| Atheism: My Definition |
| This is my definition of atheism. Naturally, just because I say this is what atheism is, doesn't mean that my understanding of atheism is set in stone; different people have different ideas. I highly suggest that you read around to get a more broad understanding of what the word means. First, let me make it very clear that atheism entails no doctrines, rules, set of beliefs, or philosophies for living. Reason, intellectual freedom, and no fear of a punishment after death are things we may find an atheist, but that doesn't mean that these things are provided by atheism. A person can be an atheist and still have a fear of hell after death; brainwashing is not something easy to get rid of. An atheist isn't necessarily a person who has a life of reason. An atheist doesn't necessarily have intellectual freedom. Atheism doesn't give a person these things. Atheism is the negative of theism. Theism is with god-sim - having a belief in at least one god. Thus, atheism is without god-ism, or not having a belief in gods. Some atheists claim to KNOW that there are no gods, this atheist is usually called a "strong" atheist. Most atheists don't claim to KNOW that there are no gods, rather, they simply lack a belief in gods without believing there are no gods. This latter atheist is generally called a "weak" atheist. A weak atheist may be strong toward certain gods, such as the Christian god, but not all gods. An atheist may believe in an afterlife. An atheist may believe in UFOs. An atheist might even believe in gnomes. The lack of belief in anything other than gods is not a required to be an atheist. Since I have links which define atheism much better and in greater depth, I'll leave it at that. See also: Atheism vs. Agnosticism |