Current Events > How are people still ignorant of the definitions of atheist and agnostic?

(+) Yeah! (+)

No, atheism does not mean you assert there is no god, it just means you do not have a belief in any god. And no, agnosticism is not a third option between atheist and theist, it is solely regarding the knowledge of whether or not there is a God.

There are 4 categories that encompass every single person alive, they are:
Agnostic atheist: idk if there's a god, and I do not have any belief in one.
Gnostic atheist: I know for a fact there is no god.
Agnostic theist: idk if there's a god, but I do believe there is one (or more)
Gnostic theist: I know for a fact there is a god.

That's it people. If you're thinking of arguing against this post, just stop cuz you're objectively incorrect.
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god called and he told me you should shut the fuck up

Even if the rest of it is pretty dicey, at least theists and atheists can agree on one thing: nu-agnostics are obnoxious.
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What a very CEish answer lol. Are you bored my friend?
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LinksLiege posted...

Even if the rest of it is pretty dicey, at least theists and atheists can agree on one thing: nu-agnostics are obnoxious.

Agreed. They're the "both the left and the right are idiots!' of the religious world.
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Yes
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why did this need a second topic brother
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apatheism ftw
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DavidWong posted...

apatheism ftw

ftr this is just a specific form of atheism.
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FLUFFYGERM posted...

why did this need a second topic brother

It needed it's own topic apparently.
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FLUFFYGERM posted...

why did this need a second topic brother

Yeah seriously, I'm just guessing TC has a lot of free time
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One wears a fedora and the other shouts "YUO KANT KNOW THAT!!!" to the heavens. Enjoy.
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Are you really this mad I blew you the frick out in that other thread?

Prestoff posted...

FLUFFYGERM posted...

why did this need a second topic brother

Yeah seriously, I'm just guessing TC has a lot of free time

I guess you do too, since you're posting itt... Or did you think it takes a long time to make a topic?

WheezinEd posted...

Are you really this mad I blew you the frick out in that other thread?

Mad? I made this topic to discuss this, why don't you actually make an argument?
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nicklebro posted...

I guess you do too, since you're posting itt

Never said I didn't...
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What if you're right in the middle and think there might be a god, but are just waiting for sufficient evidence (like seeing a miracle happen firsthand, or seeing something so horrible that you think no god would ever allow such a thing to happen) before deciding to leaning one way or the other? What's that called? Obviously we'll never have concrete proof (short of God himself coming down and saying hello) either way, but certain events in life can swing someone's level of belief one way or the other.
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Calwings posted...

What if you're right in the middle and think there might be a god, but are just waiting for sufficient evidence (like seeing a miracle happen firsthand, or seeing something so horrible that you think no god would ever allow such a thing to happen) before deciding to leaning one way or the other? What's that called? Obviously we'll never have concrete proof (short of God himself coming down and saying hello) either way, but certain events in life can swing someone's level of belief one way or the other.

You're an agnostic atheist, like me.
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The OP is correct, but explaining this to people is too cumbersome and annoying.

It's like trying to explain how Bernie Sanders isn't actually a socialist but really a social Democrat, and explaining that Sweden is not a socialist country, etc.

It's all correct, but it's like banging your head against an impenetrable wall of Mainstream American Misconceptions.
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nicklebro posted...

Mad? I made this topic to discuss this, why don't you actually make an argument?

mad as frick lol

I'm not gonna make an argument here when we still have an ongoing argument(that you're currently losing) about the same thing in another thread. You're clearly breaking the rules of online engagement by even this.

nicklebro posted...

FLUFFYGERM posted...

why did this need a second topic brother

It needed it's own topic apparently.

why brother
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Wut if you believe in god, but don't acknowledge his existence!?
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WheezinEd posted...

nicklebro posted...

Mad? I made this topic to discuss this, why don't you actually make an argument?

mad as frick lol

I'm not gonna make an argument here when we still have an ongoing argument(that you're currently losing) about the same thing in another thread. You're clearly breaking the rules of online engagement by even this.

Just forget that topic and post here, cuz you're off topic in that other thread.

FLUFFYGERM posted...

nicklebro posted...

FLUFFYGERM posted...

why did this need a second topic brother

It needed it's own topic apparently.

why brother

They're different topics asking different things.
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Darkrobotisback posted...

Wut if you believe in god, but don't acknowledge his existence!?

Theist, tho I can't tell if you're a gnostic theist or agnostic theist
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I believe there is a source of creation, probably something more complicated than we could imagine or explain. I do not believe there is someone sitting in the clouds who listens to our prayers.

But I think just about every major religion today is a pile of poop and the source of most major conflicts in the world today.
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https://www.allaboutphilosophy.org/agnostic-atheist-faq.htm

Idk how people can be ignorant of what these terms mean yet act so condescending while making themselves look stupid.
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nicklebro posted...

Just forget that topic and post here, cuz you're off topic in that other thread.

You just want to shift the argument here so you don't have 3 pages of baggage to defend. I'm gonna let you go this time because you gave me a laugh.

Honestly? Because most people don't really give a fuck what everyone else believes. It's only on internet forums where edgy teenagers are beginning to experiment with their traditions that it ever really comes up as a topic for discussion, at least outside of academic and theological circles.

It's like saying, "How come more people don't talk about the differences between blood types?"; no one gives a shit until it's their blood.

WheezinEd posted...

nicklebro posted...

Just forget that topic and post here, cuz you're off topic in that other thread.

You just want to shift the argument here so you don't have 3 pages of baggage to defend. I'm gonna let you go this time because you gave me a laugh.

That makes 0 sense. But then again nothing you've said has made much sense.

So tell me, if I don't believe in any god, but don't outright deny a gods existence, what does that make me to you?
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Dash_Harber posted...

Honestly? Because most people don't really give a fuck what everyone else believes. It's only on internet forums where edgy teenagers are beginning to experiment with their traditions that it ever really comes up as a topic for discussion, at least outside of academic and theological circles.

It's like saying, "How come more people don't talk about the differences between blood types?"; no one gives a shit until it's their blood.

I don't think blood type and religious beliefs (or lack of beliefs) are comparable. Plus you need to know these terms in order to know where you fall yourself. Look at this clown above, he still think all atheists reject the possibility of a god, and thinks that agnosticism is a third option. There's so many ignorant people despite this debate being years and years old and people like him being proved wrong every time.
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DuranOfForcena posted...

in common parlance, the usage of "atheist" is generally understood to mean gnostic atheist, and the usage of "agnostic" is generally understood to mean agnostic atheist.

That's true for theists it seems, but not true for 1) people aware of the actual definitions and 2) agnostic atheists.

Theists like to pretend that atheism means you reject the existence of a god because that's an easier stance tknargue against.
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nicklebro posted...

Plus you need to know these terms in order to know where you fall yourself.

Except at no point in your life is having a word for your philosophy on supernatural matters really going to have that big of an impact outside of religious conflicts (which, generally, hold agnostics and atheists with the same disdain anyway).

The point is not that blood type and religion are similar, the point is that they are things that are unique to people and no one else really cares what your belief is unless it somehow affects them personally. People don't know the difference because it's not important to a lot of people, just like how most people don't know the history of the divide between Western and Eastern Rome. Personally, I think that period of Roman history if fascinating, but I don't go around talking down to others if they don't know that the term 'Byzantine' was posthumously created to distinguish the Eastern half of Rome from the Western.

nicklebro posted...

Theists like to pretend that atheism means you reject the existence of a god because that's an easier stance tknargue against.

I'm not a theist, but that is the definition. Unless you are implying that theists like to use appeal to emotion or some other fallacy to imply that atheists are just mad at God, which does happen, but really not to the extent that everyone understanding the different terms would stop it from happening.

nicklebro posted...


Man you just go on and on and on. Your own evidence proved you wrong before.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/what-do-secular-atheist-agnostic-mean

The most reliable dictionary in the word disagrees with you.

nicklebro posted...

LinksLiege posted...

Even if the rest of it is pretty dicey, at least theists and atheists can agree on one thing: nu-agnostics are obnoxious.

Agreed. They're the "both the left and the right are idiots!' of the religious world.

Except worse, because they actually are idiots instead of being smart people who are correct

Though, the left is still better
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I understand the frustration. But ultimately, I'll tell you what I think, and if you would rather argue over the label, you clearly aren't interested in having the real conversation.

Dash_Harber posted...

nicklebro posted...

Plus you need to know these terms in order to know where you fall yourself.

Except at no point in your life is having a word for your philosophy on supernatural matters really going to have that big of an impact outside of religious conflicts (which, generally, hold agnostics and atheists with the same disdain anyway).

The point is not that blood type and religion are similar, the point is that they are things that are unique to people and no one else really cares what your belief is unless it somehow affects them personally. People don't know the difference because it's not important to a lot of people, just like how most people don't know the history of the divide between Western and Eastern Rome. Personally, I think that period of Roman history if fascinating, but I don't go around talking down to others if they don't know that the term 'Byzantine' was posthumously created to distinguish the Eastern half of Rome from the Western.

Well I I guess it's just a bigger priority for me than it is for you. I (wrongly) assumed that most people were like me. I apparently might be wrong.DuranOfForcena posted...

nicklebro posted...

Theists like to pretend that atheism means you reject the existence of a god because that's an easier stance tknargue against.

uhhhh

it kinda does mean that though

atheism is literally the disbelief of or the absence of belief in the existence of god or gods

There's a difference between disbelief and absence of belief, that's the point.

WheezinEd posted...

nicklebro posted...

Man you just go on and on and on. Your own evidence proved you wrong before.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/what-do-secular-atheist-agnostic-mean

The most reliable dictionary in the word disagrees with you.

Your own evidence keeps proving you wrong and you keep missing it. Atheism is not a religion, agnostic atheists exist. Those two sentences alone are all it takes to refute your entire argument.
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Dragonblade01 posted...

I understand the frustration. But ultimately, I'll tell you what I think, and if you would rather argue over the label, you clearly aren't interested in having the real conversation.

It's more than a label, it's literally our starting blocks in every debate. What you identify as (or better, what you are indentified as) is bigly important as it tells everyone what your beliefd are and how you view the world.
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nicklebro posted...

Dragonblade01 posted...

I understand the frustration. But ultimately, I'll tell you what I think, and if you would rather argue over the label, you clearly aren't interested in having the real conversation.

It's more than a label, it's literally our starting blocks in every debate. What you identify as (or better, what you are indentified as) is bigly important as it tells everyone what your beliefd are and how you view the world.

My starting block is what I believe, not the word given to categorize it.

Dragonblade01 posted...

nicklebro posted...

Dragonblade01 posted...

I understand the frustration. But ultimately, I'll tell you what I think, and if you would rather argue over the label, you clearly aren't interested in having the real conversation.

It's more than a label, it's literally our starting blocks in every debate. What you identify as (or better, what you are indentified as) is bigly important as it tells everyone what your beliefd are and how you view the world.

My starting block is what I believe, not the word given to categorize it.

Yeah and it's obviously helpful to label things when we understand them. It's we labels exist, not to mention no matter how anti social you might be, it's helpful to be able to describe your beliefs with a quick label when it comes up in discussion.
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nicklebro posted...

Dragonblade01 posted...

nicklebro posted...

Dragonblade01 posted...

I understand the frustration. But ultimately, I'll tell you what I think, and if you would rather argue over the label, you clearly aren't interested in having the real conversation.

It's more than a label, it's literally our starting blocks in every debate. What you identify as (or better, what you are indentified as) is bigly important as it tells everyone what your beliefd are and how you view the world.

My starting block is what I believe, not the word given to categorize it.

Yeah and it's obviously helpful to label things when we understand them. It's we labels exist, not to mention no matter how anti social you might be, it's helpful to be able to describe your beliefs with a quick label when it comes up in discussion.

It can be helpful. But it can also be harmful. If someone misunderstands my position because of the label applied, I'd just as soon ignore it altogether.

Basically this all comes down to people who think atheism requires the disbelief in all deities rather than just a lack of belief in all deities.

https://www.atheists.org/activism/resources/about-atheism/

Idk how to make it any clearer.
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Dragonblade01 posted...

nicklebro posted...

Dragonblade01 posted...

nicklebro posted...

Dragonblade01 posted...

I understand the frustration. But ultimately, I'll tell you what I think, and if you would rather argue over the label, you clearly aren't interested in having the real conversation.

It's more than a label, it's literally our starting blocks in every debate. What you identify as (or better, what you are indentified as) is bigly important as it tells everyone what your beliefd are and how you view the world.

My starting block is what I believe, not the word given to categorize it.

Yeah and it's obviously helpful to label things when we understand them. It's we labels exist, not to mention no matter how anti social you might be, it's helpful to be able to describe your beliefs with a quick label when it comes up in discussion.

It can be helpful. But it can also be harmful. If someone misunderstands my position because of the label applied, I'd just as soon ignore it altogether.

Well it isn't harmful in this instance, and yeah that's why it's important to understand then correct labels, hence this topic.
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nicklebro posted...

Well I I guess it's just a bigger priority for me than it is for you. I (wrongly) assumed that most people were like me. I apparently might be wrong.

I would say so.

Either way, though, it doesn't mean it's not a big priority for me, it's just that other people's personal beliefs are not super important to me. There is a difference between not caring about my personal philosophies and not caring about what other people choose to believe or what conclusions they arrive at.

nicklebro posted...

Basically this all comes down to people who think atheism requires the disbelief in all deities rather than just a lack of belief in all deities.

https://www.atheists.org/activism/resources/about-atheism/

Idk how to make it any clearer.

Are you really suggesting that atheists.org is a more reliable source than Merriam-Webster?

WheezinEd posted...

nicklebro posted...

Basically this all comes down to people who think atheism requires the disbelief in all deities rather than just a lack of belief in all deities.

https://www.atheists.org/activism/resources/about-atheism/

Idk how to make it any clearer.

Are you really suggesting that atheists.org is a more reliable source than Merriam-Webster?

Neither atheists.org nor Webster prescribe meaning to words. They only describe usage.

And the fact is that both usages of atheism are common.

WheezinEd posted...

nicklebro posted...

Basically this all comes down to people who think atheism requires the disbelief in all deities rather than just a lack of belief in all deities.

https://www.atheists.org/activism/resources/about-atheism/

Idk how to make it any clearer.

Are you really suggesting that atheists.org is a more reliable source than Merriam-Webster?

Yes, obviously. Plus Merriam webster gives both definitions, which is exactly what I've been trying to teach you this entire time.

Dragonblade01 posted...

WheezinEd posted...

nicklebro posted...

Basically this all comes down to people who think atheism requires the disbelief in all deities rather than just a lack of belief in all deities.

https://www.atheists.org/activism/resources/about-atheism/

Idk how to make it any clearer.

Are you really suggesting that atheists.org is a more reliable source than Merriam-Webster?

Neither atheists.org nor Webster prescribe meaning to words. They only describe usage.

And the fact is that both usages of atheism are common.

Exactly.

Asherlee10 posted...

Why did you make this second topic?

Theyre two different topics about two different things.
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