Poll: Are all babies atheist?

[Me Myself]

they cannot be atheist because that requires a conscience decision/thought.

They can only be born agnostic because they know nothing of anything when they are born.

You got it backwards

According to the oxford dictionary the LACK OF BELIEF in god is a form of atheism, but to be an agnostic you MUST BELIEVE that you dont know or cannot know about God or its nature.

Notice that ONE way of being an atheist is by lack of belief in god. The OTHER way is to directly disbelief.

 

[Monk Of Reason]

I voted that they are Atheists but just the strictest definition of the word. A LACK of a belief in god. They don't believe in god therefore they are A-theist. But its not that they really have an "opinion" on the matter. But strictly speaking they lack a belief in god ero atheist.

 

[Me Myself]

I voted other because while true (because sorry, it is) a baby is an atheist if you go by the perspective of direct believe or not, they obviously dont; I give major importance and I think it is more relevant and descriptive to say they are animists, given the way they react to everything around on more or less the same basis.

We are animists by nature.

 

[Monk Of Reason]

I say atheist just because of the technical term. But calling babies and rocks Atheists are seems unfair as they don't have the ability to contemplate the question. Its like calling them illeterate. They are but it doesn't mean anything.

 

[Me Myself]

I say atheist just because of the technical term. But calling babies and rocks Atheists are seems unfair as they don't have the ability to contemplate the question. Its like calling them illeterate. They are but it doesn't mean anything.

I see it exactly as saying they are illiterate.

Of course babies are illeterate. Its not wrong, its just fracking is o.o

 

[Willamena]

According to the oxford dictionary the LACK OF BELIEF in god is a form of atheism, but to be an agnostic you MUST BELIEVE that you dont know or cannot know about God or its nature.

If you don't know that you know, then no one does.

 

[Me Myself]

If you don't know that you know, then no one does.

If you know someone doesnt then some does now that such someone doesnt :sarcastic

Just cause the baby wont say s/he is an atheist doesnt mean s/he doesnt lack belief on god.

 

[Willamena]

Agnosticism isn't about belief.

 

[Me Myself]

Oxford dictionary

agnostic
Pronunciation: /agˈnɒstɪk/
Translate agnostic | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of agnostic
noun
a person who believes that nothing is known or can be known of the existence or nature of God.

 

[Ouroboros]

All babies are asantaclausists and aunicornists too. Just saying. Oh, and aflatearthists.

 

[Monk Of Reason]

All babies are asantaclausists and aunicornists too. Just saying. Oh, and aflatearthists.

True. But the idea that a baby is an atheist seems to also be an argument that alludes to atheism being the default or natrual position whilst theism is not. Though when considered in reality the argument seems almost stupid as its not a lack of belief based on careful consideration but the lack of the ability to believe. So in that scenario it feels a lot like a moot point.

 

[LuisDantas]

True. But the idea that a baby is an atheist seems to also be an argument that alludes to atheism being the default or natrual position whilst theism is not. Though when considered in reality the argument seems almost stupid as its not a lack of belief based on careful consideration but the lack of the ability to believe. So in that scenario it feels a lot like a moot point.

That only means that it is default atheism as opposed to a carefully chosen one, though. A meaningful distinction if you care about it.

 

[chinu]

All are innocent babies to God, atheism and theism are the measuring units of the scale through which "He" measures the height of babies, and finally God gets disappear by submitting the duty of measuring other babies, to the one who attains the height equal to the last unit of "His" measuring scale.

 

[Willamena]

All are innocent babies to God, atheism and theism are the measuring units of the scale through which "He" measures the height of babies, and finally God gets disappear by submitting the duty of measuring other babies, to the one who attains the height equal to the last unit of "His" measuring scale.

LOL. I like it.

 

[Musty]

If by atheist you mean don't believe in God then of course they are. There is no way a newborn baby can have the prerequisite knowledge of religion and the concept of God to be labelled as anything else.

 

[Willamena]

That only means that it is default atheism as opposed to a carefully chosen one, though. A meaningful distinction if you care about it.

It would appear most do (care about the distinction enough to declare themselves to one side of it).

 

[dawny0826]

I'd like to garner some idea of how many people believe what about the topic of babies being atheist.

The issue is in regard to 'atheism' being a response to 'theism', having some other relationship with 'theism', or having no relationship to 'theism'.

I like the concept that we're born "whole", as is suggested by The Enneagram of Personality model.

 

[Badran]

That only means that it is default atheism as opposed to a carefully chosen one, though. A meaningful distinction if you care about it.

If we go by this distinction, default atheism then is also actually an entirely useless label, as far as labels go. So we might as well ignore it completely and stop using it.

Babies just don't do much. They don't embrace any world view. They don't have opinions about anything. It's not telling us anything when one says that babies "do not believe in a god nor possess any knowledge or opinion about one". Well, of course they don't!

I can see it's usage being relevant in the case of grown ups who have no knowledge of the concept of god (though i would still feel it's an unnecessary usage), but in babies it seems more like grasping at straws.

 

[Valjean]

Now we're debating the utility of the concept or of the term again.

An atheist is one who lacks belief in God or Gods.
Babies lack belief in God or Gods.
Ergo......

QED

 

[LuisDantas]

If we go by this distinction, default atheism then is also actually an entirely useless label, as far as labels go. So we might as well ignore it completely and stop using it.

I don't think so. It is in fact very useful, both because it is the default until challenged by some sort of evidence, and because it fits as a glove to discussions about how much of a right to expect or demand belief in God we should have.