Poll: Do you know what Atheism means?

[effilctar]

READ THIS POST BEFORE VOTING TO SAVE YOURSELF FROM THE POTENTIAL EMBARASSMENT

Please forgive me for yet another religious thread but I feel that some forum-posters need to be educated as to the meaning of being atheist, I myself being one.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines atheism as: "disbelief of the existence of God or gods".

Origin from Greek: a-without and theos-god.

Now, a very common misconception is that Atheism is the rejection of all religion. However, this is false. There are many religions and cults whose beliefs are purely spiritual and does not have belief in a god or gods. Buddhism is one such religion. I am atheist myself but accept many principles of buddhism and often meditate to clear my mind and achieve a more spiritual state of mind.

Now, the rejection of ALL religion is known as nihilism.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines nihilism as: "The rejection of all religious and moral principles, often in belief that life is meaningless".

Origin from Latin: nihil-nothing.

I hope that this thread has cleared up a few things for some people.

EDIT: Please forgive me. In my haste of making this thread I forgot that most people who reject religion still accept moral values, so no, nihilism would not be the correct term for them. I would say humanism is probably closest.

 

[Hazy]

I thought we were all clear on the grounds of what Atheism is/what Atheists stand for, but thanks for that nugget of information.
As for the poll, you sort of answered your own question

 

[Ninja_X]

I reject all religion, but not morality.

I believe life is precious and that you should be a good person, but I personally reject religion.

What does that make me?

 

[effilctar]

I thought we were all clear on the grounds of what Atheism is/what Atheists stand for, but thanks for that nugget of information.
As for the poll, you sort of answered your own question

It is rather amazing that people aleady vote blindly or read my post and still belief it is the rejection of religion. Is it ignorance?

 

[Hazy]

I thought we were all clear on the grounds of what Atheism is/what Atheists stand for,)

I assure you, that is unfortunately not the case.

Who are the non-believers!? Erm, I mean, the misinformed ones? Bring them to me.
All joking aside, looking at the poll, you may be onto something here, Max

 

[effilctar]

I reject all religion, but not morality.

I believe life is precious and that you should be a good person, but I personally reject religion.

What does that make me?

Well, the end bit of the nihilism definition is a bit out of date. You are a nihilist that has the common sense to accept moral values

 

[Danzaivar]

I reject all religion, but not morality.

I believe life is precious and that you should be a good person, but I personally reject religion.

What does that make me?

A humanist, I think.

 

[grimsprice]

well, i think it hasn't so much as cleared things up as it has forced people to explain their own subtle belief differences in atheism. Personally i think we should just keep things simple, either you believe in a supernatural power/authority or you believe only what you can see and understand with your senses. I'm all for understanding subtle differences but sometimes complication just muddles up the conversation and clouds the real topic with semantics.

 

[Florion]

Now, the rejection of ALL religion is known as nihilism.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines nihilism as: "The rejection of all religious and moral principles, often in belief that life is meaningless".

Origin from Latin: nihil-nothing.

But atheists don't reject all moral principles, only the religious ones. Is nihilism really the right word for people who reject only religious principles?

However, thanks for the clarification on what atheism is.

 

[G1eet]

I thought they worshiped the all powerful Atheismo?

 

[effilctar]

Now, the rejection of ALL religion is known as nihilism.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines nihilism as: "The rejection of all religious and moral principles, often in belief that life is meaningless".

Origin from Latin: nihil-nothing.

But atheists don't reject all moral principles, only the religious ones. Is nihilism really the right word for people who reject only religious principles?

However, thanks for the clarification on what atheism is.

I felt somewhat obligated to make this thread in a hope of helping, not wrong, but misunderstood forum posters. And I wouldn't say nihilism is the right word. Probably humanism

 

[TheLastCylon]

I thought they worshiped the all powerful Atheismo?

Weird, I thought that as well.


Well, whatever, I must go back to preparing the sacrificial lamb to be brought to the alter of the mighty and all knowing Atheismo.

 

[Ninja_X]

I reject all religion, but not morality.

I believe life is precious and that you should be a good person, but I personally reject religion.

What does that make me?

Well, the end bit of the nihilism definition is a bit out of date. You are a nihilist that has the common sense to accept moral values

Ah thanks that made me feel good.

Most people think you are evil when you say "I reject all religion."

A humanist, I think.

I'm gonna go look it up now.

 

[Aardvark]

Atheism is the belief that there is no God or Gods. They embrace this belief so strongly that they will argue you blue in the face, go to little atheist gatherings and write books about how all the other religions are wrong and that theirs is the one true faith.

That's right, other religions. As Atheism continues to organise, you'll see more and more Atheist organisations popping up around the place, espousing the word of Atheism. Pretty soon, they'll qualify for tax-free status.

Disagree if you must. Sharpen up your little blog and forum posts, thump your copies of The God Delusion and call for my blood if you feel the need, but I'm right. In your pathetic desperation to reject organised religion, you've created another one, far more pretentious and arrogant than any before.

 

[Littaly]

Always known the difference (it's in the word after all, teism, godism) I just never thought much about it. Mainly because on the Internet the word is (albeit incorrectly) used for both meanings.

edit: also, what is religion? You need to define something before you deny it.

 

[Clashero]

I reject all religion, but not morality.

I believe life is precious and that you should be a good person, but I personally reject religion.

What does that make me?

Exactly my thoughts, although I disagree effilctar: I don't think you and I are nihilists. To be a nihilists means, in short, to "believe in nothing". From a philosophical standpoint, a nihilists doesn't believe in religion, deities, morality. A nihilist feels an emptiness caused by disappointment in the world and things and people in it, and believes in the futility of life and that all actions are ultimately meaningless.

 

[effilctar]

Atheism is the belief that there is no God or Gods. They embrace this belief so strongly that they will argue you blue in the face, go to little atheist gatherings and write books about how all the other religions are wrong and that theirs is the one true faith.

That's right, other religions. As Atheism continues to organise, you'll see more and more Atheist organisations popping up around the place, espousing the word of Atheism. Pretty soon, they'll qualify for tax-free status.

Disagree if you must. Sharpen up your little blog and forum posts, thump your copies of The God Delusion and call for my blood if you feel the need, but I'm right. In your pathetic desperation to reject organised religion, you've created another one, far more pretentious and arrogant than any before.

I'm atheist but I'm not in your face with it, I am actually a very spiritual person, I just believe that in this day and age, the belief in some deity is a bit out-dated.

 

[Cap'n Haddock]

Most Atheists I've met in print and real life are militant assholes about being atheist and being against the existence of God and the invalidity of religion.
I find that to be both juvenile and very easy to argue for;
its almost always easier to insult and argue against an idea than it is to defend it. But in terms of metaphysics I think that both militant atheists and religious zealots have more in common than they would admit. Both are boneheadedly stubborn about their point of view and cannot truly be swayed to another viewpoint; both views also involve the existence of God, and by acknowledging that Atheists have lost a battle because they cannot prove the nonexistence of God just as much as Theists cannot.

Agnosticism is viewpoint that can only be proven and cannot be refuted; as a single person, you cannot know the existence or nonexistence of a supreme deity, pure and simple. The "rejection of moral principles" of nihilism is flawed as well; nihilists want to reject those ideas because they believe that it is predicated on the teachings of god; in fact, most of those teachings can also be found with logic; morals are ones own personal view based on metaphysical value-judgments and logical reasoning. I have no problem with someone else living a crack and whore based life as Nietzsche would want you too, but I probably wouldn't do that because I know that it would kill me.

 

[Hazy]

Who are the non-believers!? Erm, I mean, the misinformed ones? Bring them to me.
All joking aside, looking at the poll, you may be onto something here, Max

Do I look like your slave?
No.

Yeah, well, it's not surprising - I am occasionally correct.

Well, I was thinking the Shackles look would suit you nicel- No good sir, you are infact, a man. Or a deity. I'm still waiting on the test results which I totally did behind your bac-.. er.. Cookie?

Spoiler: Delicious

 

[Julianking93]

I just had this discussion with, uh, I forget his username, but it was about the difference between the two.

Yes, Nihilism is the rejection of everything and that you believe in nothing (like in the Big LeBowski) and Atheism is just the rejection of God or a god.

But for me, I'd say I'm closer to Nihilism but I don't believe life is meaningless. There's gotta be some reason to it all, even if it is a scientific reason.