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Sunday, January 26, 2014

Defining atheism

We need to use words as they are generally understood and be careful we don't get into the trap of having our own special meanings and hence both not understanding and not being understood.

Case in point is "atheism," which to me I find has the special meaning of "no God or gods belief."  The agnostic falls into that category, as he or she does not "believe" in a God.  I realize however that that is not what the ordinary person means.  The ordinary person hearing "atheist" thinks there is a positive assertion that there cannot be a God.  Well of course I strongly doubt that anyone would be so foolish as to think that, so in the end we are all "agnostics."

I nevertheless am in a quandary since I find "atheist" to be the more honest self-description.  I am pretty much as sure that there is no God as I am of anything.

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