"Atheist"--the term itself

[Curious George]

Exactly. It's a very strange phenomenon. I wonder, is it possible that anyone can maintain both propositions as true simultaneous in a normal brain?

Yes

 

[Curious George]

How could there be a term "atheist" when there was no term "theist"? None of those terms simply didn't exist yet.Seriously? No. For deism we have adeism.

I thought 80ism was a belief that stonewash was cool.

 

[Augustus]

I doubt it.

Provide sources.

For someone who spend so much time quoting the dictionary, you probably should be able to work this one out yourself. Now, where can we find out about the history of word usage?


1678 R. Cudworth True Intellect. Syst. Universe Pref. sig. ***2, Nor indeed out of a meer Partiall Regard to that Cause of Theism neither, which we were engaged in.
1709 Ld. Shaftesbury Moralists i. ii. 28, I consider..that to be a settled Christian, it is necessary to be first of all a good Theist. For Theism can only be oppos'd to Polytheism, or Atheism.
a1774 A. Tucker Light of Nature (1834) II. 323 We find the introduction of theism, that is, the doctrine of an intelligent Agent, the Author of nature,..claimed for Pythagoras.
1841 M. Elphinstone Hist. India I. ii. iv. 163 The theism inculcated by the Védas..has been supplanted by a system of gross polytheism and idolatry.
1877 R. Flint Theism i. 18 Theism is the doctrine that the universe owes its existence, and continuance..to the reason and will of a self-existent Being... It is the doctrine that nature has a Creator and Preserver.
1888 F. L. Patton Syllabus Lect. Theism 1 (Funk) Theism may be considered religiously [as embracing] polytheism, pantheism, monotheism (theism par excellence).


http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/200296

Since "atheist" came first, "Theism" could therefore only mean one thing

What about when it meant deism?

 

[Augustus]

Problem solved:

Theism - A morbid condition characterized by headache, sleeplessness, and palpitation of the heart, caused by excessive tea-drinking.

1906 Daily News 14 Sept. 6 It is well to keep an eye on ‘acute caffeism’ and ‘chronic theism’.

http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/200297

Atheism just means an absence of a morbid condition characterized by headache, sleeplessness, and palpitation of the heart, caused by excessive tea-drinking.

 

[Willamena]

Yes it is. Do you notice that the word "atheism" is included in the expression "strong atheism"?The expression "strong atheism" consists of two words, the word "strong" and the word "atheism". The word atheism means "absence of belief in the existence of gods" and the word "strong" indicates that not only is there an "absence of belief in the existence of gods" but there's in addition a presence of belief that gods don't exist. Do you have any real interest in understanding this or are you just playing?

You're the one playing at avoiding answering to the contradiction.

 

[outhouse]

For someone who spend so much time quoting the dictionary, you probably should be able to work this one out yourself. Now, where can we find out about the history of word usage?


1678 R. Cudworth True Intellect. Syst. Universe Pref. sig. ***2, Nor indeed out of a meer Partiall Regard to that Cause of Theism neither, which we were engaged in.
1709 Ld. Shaftesbury Moralists i. ii. 28, I consider..that to be a settled Christian, it is necessary to be first of all a good Theist. For Theism can only be oppos'd to Polytheism, or Atheism.
a1774 A. Tucker Light of Nature (1834) II. 323 We find the introduction of theism, that is, the doctrine of an intelligent Agent, the Author of nature,..claimed for Pythagoras.
1841 M. Elphinstone Hist. India I. ii. iv. 163 The theism inculcated by the Védas..has been supplanted by a system of gross polytheism and idolatry.
1877 R. Flint Theism i. 18 Theism is the doctrine that the universe owes its existence, and continuance..to the reason and will of a self-existent Being... It is the doctrine that nature has a Creator and Preserver.
1888 F. L. Patton Syllabus Lect. Theism 1 (Funk) Theism may be considered religiously [as embracing] polytheism, pantheism, monotheism (theism par excellence).


http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/200296

Nothing there proves or even shows atheist being 2000 years older, then he word theist. That goes back to theos

Your research lacks credibility as 1617 is the origin for theism.

1565-75; < Greek áthe (os) godless + -ist For atheist


So roughly 50 years NOT 2000 as you erroneously claimed

 

[ArtieE]

You're the one playing at avoiding answering to the contradiction.

There's no contradiction and I wrote a clear and concise and perfectly understandable explanation. Since it was just a waste of time I won't answer any more of your posts for the time being just so you know...

 

[Augustus]

So roughly 100 years NOT 2000 as you erroneously claimed

We know the word atheist was used in other languages long before that. Can you find the word theist being used?

I doubt the ancients had much use for a word describing generic belief in gods.

Anyway it still predates theist so the point still stands

 

[outhouse]

We know the word atheist was used in other languages long before that. Can you find the word theist being used?

I doubt the ancients had no such use for a word describing generic belief in gods.

Anyway it still predates theist so the point still stands

You just made up the 2000 year difference?

 

[Willamena]

All atheists have an absence of belief in the existence of gods.

They don't believe in gods.

That doesn't mean anything is absent. For the strong atheist, who believes there are no gods, who has a world perfectly full of things that do exist, there is nothing absent. Certainly not things that don't exist.

 

[Mister Emu]

Toasters can't be theists even when they grow up.

Rhetoric.

My predictive powers are amazing!

Toasters can't be theists even when they grow up.

Babies can't be theists when they die in infancy. So is the atheism of babies state-dependent upon their growing up? Are they in a sort of quantum state of atheism and not-capable of atheism until they reach the threshold of cognitive capacity? Is this whole defense of labeling babies absurd? At least I can answer the last question with a resounding yes.

That's the problem, you refer to a credible term as specious.

Yes, you've expressed your credulity several times.

I doubt it.

Provide sources.

Really? Atheos was used to describe those who denied the gods millennia before the advent of the word Theism, before the English language even existed.

edit: I don't believe the historic use of the word is overly valuable, definitions change with time they aren't immutable. But atheist as a term is thousands of years older than theist.

 

[outhouse]

Is this whole defense of labeling babies absurd?

We know that what you think it is. I know my child was born an atheist and remained that way until about 8 years old.

Atheos was used to describe those who denied the gods millennia before the advent of the word Theism, before the English language even existed.

I counter with theos, your moving goal post, I expect better from you.

 

[prometheus11]

For someone who spend so much time quoting the dictionary, you probably should be able to work this one out yourself. Now, where can we find out about the history of word usage?


1678 R. Cudworth True Intellect. Syst. Universe Pref. sig. ***2, Nor indeed out of a meer Partiall Regard to that Cause of Theism neither, which we were engaged in.
1709 Ld. Shaftesbury Moralists i. ii. 28, I consider..that to be a settled Christian, it is necessary to be first of all a good Theist. For Theism can only be oppos'd to Polytheism, or Atheism.
a1774 A. Tucker Light of Nature (1834) II. 323 We find the introduction of theism, that is, the doctrine of an intelligent Agent, the Author of nature,..claimed for Pythagoras.
1841 M. Elphinstone Hist. India I. ii. iv. 163 The theism inculcated by the Védas..has been supplanted by a system of gross polytheism and idolatry.
1877 R. Flint Theism i. 18 Theism is the doctrine that the universe owes its existence, and continuance..to the reason and will of a self-existent Being... It is the doctrine that nature has a Creator and Preserver.
1888 F. L. Patton Syllabus Lect. Theism 1 (Funk) Theism may be considered religiously [as embracing] polytheism, pantheism, monotheism (theism par excellence).


http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/200296



What about when it meant deism?

Deism is specific. Theism isn't and it includes deism. Are you suggesting the terms were swapped at some point?

 

[Ouroboros]

Curious position. If a boxer is a theist and is knocked out he stops being a theist until he regains consciousness again? If a boxer is not a theist and is knocked out he stops being not a theist until he regains consciousness again?

What about dead people? Are they atheists or theists?

 

[prometheus11]

We know the word atheist was used in other languages long before that. Can you find the word theist being used?

I doubt the ancients had much use for a word describing generic belief in gods.

Anyway it still predates theist so the point still stands

So? Does your point negate language usage and root word meanings?

 

[prometheus11]

What about dead people? Are they atheists or theists?

Neither. They're in the same category as rocks. They lack belief, but they lack the concept of lack, too.

 

[ArtieE]

What about dead people? Are they atheists or theists?

If they are in heaven or hell they're probably theists. If not who knows....

 

[Deidre]

I have a friend offline who is an atheist (well, most of my friends are atheists) and she said one day something quite poignant...''I don't like the term atheist, lack of belief in a god. I don't lack anything.''

 

[outhouse]

If they are in heaven or hell they're probably theists. If not who knows....

Atheist have a special place to go when their dead, besides heaven and or hell, a morgue.

Oh wait theist go there to, its not special anymore

 

[Ouroboros]

Neither. They're in the same category as rocks. They lack belief, but they lack the concept of lack, too.

What do you have against dead people?

Well, what about brain dead or coma? Someone in coma, then wake up, were they atheists during the coma period?