The OED defines ‘atheist’ as "one who denies or disbelieves the existence of a God". A Christian denies Allah, Buddah and many other Gods. Therefore all monotheists are atheists? Hmm!
An interesting thought. As a christian, I freely believe that the Gods mentioned are not Gods, merely forms of the Devil. Of course, everyone is entitled to believe that my God is a form of the Devil, and many of my good friends do. However, theology aside, Christians are not atheists.
Theist is derived from the greek (theos - transliterated), which means god. The ‘a’ at the beginning of atheist indicates a negative. As God requires faith, the word atheist has come to mean ‘one without faith’. This is certainly not true of christians (at least the ones I know).
Atheists are people who actively deny the existence of any higher power. They say that they were created purely by chance and are soley on earth to fill no apparent purpose. Some would beg to differ, but this is the logical conclusion of most atheistic ramblings I have heard. They are different from agnostics.
Agnostic is again derived from greek, the ‘a’ indicating a negative and gnostic coming from the word (gnosis - transliterated) meaning knowledge. Hence agnostics do not know about God and make no conclusions.
But to answer your question, monotheists (believers in one God) are not atheists (believers in no God).
I admit this article is definitely biased and probably opinionated.
[quote author=Lord_Gnome link=board=grammar;num=1150147408;start=0#2 date=06/20/06 at 15:43:08]They say that they were created purely by chance and are soley on earth to fill no apparent purpose. Some would beg to differ, but this is the logical conclusion of most atheistic ramblings I have heard. [...]
I admit this article is definitely biased and probably opinionated.
As opiniated as your usage of "atheistic ramblings"?
Just wondering.
Another interesting thought, I find, of those I know, that those who believe in nothing but themselves or ‘Science’, usually call out for help in a dire situation; And not to themselves or ‘Science’. There are no athiests in a foxhole. Only from the safety of one’s armchair can one argue there is no god.
more ‘ramblings’ oh well.
[quote author=Vocifera link=board=grammar;num=1150147408;start=0#4 date=06/21/06 at 10:47:07]Another interesting thought, I find, of those I know, that those who believe in nothing but themselves or ‘Science’, usually call out for help in a dire situation; And not to themselves or ‘Science’. There are no athiests in a foxhole. Only from the safety of one’s armchair can one argue there is no god.
v
I hold the opposite view. Atheist don’t bother with calling out for otherworldy help. Foxholes are where atheists are created, when the realization that no help is coming from outer space hits the exposed persons.
As sad as it seems to us, sometimes people reap the consequences of theirs or other’s errant ways, ney? And the so-called athiests do call out for God, (When someone ducks for cover and calls out, "Oh god, help", to whom is heappealing?) if God doesn’t answer, perhaps He merely remembers the person’s gods of choice and thinks he is calling out for money, or power to save ‘him’.
[quote author=Vocifera link=board=grammar;num=1150147408;start=0#7 date=06/21/06 at 15:08:39]As sad as it seems to us, sometimes people reap the consequences of theirs or other’s errant ways, ney? And the so-called athiests do call out for God, (When someone ducks for cover and calls out, "Oh god, help", to whom is heappealing?) if God doesn’t answer, perhaps He merely remembers the person’s gods of choice and thinks he is calling out for money, or power to save ‘him’.
LOL. What started with a clever and interesting observation on the OED, seems to end in pure slapstick.
Oh my… my… my… little pink fluffy rabbit…
These are US links only, but you get the point. Beliefs are intensely personal matters. They are shaped by external events, but are not necessarily changed by those events, one way or another.
-gailr
ps: It’s spelled atheist, associated with theism or deity. Not athiest.
Not here too, I thought this was a site to discuss words not another forum for muling hypocrites to brag on how tight they are with their made-up god.
also I didn’t know the spelling police were here , Wow I hope my spelling passes the muster (or gas).
I absolutely agree with the last posting, but it seems the superstitians are too insecure to pass up on ANY opportunity for self-justification. The answer to the original question is not as important as the fun to be had playing with the language - as is only right and proper.
By the bye - does anyone like ‘Superstitian’ as a generic term for god-botherers?
v
and go ahead and criticise my spelling, I simply don’t care, communication is the key, if you can’t understand what I say then, and only then have I failed.
Not here too, I thought this was a site to discuss words not another forum for muling hypocrites to brag on how tight they are with their made-up god.
also I didn’t know the spelling police were here , Wow I hope my spelling passes the muster (or gas).
no fluffy bunny here, frankly you must be the fluffy bunny, and I am sorry I defended my faith in this den of god-haters. Especially amoung you ad hominem fallacy types
:D :D :D
I commented on the spelling because this is a language site, and it was repeated (not a one-off typo) by someone presenting as a native speaker of English. I would make a similar comment to someone persisting in misspelling the word "Christianity" while citicizing that belief system. For the record, I’ve had my spelling corrected by another poster who expected me to know better, too. It didn’t bother me; I’m sorry it bothered you.
The premise that atheists cry out to a (presumably) Christian deity in times of trouble may be a very comforting belief, but it was not supported by any facts. Nor is is it logical for someone to feel his or her specific set of beliefs is undermined because it is not shared universally. The links I posted (including the "approved" VA cemetary markers) support my premise that people hold to a variety of religious beliefs—including atheism—even while under extreme duress. Extrapolating that the agora is a den of "god-haters" from the fact that members represent a spectrum of beliefs does not indicate a strong grasp of either language skills or logic. When the thread topic is a provocative look at the meanings behind the word "atheism", both faith and linguistics come into play and are fair game.
Finally, any high school debate student could verify that it is possible to argue either side of a position with clarity, passion and logic, quite irrespective of personal convictions. I also believe I remember an admonition about judging not (especially when one is not a deity and not privy to the heart of another person).
Gailr you are right I can spell atheist, but when I look at it with dyslexic eyes I get it wrong more often than not. What a train-wreck.
Maybe when I hear people who claim to be atheists say, "Oh God, help me", they are actually just baspheming, my bad.
[quote author=labougie link=board=grammar;num=1150147408;start=0#11 date=06/22/06 at 01:09:11]By the bye - does anyone like ‘Superstitian’ as a generic term
One of my Chinese dictionaries mentions "superstitionists".
