Zack
99% hot gas
"a-" means "not"edit: What's a true atheist?
In its simplest meaning, an "atheist" is simply "not theist".
"a-" means "not"edit: What's a true atheist?
What else would you consider yourself? It's simply the answer to the question "Do you believe in god(s)?" I see no further implications. I also don't think motivation makes a difference. Whether it's from having never heard of the concept, apathy or not seen any evidence yet.
edit: What's a true atheist?
I ought to call myself an agnostic; but, for all practical purposes, I am an atheist. I do not think the existence of the Christian God any more probable than the existence of the Gods of Olympus or Valhalla. To take another illustration: nobody can prove that there is not between the Earth and Mars a china teapot revolving in an elliptical orbit, but nobody thinks this sufficiently likely to be taken into account in practice. I think the Christian God just as unlikely.
I don't understand this. The limitless possibilities for a deity (or deities) or supernatural force are beyond our imagination, understanding, and comprehension.
Yes, the notion that there is one God who has such a laughable inferiority complex that he condemns anyone who doesn't agree with him to eternal misery is hardly worth considering. The possibility of the Abrahamic God can be easily dismissed out of hand.
But for all we know, "God" is an entity which we cannot possibly understand, comprehend, or know of in humanity's current feeble state. "God" could be a hivemind of intelligences which created the universe and established its fundamental principles, then promptly sat right back down and ate potato chips for the rest of time. Or we could be a collection of miniscule insignificants created by a higher form of species, like a bunch of ants.
How can you possibly dismiss any and all possibilities of a higher being(s)?
Eh, you seem to think basically the same way as I do. I don't really care to waste time speculating about the possibility of a deity (or plural), as it's pointless and irrelevant to my everyday life. BUT, I don't think that necessarily means that there is no deity (or plural), just that it doesn't really matter.You've largely answered the question. If '"God"' is an entity which we cannot possibly understand, comprehend, or know of in humanity's current feeble state", then it's a complete waste of time to speculate on His/Her/Its/Their nature or existence. An unseen and unknowable deity can have absolutely no bearing on how I live my life from day to day.
The same way I can dismiss claims of vampires, levitating yogis, ghosts, ancient aliens, and whatnot. As Carl Sagan said, "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." I have yet to be made aware of any phenomenon for which such an extraordinary explanation is more plausible than a more natural and obvious one. We can speculate all we want about invisible beings, but the only reality they are proven to have is in the human mind.
I think it all depends on what you think God is.
Spoiler :For me God is undefinable. I can't really say any more than "God is that". Or I could say what God is not - and give a long long list.
God is maybe the ground of our being: the awareness from which, or into which, our thoughts arise. But this is certainly not true in any real sense. It's a clumsy attempt to indicate the sort of thing people like to go on about. The atman, the universal conciousness, ramble ramble mutter mutter.
What is this word proof that some of you use? To me as a global skeptic it is as useful as the word God.
good thing no one used that word in the thread until you (search it yourself ). although prove and proven did get used some
HmmmInstead of awkwardly rewriting it, let me just quote Bertrand Russell:
Odd way of using the word "true".When I say "true atheist" I mean someone who knows god doesn't exist, rather than thinks it unlikely but unprovable.
Makes sense.Like all scientific questions, I can't prove any god hypothesis wrong but in failing to prove them right I am comfortable dismissing them as wrong.
What if I got "Yes?" as an answer.Poll could have been shorter by making the question "God?"
Which I guess is roughly as useful as global skepticism is to me.What are these words prove and proven that some of you use? To me as a global skeptic these are as useful as the word God.
Are you familiar with Apophatic Theology?
Apophatic Theology said:"We do not know what God is. God Himself does not know what He is because He is not anything. Literally God is not, because He transcends being."
When I say "true atheist" I mean someone who knows god doesn't exist, rather than thinks it unlikely but unprovable.