Um Okay. If you say so.
That's like saying being religious is believing in god period.
a period means there is nothing more to it...
there is so much more and yes.. it is complicated...
Atheism in a sense is not believing in deities but not because of the concept of deities.. rather because there is no proof of it!
Religion on the other hand is believing in god although there is no proof of it
1. Theism is believing in god/s and atheism is the opposite (hence a- ) which is disbelieve in gods.
Whatever else people want to add is there thing since theism and atheism isn't static. I don't put icing on the cake (like proof and evidence etc). I am an atheist because I believe no god/s exist.
For me, evidence has nothing to do with it.
In the dictionary it doesn't talk about evidence in relation to the definition of atheism
2. That's like saying "a christian is someone who believes Christ is god" as if the mainstream "definition" overrides the
fact that the Bible doesn't mention Christ is god and trinitarians cannot give a direct verse that says so only implied. So the argument will last for eons.
3. Religion is a system or practice of worship that involves an object or person of worship or reverence, ceremonies, and traditions. It is not limited to belief in god. There are thousands of religions that do not believe in god/s; and, they are religions.
You're going off of mainstream definitions from the people. That's again, like my saying a Christian is one who believes Christ is god. That's not true by a long shot.
Ask an atheist why s/he thinks there is no god...
then you'll see it's not just because he believes its so..
its because atheism uses reason and facts to base its understandings...
so based on reason and facts.. yes.. there are no deities...
1. Atheists just as theists have different definitions of why there is no god.
I am an atheist, and for me, there is no god and it has nothing to do with evidence, reason, or facts. It's not part of my mental Rolodex. The term god outside of a concept from an external perspective is not in my reality.
2. So that doesn't work out. Atheism (not atheists) says there is no belief in deities. Evidence, reasons, and facts isn't part of the definition. That is how
some atheist define their atheism or base their reasons on why they disbelieve in god. It's fine to do so. It's not fine to generalize.
Evidence has anything to it...
the thing is:
if a deity will come to earth, and will present an un-deniable proof of its super natural powers.. it doesnt have to creating a universe.. it can be as small as turning a stick to a snake
or healing people with touch...
or floating in air for that matter (without the help of technology)
then in no way can an atheist say there is no super natural...
so instead of asking an atheist what does the cross means to you.. try understanding why is it that s/he really is an atheist...
(And yes.. i assume some will say that god sounds like a stupid idea and that's why...)
but even that statement holds within the fact that a stupid idea is only stupid when you can't prove it
1. I am an atheist because god/s are not part of my reality. I see the cross as a symbol of Christianity representing Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. I understand this from my four years of being a part of the Church.
I can say this because my disbelief in god's does not prevent me from answering a question unrelated to my view of the world that is without gods.
2. So, half the atheist and non-believers have already asked the question. I'm trying to figure out your logic. It's alright to ask how someone
had seen the cross when they once practiced. I'm not asking them to define it. Sheesh.
I'm actually not that educated about naturalism.. so i'll take your word for it
1. I am a naturalist. I do not see life controlled by a supernatural power (if you look it up in the dictionary by Merriam as I quoted some time back, I think). Everything is natural.
2. So, I went off the dictionary since your view of naturalism has somehow to do with religion when the view of naturalism has nothing to do with ceremonies, worship, etc because it doesn't put supernatural in it's
philosophical view of the world. Look it up.
but again.. if there was a proof that there is something more.. one cannot say otherwise unless proving the evidence is flawed
???
It is complicated... much more then religion...
because when you make a statement that there are no gods.. you make yourself responsible for everything!
suddenly humans are the cause of everything.. and that makes things much more complicated.. but much more true.
1. How so? As a naturalist, nature and the process of life is responsiblie for creation, age, and decay. There is no god, no supernatural, nothing like that. I can just forget the environment, close myself up in a closet, and life still goes on without me.
I am not the center of the universe.
2. That's probably why people believe in god/s. It's hard to imagine being responsible for oneself if that is one truly believes without god/s. I do not believe that as a fact. That's not part of my reality; so, what you are saying doesn't make sense to me at all.
i think its the other way around...
it's religion that puts the icing.. and atheism says.. wait.. if i can't see the icing, taste it, feel it, eat it... hmmm.. there probably is no icing
1. The plate with no cake is atheism.
2. The cake is religion
3. The icing is what people put on these two words.
For example, some atheists put icing on their plate by saying complicated things about reason, evolution, etc as a means for why and how they are an atheist.
4. Meanwhile, theist put icing on their cake by adding ceremonies, tradition, culture, etc.
5. Both are not wrong. I just don't find it useful in my view of the world. It's not an atheist thing. It's a Carlita thang.
Please no saracism.
Yep.. that's exactly the point.. atheism is lack of.. not belief of...
it cannot be a world view..
the world view is of the persona that decides what to do with the lack of his or her belief..
but there is no world view of atheism
atheism doesn't tell you what to believe or how to act or what to think or what to do or where to go etc...
atheism is not a world view..
it saying you are in charge of your own world view.. don't believe to anyone who says their world view is the right one...
there is a view.. and there is truth...
2 separate things.
/Scratches her head/ (Using me so you understand this in context)
1. My view of the world has no gods. So, when someone asks me how life was created, I'd just say life, in itself, is its creator. There is no external being that created the world.
2. That is my worldview because I do not believe in gods.
3. While a theist view of the world is opposite.
4. If someone asked him who created the world, he'd say the creator and some people feel its an entity others are more abstract.
5. Regardless, their worldview is the opposite of my worldview because their worldview is associated with god. My worldview has no god. I live my view of the world by default. Always have.
6. Worldview is not another term for religion. It means "the way someone thinks about the world" I think of the world (and see the world) without god/s in it. It's a totally different view of the world than that of an theist. It has nothing to do with religion.
did you ask why they only see it as a symbol?
did you ask why they don't believe in god?
Atheism has nothing to do with the cross. Im asking the person. Read the threads. There are multiple answers of how atheists "had seen" the cross.
Ok
1. No
2. No
3. I know that. When have I said atheism has to do with the cross? /scratches her head/ I persistently said atheism has to do with no belief in deities. No strings attached.
4. I am an atheist and the cross means nothing in my life.
5. It wasn't this thread or was it, I don't know but I asked "what does the cross mean to you?"
and I said ex-atheist: what
had the cross mean to you and
does it mean something to you now?
I got to find it. It's recent. /scratches her head/
nope.. atheism also refuse to accept to notion of spirit or soul without a proper evidence to it.
or for that matter.. anything that is not proven.
1. No. Atheism believes there is no deities
2. Atheist put icing on the cake adding "evidence" and all of that. By definition, it has nothing to do with evidence, spirit, or soul. It just says deities.
Theism is belief in deities.
A- theism is disbelief in deities
3. Whatever a theist and atheist want to add to their definition to personalize these general terms is on them. As an atheist, I do not do that. I just leave it as it is.
4. You are generalizing atheism instead of speaking for some atheist who may agree with you while others do not.
Atheism is disbelief in deities
Theism is belief in deities
Evidence have nothing to do with it.
Atheist
may believe that evidence has to do with
their identity as an atheist
Theism
may see pantheism as part of
their identity as an theist
That doesn't change what atheism means.
So back to the cross thing...
What is wrong with asking an atheist when he
was christian what
did he think of the cross and how
does he think of the cross
now?
Your logic and debate is confusing me. We ask hypothetical and questions about our former faiths and views all the time. It is learning more about the person not just asking "why you're an atheist" you're gaining more insight into
who they are not what knowledge they have. People aren't textbooks.
EDIT:
"it saying you are in charge of your own world view.. don't believe to anyone who says their world view is the right one...there is a view.. and there is truth..."
This is an example of how an atheist views the world. He views the world in a way that he has total charge. He doesn't bellieve anyon who says their worldview (not religion) is the right one. There is a view... and there is truth"
That above is a worldview. Very different from religion. I think you are mixing the two. A person's religion is also their worldview. Not all people who have a worldview have a religion.
