Atheism Shouldn't Exist

[Scars Unseen]

Like most words in the modern English language, "atheism" has a purpose. If it did not, it would have fallen into disuse. No word has ever been stricken from the English language because someone took offense to its use. Therefore, OP is wrong. The word should exist because people still find a use for it, even if its connotation has changed somewhat in the past 500 years.

 

[Vivi22]

Some people sky-dive, so do we now need a non-sky-diver title?

If sky-divers made up the overwhelming majority of the population for thousands of years and was a defining characteristic of those peoples lives, morality, personality, and everything else that makes them them, then absolutely. We would need a word for non sky-divers because someone being a sky-diver becomes the cultural default.

It's nothing but obnoxious rhetoric on behalf of religious zealots for us to have to label ourselves non-believers. Religion isn't the default. You aren't born not believing. You are born NOTHING. You CHOOSE to become religious and you CHOOSE the title. Atheists chose not to take up a religion and therefore stay default--no title.

On the contrary, non-belief may be how we're born into this world, but it is absolutely not how many people are raised. Moreover, a child that's dragged to church or any other religious ceremony by it's parents, and has every attempt made to indoctrinate them from a young age does not get to make a free and informed rational choice. And those beliefs instilled at a young age can be almost impossible for some to abandon, even later in life when they may be better able to see through some of the bullshit they were fed as a child.

You're attempting to oversimplify this, and assume a default state of non-belief which is rarely maintained long enough for people to make a rational choice. More likely, someone else has chosen for people, and very few will ever really escape that. Even many who cast their religion aside do not cast aside their beliefs in a higher power or the aspects of their morality which stem from that early belief. It takes an incredibly rational and open minded person to simply turn away from something which may be greatly integrated in their personality, and their early development as a person.

Hell, when I was in Elementary school, it didn't even occur to me that not believing in God was an option, though I rarely spent much time pondering over or caring about religion. Now I'm an atheist, but I am definitely among the few who are exposed to religion from an early age only to discard such belief later in life.

 

[orangeban]

While we at it, can we remove word "asexual"? I haven't yet seen a person that wasn't either a man or a woman.

Asexual doesn't mean you're neither man or woman, it means you're not attracted to anyone. It's related to heterosexual, bisexual, etc.

And the word for someone who isn't definetly a man or a woman in terms of physical sex is "intersex".

 

[Al-Bundy-da-G]

No. Atheists don't believe there is no god. Atheists don't BELIEVE anything.

Actually Atheist do not carry faith that there is a divine being/s that created or govern the universe. Belief and faith are two different things. Belief is the acceptance that a statement is true, while faith is the denial of a contradicting evidence to preserve one's belief.

Atheists hold belief in physical evidence (i.e. scientific evidence) rather that holding belief in god/s.

 

[Grey Day for Elcia]

Therefore Atheism is clearly a belief system.

Okay... how can I say this... NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO~

Seriously. Atheism means no one has shown you evidence that a god exists or doesn't exist. It DOES NOT MEAN you believe there is no god and it is the exact opposite of a belief system.

Again: [HEADING=3]Atheism is the lack of belief based on no evidence given. Atheism is NOT the belief that no god exists.[/HEADING]

People, please, learn your meanings.

 

[FluffyWelshCake]

Religion came first, so they get first dibs on picking a name. Being a-something suggests reacting against a norm, which religion has been for a long time, hence atheist.

I like the quote, and I would be interested if someone could think up a good name for atheists that stands on its own instead of in opposition to religion

Would saying 'rational' be accurate?

 

[Vhite]

While we at it, can we remove word "asexual"? I haven't yet seen a person that wasn't either a man or a woman.

Asexual doesn't mean you're neither man or woman, it means you're not attracted to anyone. It's related to heterosexual, bisexual, etc.

And the word for someone who isn't definetly a man or a woman in terms of physical sex is "intersex".

Good to know, thanks.

 

[Grey Day for Elcia]

Religion came first, so they get first dibs on picking a name. Being a-something suggests reacting against a norm, which religion has been for a long time, hence atheist.

I like the quote, and I would be interested if someone could think up a good name for atheists that stands on its own instead of in opposition to religion

Would saying 'rational' be accurate?

Lol. That was pretty funny. Possibly insulting, but funny >_>

+1 internet.

 

[Aerosteam]

There must be a word to label someone with no religion. An 'Atheist' fits the picture.

If that word does not exist, what are we going to call someone who doesn't follow a religion? Non-Religious Person? Err, no.

 

[DANEgerous]

Virgin then, the term exist it decries a lack of something and should be thought of as default. Same or mild or dry in flavor and silent in terms of sound, empty or vacuum in terms of volume.

This is just off the top of my head and they are all defaults (save vacuum in varying circumstances) that can be used to describe anything with their respected qualities. I feel i must state we DO have a term that decries an outright lack of something and atheism is an outright lack of faith in god.

 

[Spambot 3000]

EDIT:

Atheism is the belief system of atheists.

In other words, if I don't own a car, that lack of a car is somehow my car?

If you actually read at least the whole first page of this thread, you wouldn't have asked that.

 

[Grey Day for Elcia]

There must be a word to label someone with no religion. An 'Atheist' fits the picture.

If that word does not exist, what are we going to call someone who doesn't follow a religion? Non-Religious Person? Err, no.

Nothing. You don't need a word to describe someone who hasn't chosen to be religious.

"What religion do you belong to?" "None."

Why would you need a word to describe someone who ISN'T something? Is there a word for someone who ISN'T a skydiver? Of course not.

 

[ShaqLevick]

Well I for one think the majority of you here are wrong. Because you see without any definitive

proof to the fact that God doesn't exist, surely scientifically it must be valid on some level.

Therefore Atheism is clearly a belief system, and a very cynical one at that. Perhaps it would

have been better to equate Agnostic belief to true neutral, because believing in a possibility of

God isn't a misguided endeavor, it's simply waiting on all the facts to come in.

In an infinitely large universe it is certain there is an infinite number of possibilities. And

who the hell are we, all wise humans to simply state an impossibility in any form whatsoever!

I agree with you entirely - that's very close to what I believe except for one thing: that the universe is 'infinitely large'? How do you know this?

Certainly, our current understanding of the cosmos is limited, leading to what might be argued to be an infinite number of possibilities 'over the horizon,' so to speak, but I thought it was fairly well established that our universe was finite.

Fair enough, I do agree with your statement. I suppose I misspoke when I stated universe, because that would likely have finite boundaries. However, if we open up to the theory of inflation which in turn would lead to the notion of a multiverse... well that would certainly make things a little more limitless.

 

[Bloodtrozorx]

If you still don't get it: Atheism can only exist in a world where people are expected to be religious by default--a.k.a.: a fucked up world--and need to inform others otherwise.

We call that America.

In all seriousness, I agree with the majority of users, the word has a purpose and is an accurate description of those without religious affiliation.

 

[Akytalusia]

.... *looks at some posts* are you all idiots? atheism doesn't mean non-religous.
theism is the belief that there is a god.
atheism is the belief that there isn't a god.

they're both equally founded on evidentialism, or the belief that 'evidence' is enough to warrant 'truth'. the term that more fits your definition of 'non-religious' is agnosticism, and is probably what you're actually thinking about. and though i disagree that agnosticism actually does equate nonreligion, that isn't the point i'm currently trying to make. >.>

 

[Palmerama]

Aetheism is still a belief! They 'believe' that there isn't a god! Even if it they don't beleive in God they believe in him not existing!

The aethiests I hate are the ones that force their opinions onto people! People like Richard Dorkings! There was an anit-christian christmas thing on UK tv a couple of years ago for aethesits with stand ups and music and what not! All it boiled down to was three hours of scientists and other aetheists saying how stupid it is to beleive in a god!

What I found funny was the comnplete lack of irony of them saying how stupid & annoying it is when someone tells you about Jesus and gives you pamphlets when they do the same!