There are a lot of misconceptions from believers about the nature of atheism. One of the most used is the claim that atheism is also a belief.
Critics define atheism as a “belief that there is no God”. Yes, the statement does appear in some categories of atheism but it doesn’t give the basic nature of atheism.
Theism is defined as “belief in a god or gods”. The suffix “ism” is a give away, just like in the word Marxism or objectivism (there are a lot of "ism's" out there). If we place the prefix “a” which means “without” in the word theism you now have the word "atheism" (simple isn’t it?).
So the basic form is not a belief but the absence of belief. To believe in nothing is not, de facto, to believe in something. An atheist is not a person who believe that a god doesn’t exist, rather a person who does not believe in the existence of a god.
Just like theism, atheism is a descriptive term. If a person is an atheist this tells us that the person does not believe in a god, not why he/she does not believe. Atheism is also a privative term, a term of negation, indicating the opposite of theism. There are no claims or denials – atheism is just about being “not a theist”.
So why do believers insist that atheism is a belief that “God doesn’t exist”? Well…it’s possible that believers are playing basket ball. Since atheism is simply the absence of belief in any gods, then the burden of proof lies solely with the believer. It is easier to claim that an atheist and a god-believer are in the same boat than to admit the believer’s failure to demonstrate that their god-belief is reasonable and rational.
There is also the tendency among god-believers to claim that anyone who doesn’t agree with their belief system is claiming the opposite. This is a gross error to logic.
Critics define atheism as a “belief that there is no God”. Yes, the statement does appear in some categories of atheism but it doesn’t give the basic nature of atheism.
Theism is defined as “belief in a god or gods”. The suffix “ism” is a give away, just like in the word Marxism or objectivism (there are a lot of "ism's" out there). If we place the prefix “a” which means “without” in the word theism you now have the word "atheism" (simple isn’t it?).
So the basic form is not a belief but the absence of belief. To believe in nothing is not, de facto, to believe in something. An atheist is not a person who believe that a god doesn’t exist, rather a person who does not believe in the existence of a god.
Just like theism, atheism is a descriptive term. If a person is an atheist this tells us that the person does not believe in a god, not why he/she does not believe. Atheism is also a privative term, a term of negation, indicating the opposite of theism. There are no claims or denials – atheism is just about being “not a theist”.
So why do believers insist that atheism is a belief that “God doesn’t exist”? Well…it’s possible that believers are playing basket ball. Since atheism is simply the absence of belief in any gods, then the burden of proof lies solely with the believer. It is easier to claim that an atheist and a god-believer are in the same boat than to admit the believer’s failure to demonstrate that their god-belief is reasonable and rational.
There is also the tendency among god-believers to claim that anyone who doesn’t agree with their belief system is claiming the opposite. This is a gross error to logic.
Until next time,
John the Atheist
2 comments:
Nice content you have here but I think aesthetically you should improve the look of your site! :)
For me, atheism was the logical conclusion of years of pondering the natural world. Atheism is not a "belief" for me. But to realize that god and supernatural forces of "good" and "evil" do not exist is just something that makes a lot of sense.
Keep up the good work,
Cammy the (Pinay) Atheist
Thanks for yuour comment @ cammy and yeah you're right I should make my blog a little more..eh easy in the eye. Well...I'm still working on that department.
It's really great to know more Pinay atheist coming out of the shell. I do hope that someday, there will be more.
Have a nice day @ Cammy.
John P.
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