Why Is It...

[Kylyssa]

Why is it that some atheists think everyone who disagrees slightly with their definition of atheism is a bible thumper - Check out this guy who believes that I am a Christian because I believe there's a difference between the statement "I know god isn't real" and "I don't think god is real."

[Whitney]

Atheist very simply really don’t think that a god is real. At the same time they also have a lack of belief. Opinion and knowledge are two different things. What separates defacto/agnostic atheists from strong/gnostic theists is when the atheists claims it is possible to know that no gods exist.

Maybe you should learn how to quit being so arrogant so you don’t come across like a jerk the next time you respond to people. I hope you don’t wonder why some theists think atheists are angry.

^I chimed in.

[rlrose328]

Pomposity is the same, regardless the belief jacket it is wearing.  And that guy doesn't have a clue.  At least I'll admit I'm judgemental.    

[Will]

A - not
theist - believer in god or gods

How is this complicated?

[JillSwift]

Huh. This must be one of those "fundamentalist atheists"* I keep hearing about.  





*For values of "fundamentalist" including "stupid".

[Whitney]

Huh. This must be one of those "fundamentalist atheists"* I keep hearing about.  lol

[Hat]

Damn. That guy needs to calm the hell down ._____.

[Jolly Sapper]

I got about half way through the comments section before I fell out of my chair from laughing so hard.

[Whitney]

Uh, look. saying “I think that the probably that God exists is very close to zero” is very close to saying “I know that God does not exist.”

Somewhat close, yes, but not the same. If I think something, that’s a personal view that I have. For instance, I can think that the color pink is the best color of all. Thoughts are subjective. However, if I claim to know something…to have knowledge of it..then I am making an objective statement which I must be able to to logically defend. The difference between think and know is why the labels “agnostic atheist” and “gnostic atheist” were developed. Philosophically, the difference is significant.

edit:  After reading some more of the comments on that blog.  I have decided that ipu4me must be one of the atheists who became an atheist from being upset with whatever religions s/he previously belonged to and not for intellectual reasons. -or- a teenager who is currently overwhelmed by hormones.

[Will]

I'm still occasionally overcome by hormones.

[Kylyssa]

Atheist very simply really don’t think that a god is real. At the same time they also have a lack of belief. Opinion and knowledge are two different things. What separates defacto/agnostic atheists from strong/gnostic theists is when the atheists claims it is possible to know that no gods exist.

Maybe you should learn how to quit being so arrogant so you don’t come across like a jerk the next time you respond to people. I hope you don’t wonder why some theists think atheists are angry.

^I chimed in.

What a simple and elegant way to put it!

[Kylyssa]

I can't believe I'm still arguing with that kid.  I think I'll leave it with this as my last reply -
"You seem to think that atheism requires a positive knowledge claim when all it requires is a lack of evidence on the opposite side.

You are a foul mouthed little git whose probably never experienced real “Christian love” that comes with the breaking of bones, which I have. Behaving in an annoying, abusive, and arrogant manner does nothing to turn the tide of religious abuses. By feeling others do not deserve freedom of thought or freedom of speech, you have crawled down to the level of the religious bigots who would legislate all your freedoms away. The way to cure religion is not to become offensive, screechy little bitches it is to cure the things that cause religion in the first place.

You can object to religion, even hate religion without behaving like a raving fundie. You’ll get no respect if you can't speak rationally when trying to prove your stance is rational.

Your lack of self-control doesn’t help you to seem rational.

So I think that to think god isn’t real I only need the lack of evidence that it is and don’t need to make a positive knowledge claim to do so â€" so what? It’s enough that there’s no evidence for pixies, I don’t have to make a positive knowledge claim to hold it as my worldview that pixies and every other supernatural thing are manifestations of the human imagination with no basis whatsoever in reality.

You can’t even get along with atheists, how are you going to get along in the real world?"

[Nulono]

I was kicked from a communist board for opposing prenaticide.

[Zab]

I'm usually pretty strict when defining Atheist. However, I take it strait from the dictionaries. Answers.com, dictionary.com, and MS Word all say the same thing. "A disbelief in a supreme being," though I usually say 'supernatural entity'. The only reason I'm strict about it is because I hate when people assume my beliefs based on being an atheist. Otherwise, It's a fairly flexible title because the only thing you can assume about an atheist is that they don't believe in god. "I don't think god is real" is just as good.

 Also, :shake:

The sad truth is that it doesn't matter where you come from or what you believe, there will always be idiots fucking it up for everybody else. We just gotta learn to live with them, and maybe spend some time to point them in the right direction.