Having observed a lot of ignorant definition of Atheism and Atheists from Theists, I find it will be of great help to aid everyone in understanding what Atheism really means.

Let's start with what Atheism is not:

First, Atheism is NOT a religion. Religion is the belief in or worship of a supernatural/higher power. Which is exactly what atheists NEVER do. So, dear theists, again, Atheism is not a religion.

Atheism is NOT a belief. Atheism is a complete, total and absolute LACK OF BELIEF in all gods, goddesses and deities. Atheism is a rejection of belief and so therefore does not, in itself, require belief or faith as that would be illogical. You do not believe that Unicorns or leprechauns exist, do you? That's exactly how Atheism is, too.

Atheism DOES NOT offer explanation for the origin of the world. Being an atheist DOES NOT mean that one automatically accepts the big bang theory, or big crunch or "something from nothing." Some Atheists believe in the big bang while some others simply state that "We do not know YET how the universe came to be." Which seems to be pretty honest since no one knows for sure how the Universe started. So, beloved theists, Atheism is a total rejection of the belief that any god exists.

Atheism is NOT satanism: Rejection of belief in a supernatural god also includes rejection of belief in a supernatural devil. Get it, theists? God does not exist, same applies to Satan. We're not Satanists, we're atheists.

LASTLY, Satan is NOT an atheist: Satan is a fictitious deity who by definition has been "god's friend" according to most religion. So, literally, Satan is a theist and it makes it really stupid to say Satan does not believe God exists.


So there, Theists, is what you need to stop making up ridiculous conclusions about Atheists and atheism in general every now and then.

Atheists feel free to add other hasty generalisations about Atheism from theists that are often false.

Apparently, it is easier to construct strawmen arguments about atheism than to really address the issues atheism brings up.

I've created two topics leaning towards this same idea of christians misunderstanding atheism, and based on experience.... christians couldn't give two sh!ts about what you say. They're just going to draw strawmen arguments, never answer your questions directly, employ lots of unsubstantiated metaphors, incite a bit of ad hominem, and then when they're tired and out of ideas, they threaten you with hell. Same old, same old. Its why I've stopped creating topics under the religious section of NL.

Seriously. Watch this space

LordReed:
Apparently, it is easier to construct strawmen arguments about atheism than to really address the issues atheism brings up.

Of course, most theist are intellectually lazy people. But how else could a sound mind believe in entirely ridiculous fairytales in the first place?

XxSabrinaxX:
I've created two topics leaning towards this same idea of christians misunderstanding atheism, and based on experience.... christians couldn't give two sh!ts about what you say. They're just going to draw strawmen arguments, never answer your questions directly, employ lots of unsubstantiated metaphors, incite a bit of ad hominem, and then when they're tired and out of ideas, they threaten you with hell. Same old, same old. Its why I've stopped creating topics under the religious section of NL.

Seriously. Watch this space

I've seen equal blunder from Muslims alike. There seems to be an accepted level of stupidity amongst both religions.

Bacteriologist:
Having observed a lot of ignorant definition of Atheism and Atheists from Theists, I find it will be of great help to aid everyone in understanding what Atheism really means.

Let's start with what Atheism is not:

First, Atheism is NOT a religion. Religion is the belief in or worship of a supernatural/higher power. Which is exactly what atheists NEVER do. So, dear theists, again, Atheism is not a religion.

Atheism is NOT a belief. Atheism is a complete, total and absolute LACK OF BELIEF in all gods, goddesses and deities. Atheism is a rejection of belief and so therefore does not, in itself, require belief or faith as that would be illogical. You do not believe that Unicorns or leprechauns exist, do you? That's exactly how Atheism is, too.

Atheism DOES NOT offer explanation for the origin of the world. Being an atheist DOES NOT mean that one automatically accepts the big bang theory, or big crunch or "something from nothing." Some Atheists believe in the big bang while some others simply state that "We do not know YET how the universe came to be." Which seems to be pretty honest since no one knows for sure how the Universe started. So, beloved theists, Atheism is a total rejection of the belief that any god exists.

Atheism is NOT satanism: Rejection of belief in a supernatural god also includes rejection of belief in a supernatural devil. Get it, theists? God does not exist, same applies to Satan. We're not Satanists, we're atheists.

LASTLY, Satan is NOT an atheist: Satan is a fictitious deity who by definition has been "god's friend" according to most religion. So, literally, Satan is a theist and it makes it really stupid to say Satan does not believe God exists.


So there, Theists, is what you need to stop making up ridiculous conclusions about Atheists and atheism in general every now and then.

Atheists feel free to add other hasty generalisations about Atheism from theists that are often false.

lets start from here, what does it mean when some atheist says , i don't know if there is God?

vaxx:
lets start from here, what does it mean when some atheist says , i don't know if there is God?

An 'atheist' by definition doesn't say "I don't know if there is a god."

An atheist says, "I reject the claim that your God exists."

"I reject the claim that your God exists. But I'm not sure." ----> Agnostic atheist.

I reject the claim that your God exists. And I'm sure." -----> Gnostic Atheist.

Get it?

HASTY GENERALIZATIONS 1: If you are an atheist then you are a fool, because my "buybull" said that blah blah blah blah blah blah blah!!!

HASTY GENERALIZATIONS 2: If you are an atheist then how did the universe come about by chance(IT NEVER CAME ABOUT BY CHANCE, IT CAME ABOUT THROUGH NATURAL PROCESSES)!!!

HASTY GENERALIZATIONS 3: If you are an atheist then explain to me how you can have a grandfather who was a senior baboon(egbon baboon), in the baboon community(WE DO NOT DESCEND FROM MONKEYS, WE AND ALL MODERN DAY MONKEYS AND BABOONS DESCENDED FROM "PROTO-PRIMATES"!!!

HASTY GENERALIZATIONS 4: If you are an atheist then how did the first man come into being?(NO SUCH THING AS A FIRST MAN, JUST AS THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A FIRST GONORREAH!!! THE PROMO PRIMATE S GRADUALLY EVOLVED FROM ANCIENT VERSION TO THE PRESENT DAY MODERN SPECIE OF MAN!!!THIS IS LIKE KNOWING FULLY WELL THAT ALL DOGS GRADUALLY EVOLVED FROM AN ANCIENT FORM OF WOLF AT THE SAME TIME AND STILL FOOLISHLY ASKING WHO WAS THE FIRST DOG!!!)

HASTY GENERALIZATIONS 5: If god does not exist then how come the earth formed into a perfect sphere like Jabulani ball that was used in the South Africa world cup(THE EARTH IS NOT A PERFECT SPHERE,IT IS AN OBLATE SPHEROID)!!!

Bacteriologist:


An 'atheist' by definition doesn't say "I don't know if there is a god."

An atheist says, "I reject the claim that your God exists."

"I reject the claim that your God exists. But I'm not sure." ----> Agnostic atheist.

I reject the claim that your God exists. And I'm sure." -----> Gnostic Atheist.

Get it?

Atheists are people who declare themselves atheists.

No one who does not declare atheism is an atheist. Some have said babies are atheists. Wrong. Babies have no concept of God or gods. So they have not made a conscious decision to be atheists. Babies do just lack a belief in God or gods.

Some have said animals are atheists. Wrong again. Animals cannot make a decision to not believe in God. Animals too just lack a belief in God or gods.

The moment a person declares himself to be an atheist, he can no longer rationally claim a neutral stance towards God's existence. They have taken a stance against God's existence.

Some are even honest enough to frankly admit this but i doubt your argument support that .

No atheist who insists atheists have no beliefs has ever given a simple, straight answer to each of the following questions: not even richard darkwins

Do you believe the proposition: No God exists?

Do you believe the proposition: The God of the Bible /quran/pagan does not exist?

Do you know that no gods exist?

and if that is the case why are you denying believe.

Many theists that have a wrong definition of atheism do so on purpose and will never accept correct no matter how many times you correct them. They need that misrepresentation of atheism to bash atheism. It's a precious leverage in arguments albeit a dishonest and irrational one.

vaxx:
lets start from here, what does it mean when some atheist says , i don't know if there is God?

It means they are not atheists. They are agnostics.

budaatum:

It means they are not atheists. They are agnostics.

God bless you for this statement. i wonder why they should use the word atheist to qualify themselves.

budaatum you might reallly be the only true atheist on nairaland

vaxx:
Atheists are people who declare themselves atheists.

That's not true! Remember the 70 something year old man who said he was 30 and the black girl who said she was caucasian? If I recall correctly, you called her deluded, and I bet if I put on my skirt, wear my bra, stick on high heels and call myself a man you'd tell me I'm deluded too or call me Bobriskyman, but many will still not let me in a toilet with their sons or throw me in jail with proper men for fear I might rape them.

One may declare oneself anything one wants to but that don't mean one is one.

budaatum:

That's not true! Remember the 70 something year old man who said he was 30 and the black girl who said she was caucasian? If I recall correctly, you called her deluded, and I bet if I put on my skirt, wear my bra, stick on high heels and call myself a man you'd tell me I'm deluded too or call me Bobriskyman, but many will still not let me in a toilet with their sons or throw me in jail with proper men for fear I might rape them.

One may declare oneself anything one wants to but that don't mean one is one.

Not going to debate that anyway.. but i am yalking of a statement of conviction.

vaxx:
God bless you for this statement. i wonder why they should use the word atheist to qualify themselves.

budaatum you might really be the only true atheist on nairaland

Lol I'm so honoured! Though, by some of my posts, some might think I'm a Christian Atheist.

To be honest, some don't know the meaning of the words they use to describe themselves. Imagine an atheist claiming they don't believe gods exist, or believing in a big bang for that matter. If I were a theist, I'd call such people fools for thinking the nonsense they decide to hold in their heads makes the gods go bang because they believe!

vaxx:
Not going to debate that anyway.. but i am talking of a statement of conviction.

Dang, you busted me! You know I'm just yanking your mind because I missed you.

What Is Atheism?

I'd delete the "belief" bits if posting it today.

budaatum:

Lol I'm so honoured! Though, by some of my posts, some might think I'm a Christian Atheist.

To be honest, some don't know the meaning of the words they use to describe themselves. Imagine an atheist claiming they don't believe gods exist, or believing in a big bang for that matter. If I were a theist, I'd call such people fools for thinking the nonsense they decide to hold in their heads makes the gods go bang because they believe!

The only way to truly not believe anything is to live your life knowing that you truly know nothing at all. This includes the possibility that vaxx or budaatum might be god. There are some atheists who strive to live this way but there are others who do not. And those that do generally don't identify as atheists, or anything for that matter. So it depends.

vaxx:

Do you know that no gods exist?

and if that is the case why are you denying believe.

Do you know that a god exists?

Bacteriologist:


"*We do not believe in God.
*We do not know YET how the universe came to be.
Which seems to be pretty honest"

Selective "honesty".
Or
Sadism? Stupidity? bigotry?

Nice contradiction by the way!

XxSabrinaxX:

Do you know that a god exists?

i believed a God exist. any problem?

vaxx:
i believed a God exist. any problem?

Can you demonstrate this claim?

XxSabrinaxX:

Can you demonstrate this claim?

open a thread for that and invite me or better still visit my what created God thread and contribute your counter claim.


This is a different topic on his own and i have contribute my own view which by now, it should be debunked.

vaxx:
The only way to truly not believe anything is to live your life knowing that you truly know nothing at all. This includes the possibility that vaxx or budaatum might be god. There are some atheists who strive to live this way( most of your atheism conviction suggest that)but there are others who do not. And those that do generally don't identify as atheists, or anything for that matter. So it depends.

This does depend on one's definition of "god". I for instance reckon you and everyone else on here are 'gods'. I'd even go as far as claiming I try to 'worship' you (hold you in high esteem and regard). But that does not man I bow down to anyone or delude myself that anyone of us created the heavens and the earth or Adam and Eve, nor is it a requisite for godness. Jesus did not after all create any earths or heavens or Adams or Eves. But I hold it as a truth that each and every one of us can do so much more than Jesus did, including healing the sick, curing the blind, raising the dead, feeding the poor and so on. Doctors do the first few and you do the last all the time on here.

Funny enough, Jesus thought me this when it is written he said, " know ye not that ye are gods?" In my version I hear, "know that these are the gods". Or how else does one regard the mud that God is said to have breathed life into? I sometimes wish the gods had created buda a theist instead of an atheist. I would become a pastor to that mud!

budaatum:

This does depend on one's definition of "god". I for instance reckon you and everyone else on here are 'gods'. I'd even go as far as claiming I try to 'worship' you (hold you in high esteem and regard). But that does not man I should bow down to anyone or delude myself that anyone of us created the heavens and the earth or Adam and Eve, nor is it a requisite for godness. Jesus did not after all create any earths or heavens or Adams or Eves. But I hold it as a truth that each and every one of us can do so much more than Jesus did, including healing the sick, curing the blind, raising the dead, feeding the poor and so on. Doctors do the first few and you do the last all the time on here.

Funny enough, Jesus thought me this when it is written he said, " know ye not that ye are gods?" In my version I hear, "know that these are the gods". Or how else does one regard the mud that God is said to have breathed life into? I sometimes wish the gods had created buda a theist instead of an atheist. I would become a pastor to that mud!

ORUNMILA wi eniyan ni dorisha

vaxx:
open a thread for that and invite me or better still visit my what created God thread and contribute your counter claim.


This is a different topic on his own and i have contribute my own view which by now, he should be debunked.

You're yet to debunk anything though

XxSabrinaxX:

You're yet to debunk anything though

ok...

vaxx:
ORUNMILA wi eniyan ni dorisha

Exactly!

vaxx:
Atheists are people who declare themselves atheists.

No one who does not declare atheism is an atheist. Some have said babies are atheists. Wrong. Babies have no concept of God or gods. So they have not made a conscious decision to be atheists. Babies do just lack a belief in God or gods.

Some have said animals are atheists. Wrong again. Animals cannot make a decision to not believe in God. Animals too just lack a belief in God or gods.

The moment a person declares himself to be an atheist, he can no longer rationally claim a neutral stance towards God's existence. They have taken a stance against God's existence.

Some are even honest enough to frankly admit this but i doubt your argument support that .

No atheist who insists atheists have no beliefs has ever given a simple, straight answer to each of the following questions: not even richard darkwins

Do you believe the proposition: No God exists?

Do you believe the proposition: The God of the Bible /quran/pagan does not exist?

Do you know that no gods exist?

and if that is the case why are you denying believe.

No, Atheists are people who reject the claim that a god exists. The same way a Christian rejects the Hindu god. The same way a Muslim lacks belief in Buddha. The same way we all don't believe in unicorns and phoenixes.


Atheists do NOT deny. They reject.
I really don't understand how difficult this is for you lots.

Bacteriologist:


No, Atheists are people who reject the claim that a god exists. The same way a Christian rejects the Hindu god. The same way a Muslim lacks belief in Buddha. The same way we all don't believe in unicorns and phoenixes.

rejection is not the issue, but rejecting on what ground , perharps lack of evidence which does not take into account the philosophy of every atheist. There are some atheists who would say that they simply do not know if there is a god or not. They would claim that they are atheist not because they assert that there is no god but because they simply don't know, and that they really do have just a lack of belief (sincerely that is the line between agnosticism and atheism). In this case, is it still true that atheism is not a belief?

Atheists do NOT deny. They reject.
I really don't understand how difficult this is for you lots.

rejecting on what ground, knowing or what ? may be this question will perhaps enlight you?

I dont understand why we're trying to dissect atheism here. Atheism is simply a label that indicates that the person does not practice theism, or that the person is not a theist. He/she is an A-theist
Atheism makes no claims in itself. It must have emerged when a skeptical person heard another person make the dogmatic claim "a god exists"
It's based on not believing everything you're told; being skeptical. You're skeptical about lots of ideas and claims that you encounter every day. I've applied this skepticism to things your parents and grandparents called "unquestionable."
I didn't "want to become" an atheist, I just have an open mind and understand what the word atheist means.

vaxx:
rejection is not the issue, but rejecting on what ground , perharps lack of evidence which does not take into account the philosophy of every atheist. There are some atheists who would say that they simply do not know if there is a god or not. They would claim that they are atheist not because they assert that there is no god but because they simply don't know, and that they really do have just a lack of belief (sincerely that is the line between agnosticism and atheism). In this case, is it still true that atheism is not a belief?


rejecting on what ground, knowing or what ? may be this question will perhaps enlight you?

My goodness, you're just mixing everything up.