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Poll: Atheist, Deist, Theist?

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Re: Poll: Atheist, Deist, Theist?

#41

Post by markup »

natch wrote: post #38
markup wrote: post #10

I am agnostic, so I can't vote, apparently.

You're probably an atheist without realizing it. I've met many agnostics who weren't aware that there are different types of atheists, including many who don't know one way or another but lean toward disbelief, which is very close to agnosticism. The typical misunderstanding of atheism from self-described agnostics is that atheists claim to be certain that there is no God. Some atheists do that, but that's not the on…

I am a strong agnostic... or strongly agnostic, I don't know what's the proper grammatical form. But I DO know strong agnosticism is what sums my own thoughts on god. :-)

(I don't get why you've been downmodded to -1, I have just +1'd you)

Re: Poll: Atheist, Deist, Theist?

#42

Post by thismat »

davidw wrote: post #20

Uh, I'm a "hacker", which is why I read this site. The rest doesn't matter.

agreed. finally found a good aggregator that didn't seem to have the flamebait/trolling that plagues the numerous others. Really hoping that doesn't happen here as well.

Re: Poll: Atheist, Deist, Theist?

#44

Post by Hexstream »

natch wrote: post #38
markup wrote: post #10

I am agnostic, so I can't vote, apparently.

You're probably an atheist without realizing it. I've met many agnostics who weren't aware that there are different types of atheists, including many who don't know one way or another but lean toward disbelief, which is very close to agnosticism. The typical misunderstanding of atheism from self-described agnostics is that atheists claim to be certain that there is no God. Some atheists do that, but that's not the on…

"You're probably an atheist without realizing it."

You know, it infuriates me when my theist mother tells my atheist self that I'm probably a theist without realizing it. I won't take any of that "If you're a X, you're probably just a Y without realizing it" nonsense.

Re: Poll: Atheist, Deist, Theist?

#45

Post by jacquesm »

DanielBMarkham wrote: post #34
gjm11 wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You certainly can have evidence against something that doesn't exist. There is very strong evidence that there are no (ordinary) elephants in the room I'm in right now, for instance: elephants are large and easy to see, and the fact that I see none when I look around is evidence for their absence. Direct evidence that there are no invisible miniature elephantoids made from weakly-interacting Dark Matter in the room,…

There is very strong evidence that there are no (ordinary) elephants in the room That's assuming a closed system open to inspection. The universe is neither of those. I can say what is or isn't in the room because I have total control over and full freedom to inspect the room to the level of detail required to find elephants . Your example simply doesn't translate. You pivot then into the "far away God is the same as…

at this risk of being corny, amen to that :)

Re: Poll: Atheist, Deist, Theist?

#46

Post by fauigerzigerk »

natch wrote: post #38
markup wrote: post #10

I am agnostic, so I can't vote, apparently.

You're probably an atheist without realizing it. I've met many agnostics who weren't aware that there are different types of atheists, including many who don't know one way or another but lean toward disbelief, which is very close to agnosticism. The typical misunderstanding of atheism from self-described agnostics is that atheists claim to be certain that there is no God. Some atheists do that, but that's not the on…

The reason why I cannot assign probabilities in this case is that the underlying concepts are too vague (particularly if you don't accept any one religion's terms) and there can be no empirical observations either. I guess doubting the feasibility of assigning probabilities here is exactly what makes me an agnosticist. Your argument is definately interesting though.

Re: Poll: Atheist, Deist, Theist?

#47

Post by h34t »

I find religion absolutely fascinating, but also one of the most difficult topics to deal with in an open forum (as opposed to a personal conversation, where you can get into an in-the-moment flow and show respect while also bringing up challenging ideas). So while I'd certainly enjoy more intelligent conversations about religion, I'd worry that adding it here would not be worth the risk.

Re: Poll: Atheist, Deist, Theist?

#48

Post by Caligula »

jacoblyles wrote: post #23
frisco wrote: post #8

These results, at least so far (ath=16, dei=4, the=5), are encouraging. I know you'd expect to see less religion in a science and tech community, but I've never seen anything beyond my group of friends, even in the scientific community, where atheists outnumber theists. I'm sometimes split between the views that religion is harmless and comforting for those who believe and should just be left alone, versus every serv…

Religion has been part of society since the days of pre-human hominids. It does not exist solely because of belief. I am willing to bet that few Greeks literally believed that a god carried the sun across the sky in a chariot. Rather, religion fulfills many cultural and social functions that our increasingly secular world has not yet found good substitutes for. I went to church on Christmas to hear some carols, and I…

"The younger folk helped out the old when they got sick, and the older folk helped the people with little children when they needed a sitter. This kind of social cohesion doesn't exist in secular society" Religious people do not have a monopoly on kindness. If you compare social programs in religious vs non secular societies(e.g europe vs USA) you will find the exact opposite of what you say.

Re: Poll: Atheist, Deist, Theist?

#50

Post by Caligula »

axod wrote: post #17

As the popular quote goes, Atheist and Theist are so alike.. only difference is the Atheist believes in one less god.

My favorite quote is from John McCarthy: "By the way, I count myself as an atheist rather than an agnostic. My criterion for being an atheist is believing that the evidence on the god question is in a similar state to the evidence on the werewolf question. "
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