The reason no one asks this question a lot is because most people have preconceived ideas and notions about what an Atheist is and is not. Where these preconceived ideas come from varies, but they tend to evolve from theistic influences or other sources.
Atheism is usually defined incorrectly as a belief system. Atheism is not a disbelief in gods or a denial of gods; it is a lack of belief in gods. Older dictionaries define atheism as "a belief that there is no God." Some dictionaries even go so far as to define Atheism as "wickedness," "sinfulness," and other derogatory adjectives. Clearly, theistic influence taints dictionaries. People cannot trust these dictionaries to define atheism. The fact that dictionaries define Atheism as "there is no God" betrays the (mono)theistic influence. Without the (mono)theistic influence, the definition would at least read "there are no gods."
Why should atheists allow theists to define who atheists are? Do other minorities allow the majority to define their character, views, and opinions? No, they do not. So why does everyone expect atheists to lie down and accept the definition placed upon them by the world’s theists? Atheists will define themselves.
Atheism is not a belief system nor is it a religion. While there are some religions that are atheistic (certain sects of Buddhism, for example), that does not mean that atheism is a religion. Two commonly used retorts to the nonsense that atheism is a religion are: 1) If atheism is a religion then bald is a hair color, and 2) If atheism is a religion then health is a disease. A new one introduced in 2012 by Bill Maher is, "If atheism is a religion, then abstinence is a sexual position."
The only common thread that ties all atheists together is a lack of belief in gods and supernatural beings. Some of the best debates we have ever had have been with fellow atheists. This is because atheists do not have a common belief system, sacred scripture or atheist Pope. This means atheists often disagree on many issues and ideas. Atheists come in a variety of shapes, colors, beliefs, convictions, and backgrounds. We are as unique as our fingerprints.
The definition of believe is to accept something as true, hold something as an opinion, so no matter how much you try to deny it you believe in something. There's no such thing as rejecting belief.
I do not share your belief in God's existence. Therefore, I am not a "believer."
A belief system is simply a mechanism that we individually use to make sense of the world.
Not believing something does not define a "belief system." I don't "make sense of the world" by not believing in God any more than I make sense of it by not believing in the tooth fairy.
Would you define your belief system as being based on not believing in Santa Claus and, if not, why? (This is not a rhetorical question.)
dasanman69, If you do not provide the proof, I will have to assume that you wrote something that you knew to be false. I thought that your "belief system" held that God prohibited making false statements.
I also do not believe invisible space aliens live inside my hot water heater. Is that also a "belief system"?
Would you describe your lack of belief in the Tooth Fairy as a "belief system"?
Those were not rhetorical questions; they were directed at you, dasanman69. Please answer them.
The moment you say "I do not share your belief..." means you have formed an opinion or have accepted a truth which is believing.
The moment you say "I do not share your belief..." means you have formed an opinion or have accepted a truth which is believing.
a- as a root means without. In this case without belief, and without a belief system. Jesus Christ! Did you pay attention in elementary school? Or were you day dreaming of the next time you'd be in Sunday school? Or in the priests quarters getting some 'special time' with the priest?
The moment you say "I do not share your belief..." means you have formed an opinion or have accepted a truth which is believing.
Saying that "I do not share your belief" does not mean that I hold an antithetical belief.
Look, I know what you're doing. You're thinking "I believe something for which I have no credible evidence and if I can just goad him into saying that he believes the opposite, then I can pounce, claiming that his beliefs are also 'faith-based'' and, thus, no more worthy of respect than mine." Well, it's not happening. I'm not taking the bait. You affirmed the existence of God, so it's up to you to convince me that I should also believe that God exists.
We already established that you are a liar. You claimed to be able to "prove that Santa Claus doesn’t exist" yet when pressed to do so, you could not.
Nor would you answer any of these questions that I posed, proving that you are intellectually dishonest and incapable of defending the absurd claims you made:
Would you define your belief system as being based on not believing in Santa Claus and, if not, why? (This is not a rhetorical question.)
I also do not believe invisible space aliens live inside my hot water heater. Is that also a "belief system"?
Would you describe your lack of belief in the Tooth Fairy as a "belief system"?
Either answer the questions I posed or do not reply to me again.
The moment you say "I do not share your belief..." means you have formed an opinion or have accepted a truth which is believing.
a- as a root means without. In this case without belief, and without a belief system. Jesus Christ! Did you pay attention in elementary school? Or were you day dreaming of the next time you'd be in Sunday school? Or in the priests quarters getting some 'special time' with the priest?
It's like saying "I'm nowhere", no you're always somewhere. If you say "I don't believe" then you believe that you don't believe.
It's like saying "I'm nowhere", no you're always somewhere. If you say "I don't believe" then you believe that you don't believe.
It's like insisting that someone who is asexual MUST have some form of sexuality. By definition that person or whatever is 'without sexuality'. What you keep saying is direly stupid.
It's like insisting that someone who is asexual MUST have some form of sexuality. By definition that person or whatever is 'without sexuality'. What you keep saying is direly stupid.
Thank you. Atheism is a belief system in the same way that amorality is a set of morals.
I reported his post to me as trolling. I have twice asked him a handful of polite, pertinent questions he just ignored them, instead replying with more of his inflammatory BS.
The moment you say "I do not share your belief..." means you have formed an opinion or have accepted a truth which is believing.
Saying that "I do not share your belief" does not mean that I hold an antithetical belief.
Look, I know what you're doing. You're thinking "I believe something for which I have no credible evidence and if I can just goad him into saying that he believes the opposite, then I can pounce, claiming that his beliefs are also 'faith-based'' and, thus, no more worthy of respect than mine." Well, it's not happening. I'm not taking the bait. You affirmed the existence of God, so it's up to you to convince me that I should also believe that God exists.
We already established that you are a liar. You claimed to be able to "prove that Santa Claus doesn’t exist" yet when pressed to do so, you could not.
Nor would you answer any of these questions that I posed, proving that you are intellectually dishonest and incapable of defending the absurd claims you made:
Would you define your belief system as being based on not believing in Santa Claus and, if not, why? (This is not a rhetorical question.)
I also do not believe invisible space aliens live inside my hot water heater. Is that also a "belief system"?
Would you describe your lack of belief in the Tooth Fairy as a "belief system"?
Either answer the questions I posed or do not reply to me again.
I can't prove any of that. Now can you prove that the Big Bang happened. That something came from nothing, and from that nothingness emerged the universe, stars, our planet, and then life. Is believing that happened any less absurd than believing in God?
So you admit that you made a false statement when you claimed to be able to "prove that Santa Claus doesn’t exist." That flows nicely into the first of the three questions you've thus-far refused to answer.
You still have three more questions to answer before I answer yours:
Would you define your belief system as being based on not believing in Santa Claus and, if not, why?
I also do not believe that invisible space aliens live inside my hot water heater. Is that also a "belief system"?
Would you describe your lack of belief in the Tooth Fairy as a "belief system"?
That's the third time I've asked you those questions. If you are unwilling to debate honestly, answering pertinent questions posed to you, then you're just wasting everyone's time.
It's like saying "I'm nowhere", no you're always somewhere. If you say "I don't believe" then you believe that you don't believe.
No. If you are without belief, then you are free to go find some other belief system to believe in. a-
Let's simplify this, why are you without belief?
What does "why" have to do with this argument? You no longer appear to be engaging in good faith (no pun intended) debate here, but rather just playing very poor word games to try to rescue an untenable and stupid starting position. Now it's a belief system because we "believe that we don't believe"? That nonsense does not even deserve to be dignified with a response.
So you admit that you lied when you claimed to be able to "prove that Santa Claus doesn’t exist." Good. That's a first step.
You still have three more questions to answer before I answer yours:
Would you define your belief system as being based on not believing in Santa Claus and, if not, why?
I also do not believe that invisible space aliens live inside my hot water heater. Is that also a "belief system"?
Would you describe your lack of belief in the Tooth Fairy as a "belief system"?
That's the third time I've asked you those questions. If you are unwilling to debate honestly, answering pertinent questions posed to you, then you're just wasting everyone's time.
[/CONTENTEMBED]
A belief system is what one believes in to make sense of the world, and their existence.
1. Define Santa Claus. For my 9 yr old son I'm Santa Claus which he obviously knows not. It's part of his belief system but not mine.
2. Since you don't believe in water heater aliens then it's not part of your belief system.
3. I have also been the tooth fairy, so it's not part of my belief system
It's like saying "I'm nowhere", no you're always somewhere. If you say "I don't believe" then you believe that you don't believe.
No. If you are without belief, then you are free to go find some other belief system to believe in. a-
Let's simplify this, why are you without belief?
What does "why" have to do with this argument? You no longer appear to be engaging in good faith (no pun intended) debate here, but rather just playing very poor word games to try to rescue an untenable and stupid starting position. Now it's a belief system because we "believe that we don't believe"? That nonsense does not even deserve to be dignified with a response.
The only way to not believe one way or another is to have zero knowledge of the subject matter. If you believe in what science tells us then that's your belief system because much what science tells us can't be proven. Even science has faith which is simply believing something without proof or witnessing it.
Thank you. Atheism is a belief system in the same way that amorality is a set of morals.
I reported his post to me as trolling. I have twice asked him a handful of polite, pertinent questions he just ignored them, instead replying with more of his inflammatory BS.
I'm sure the Kingdom of God authorized him to do this.
Thank you. Atheism is a belief system in the same way that amorality is a set of morals.
I reported his post to me as trolling. I have twice asked him a handful of polite, pertinent questions he just ignored them, instead replying with more of his inflammatory BS.
I'm sure the Kingdom of God authorized him to do this.
I never claimed that Atheism is a belief system in of itself but every atheist has some sort of belief system.
Comments
It is, however, a belief system.
https://atheists.org/activism/resources/what-is-atheism
Quote:
WHAT IS ATHEISM?
No one asks this question enough.
The reason no one asks this question a lot is because most people have preconceived ideas and notions about what an Atheist is and is not. Where these preconceived ideas come from varies, but they tend to evolve from theistic influences or other sources.
Atheism is usually defined incorrectly as a belief system. Atheism is not a disbelief in gods or a denial of gods; it is a lack of belief in gods. Older dictionaries define atheism as "a belief that there is no God." Some dictionaries even go so far as to define Atheism as "wickedness," "sinfulness," and other derogatory adjectives. Clearly, theistic influence taints dictionaries. People cannot trust these dictionaries to define atheism. The fact that dictionaries define Atheism as "there is no God" betrays the (mono)theistic influence. Without the (mono)theistic influence, the definition would at least read "there are no gods."
Why should atheists allow theists to define who atheists are? Do other minorities allow the majority to define their character, views, and opinions? No, they do not. So why does everyone expect atheists to lie down and accept the definition placed upon them by the world’s theists? Atheists will define themselves.
Atheism is not a belief system nor is it a religion. While there are some religions that are atheistic (certain sects of Buddhism, for example), that does not mean that atheism is a religion. Two commonly used retorts to the nonsense that atheism is a religion are: 1) If atheism is a religion then bald is a hair color, and 2) If atheism is a religion then health is a disease. A new one introduced in 2012 by Bill Maher is, "If atheism is a religion, then abstinence is a sexual position."
The only common thread that ties all atheists together is a lack of belief in gods and supernatural beings. Some of the best debates we have ever had have been with fellow atheists. This is because atheists do not have a common belief system, sacred scripture or atheist Pope. This means atheists often disagree on many issues and ideas. Atheists come in a variety of shapes, colors, beliefs, convictions, and backgrounds. We are as unique as our fingerprints.
The moment you say "I do not share your belief..." means you have formed an opinion or have accepted a truth which is believing.
The moment you say "I do not share your belief..." means you have formed an opinion or have accepted a truth which is believing.
Saying that "I do not share your belief" does not mean that I hold an antithetical belief.
Look, I know what you're doing. You're thinking "I believe something for which I have no credible evidence and if I can just goad him into saying that he believes the opposite, then I can pounce, claiming that his beliefs are also 'faith-based'' and, thus, no more worthy of respect than mine." Well, it's not happening. I'm not taking the bait. You affirmed the existence of God, so it's up to you to convince me that I should also believe that God exists.
We already established that you are a liar. You claimed to be able to "prove that Santa Claus doesn’t exist" yet when pressed to do so, you could not.
Nor would you answer any of these questions that I posed, proving that you are intellectually dishonest and incapable of defending the absurd claims you made:
Either answer the questions I posed or do not reply to me again.
It's like saying "I'm nowhere", no you're always somewhere. If you say "I don't believe" then you believe that you don't believe.
It's like insisting that someone who is asexual MUST have some form of sexuality. By definition that person or whatever is 'without sexuality'. What you keep saying is direly stupid.
Thank you. Atheism is a belief system in the same way that amorality is a set of morals.
I reported his post to me as trolling. I have twice asked him a handful of polite, pertinent questions he just ignored them, instead replying with more of his inflammatory BS.
I can't prove any of that. Now can you prove that the Big Bang happened. That something came from nothing, and from that nothingness emerged the universe, stars, our planet, and then life. Is believing that happened any less absurd than believing in God?
Let's simplify this, why are you without belief?
I can't prove any of that.
So you admit that you made a false statement when you claimed to be able to "prove that Santa Claus doesn’t exist." That flows nicely into the first of the three questions you've thus-far refused to answer.
You still have three more questions to answer before I answer yours:
That's the third time I've asked you those questions. If you are unwilling to debate honestly, answering pertinent questions posed to you, then you're just wasting everyone's time.
What does "why" have to do with this argument? You no longer appear to be engaging in good faith (no pun intended) debate here, but rather just playing very poor word games to try to rescue an untenable and stupid starting position. Now it's a belief system because we "believe that we don't believe"? That nonsense does not even deserve to be dignified with a response.
A belief system is what one believes in to make sense of the world, and their existence.
1. Define Santa Claus. For my 9 yr old son I'm Santa Claus which he obviously knows not. It's part of his belief system but not mine.
2. Since you don't believe in water heater aliens then it's not part of your belief system.
3. I have also been the tooth fairy, so it's not part of my belief system
The only way to not believe one way or another is to have zero knowledge of the subject matter. If you believe in what science tells us then that's your belief system because much what science tells us can't be proven. Even science has faith which is simply believing something without proof or witnessing it.
So what is logical in your mind?
I never claimed that Atheism is a belief system in of itself but every atheist has some sort of belief system.
And what's religion?
Religion can be explained as a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe
You have zero belief in how the universe was formed?