RidingtheScree

you are definitely not an atheist,

whatever your definition

those who feel religion is harmless need to just read and experience more religious pain, so they get the idea,

those who are affriad of nihism of the metaphysical are theists until they find life within the bounds of life, and become yea-sayers, ending their nilhism to the living world.

I recommend heavily you read:
Der Antichrist (the antichrist) by Nietzshe, which in that order should destroy your indifference to theism if you read them objectively and analytically.

I have read both and have to say 300 and 200 years is no amount of time.

Many atheist are not four things essential to atheism:

At Least Working Empricists
At Least Working-Level Rationalists
Staunch Denyers of Metaphysics
Moral Relativists

Also, optimally

Analytic and Meditative individuals,
Desctruction of Pity, Lying, Disingenuity

Evoken

I never said I was. As I said in my OP, I consider the labels atheist/theist to be void of meaning by virtue of the object they refer to.

I didn't say that religion is harmless. I do not think it is intristically harmful either. I just think it is volatile or flammable if you will. I think that there are some aspects of some religions that are counterproductive and which tend to lead to violence, intolerance, ignorance, etc.

"nihism"? Do you mean "nihilism"?

I own and have read The AntiChrist. Have not read Hume tho. Nietzshe has some good ideas but I don't really agree with everything he says.

I am indifferent to theism as long as it doesn't gets in my way. I live in a Christian country so I know what it is to live in a theistic country. The motto of my country is "God, patriotism and liberty". You can say it is oxymoronic in a way...

So there is a creed for atheism now?


Valz

Agnostic Theist

It is if you sit on one

Or is that a parsnip?

revpo

Dont worry about what you think or terminology, consider your self the natural way, a natural pantheist

revpo

Kydka

I hate to be a smart *** but is not someone who ignores the concept of god due to the perception of irrelevance also not hold that concept personally and thus atheistic anyways?

As far as I know atheism means lacking a belief in one or more gods and nothing more. It doesn't equate and isn't connected to "believing in nothingness" or any other attributes. That said, it may often co-exist with other concepts and attributes such as irreligiosity and naturalism/materialism/physicalism (as far as I can tell they are essentially synonyms). Atheism isn't a word with great magnitude. Rocks and trees are atheists by virtue of their inability to compose thoughts and thus hold a concept of god. Its sounds silly but it shows the banalness of the word.

Evoken

Yeah, I just consider myself what I put in my profile. Ignosticism does sums my position on God and religion fairy well but it doesn't covers everything.


Valz

Evoken

I do think that there is a lot of overlap between ignosticism and atheism and perhaps they are the same. My comments about theism and atheism being void of meaning are not part of the definition of ignosticism, it is just something I happen to think.

Right but ignosticism means ignorance of gods. I think that ignosticism does covers atheism but it goes further by stating that it is impossible to know gods or say anything meaningful about them, thus making any gods and claims about them meaningless and irrelevant.

You could say that it is strong atheism (tho I don't agree it is), but personally I do not consider myself an atheist (strong or weak) because I leave the possibility of the supernatural open and the possibility of a theist saying something meaningful or actually proving God and the supernatural exists.

I also do not know if God exists or not, I think it is impossible to know that and I consider God and the supernatural by virtue of their nature irrelevant to our existence. I also do not have an anti-religious attitude as strong atheism does and am fairly tolerant towards it (with the exception of the strict fundamentalist types).


Valz

Kydka

Why is it that you put more conotations unto atheism than the lack of one or more gods? It doesn't mean being anti religious and it doesn't mean being absolutely sure about earlier said position. I think most atheists here would admit they they could be wrong about their position even though some might be incredibly stubborn. It looks like you and I share the same beliefs in regards to existence of gods. I am however at least somewhat anti religious.

It sounds alot like agnostic-weak atheism (thinking god's existence is ultimately unknowable and lacking belief in their existence but not believing gods don't exist). If ignosticism entails all that and works for you I won't stop you from using it at all.

I do feel the need to point things where I feel you have misconceptions but I mean no disrespect. It bothers me that Atheism has so many connotations (especially negative ones) like that ones I've pointed out when it is a very simple bare concept.

Styrofoamdeity

Kind of reminds me of the conversation in Dumb and Dumber. Jim Carey's character is talking to the impossibly-out-of-his-reach Mary:

Carey: So, come on, give it to me straight.....What are the chances that a girl like you could fall for a guy like me.......?

Mary: (hesitating).......well........not good......... Maybe one out of, uh, a billion?"

Carey: (sighs) so....what you are saying is that.........I'VE GOT A CHANCE!!!!!

At some point, when the odds on something become so unlikely, it's time to admit its not going to happen. If you bought a lottery ticket in a 20 million dollar lottery, with odds of hundreds of million to one against winning, would you spend the money in advance? Ignosticism seems to imply simply not admitting that the chances of winning the God lottery are absurdly small. Not even worth thinking about.