'atheism' means only 'non belief in deity,' then ALL atheists have ONLY that property. That is, if 'atheism' is innocent of wrong doing (since it's only property is non-belief) then all atheists are equally innocent of pushing their non-beliefs upon others.

As for me, if it walks like a duck, etc., it's a duck. An atheistic group that does exactly the sort of thing that they claim only religions do (that is, attempt to force their opinions regarding deity upon others by law or means more coercive than talking) that group, to me, is just as 'religious' as any hide bound Puritan 'put 'em in the stocks for being late to meeting" group ever found.

Quack.

 

[Fool]

Fool, post: 5677390, member: 59127

"i never stated that atheism is a religion. i stated it's a belief system."

What on earth to mean "system"... atheism is a position on one topic, that's it. Atheism doesn't have a theology, a morality. rituals, dogma, or host of characters. Atheism is not a method, it has no goals.

When you say system, you want to make atheism sound like a religion, which DOES have a system.


amen

you're implying atheist don't have mores that they follow? mores are cultural. they are personal choices in relationship to others that were chosen based on belief of what is qualitative to the person, culture.

 

[Fool]

From you link...

So to clear things up, here are 17 kinds of atheism,

1. Difference in Knowledge
A gnostic atheist not only believes there are no gods, he also claims to know there are no gods.
2. Difference in Affirmation
A positive atheist not only lacks a belief in gods, but also affirms that no gods exist
​

He then goes on to describe how different people use or act on their belief system.
For example...

5. Difference in Openness
A closet atheist has not yet revealed his disbelief to most people.
An open atheist has revealed his disbelief to most people.​

So to clear things up, here are NOT 17 kinds of atheism,

I don't understand why you posted that link. What was your purpose? Did you not see that his conclusion about "17 kinds of atheism" is completely bogus? Did you actually read and understand the contents of the article?

so you're arguing the no true scotsman fallacy?

you obviously ignored the hindu atheists and the christian. obviously atheism isn't just about god, or gods. in those instances it was the persons relationship to others and self.