HelenM

Someone else has posted about this once, but anyway...I'm very curious to know what people here think.

A person on CA is saying that the word "GOD" is undefined and rejecting all definitions of it offered by me or others. <a href="http://pub22.ezboard.com/fgwnnfrm11.showMessage?topicID=380.topic" target="_blank">Here's the thread</a>

I think his point is supposed to be "If you can't define the word that proves that God doesn't exist".

I think he's simply playing word games and that of all the ways to disprove God, it's the least likely one I've ever come across.

So now he's posted to me:

So...do you agree?

My response is that it's a silly definition because being an atheist is about not believing in supernatural Being(s), not about not believing in a word definition.

love
Helen

Automaton

If the word "God" is undefined, then theism, and therefore atheism, is also meaningless.

HelenM

That's what I said too, when he didn't respond to a post in which I said eight or so times, I can't comment on whether I think Jews are atheists (his assertion about my beliefs), unless he defines atheist for me.

That was when he came up with the above definition of "atheist".

love
Helen

[ June 17, 2002: Message edited by: HelenSL ]</p>

Adrian Selby

I'm not sure, if the word God is meaningless, or undefined, then one cannot have a God belief.

If an atheist is simply someone without a belief in God, then doesn't that include all those for whom statements relating to God and God beliefs make no sense?

Adrian

[ June 17, 2002: Message edited by: Adrian Selby ]</p>

himynameisPwn

Hes totally wrong.

So, I guess atheists can believe in Yahweh?

I guess the greeks were atheists, and the egyptians and every other culture except muslim and christian.

Atheism is still lack of god belief.

joedad

What I find interesting is that the word "god" originally describes a behavior, not a thing.

More to the point though, what exactly happens when I take a word like "man" and change it into Man, such as I've done with the word "god." Is that a meaningful word now? Are there any men named "Man," for example? Is capitalizing "god" really proper? Does it express a proper cultural idea? So in a way he has a point.

Maybe the difference is simply between the words god and God. Is God a god, like Zeus is a god?

joe

Koyaanisqatsi

On a side note, does anyone know the origin of the word "God?"

A loaded question to be sure... ...but I was actually seeking the the etymology.

As for the topic, I do see the person's point to some degree. The Judeo/Christian God is ineffable as a necessary condition.

Since you don't know preceisly what you are believing in, how can you truly believe, thus the cult use of "faith."

Beyond that, however, it's a trivial argument, since the cult member can always respond with the "God reveals himself" crap.

Jayhawker Soule

I vote for 'silly', and still find the Drange article compelling. See <a href="http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/theodore_drange/definition.html" target="_blank">Atheism, Agnosticism, Noncognitivism (1998)</a>.

Hans

Hi Helen,

I can't speak for him/her specifically, but I don't think that the philosophy of noncognitivism makes that assertion. I think it simply points out that there generaly is no cognitive definition to the word God, and therefore, to answer whether God exists or not is a non-question.

In other words, before you can ask someone if something exists you need to define what that something is. If theists are unable to defien the word God how can they assert such a thing exists. Likewise, the philosophy of noncognitivism can not assert that some unspecified object does not exists. Before any assertion one way or the other can be made, a definition must first be offered.

I think if you address his question from this perspective you may find it intellectually stimulating.

HelenM

Does that make this a non-forum then?

(But I do appreciate your attempts to help me understand where noncognitivism is coming from, Hans)

love
Helen