mike_decock

But the definitions of words HAVE changed significantly over the last 2000 years. The term "Atheist" includes those who have a belief in no God as well as those who have no belief in God.

-Mike...

Wyz_sub10

I think this discussion is more suited to philosophy to science, so I'm sending it that-a-way.

philechat

Atheists are not necessarily freethinkers or skeptics. There exists several branches of atheistic mysticism (such as Theraveda Buddhism, Upanishads, and Taoism) which affirm absolute knowledge without any belief of deities.

Skeptics are not necessarily atheists. What defines skepticism is a denial of absolute knowledge, especially knowledge in the metaphysical sense (thus strict materialists or strict idealists should not be considered skeptics).

Freethinkers only mean those who think outside specific religious traditions. Under this definition even some mystics (who deny the use of religious creeds in their pursuit of truth) can be called freethinkers.

DRFseven

ekorczynski, do YOU see a difference between "believing there are no gods" and "lacking belief in any gods?"

John Page

I believe that god exists as a human idea of the ideal being and the cause of that which we cannot explain. I do not believe that god exists as a material entity. I believe these things because evidence points to these conclusions as the most coherent explanation (to me) for god.

An agnostic, on the other hand, just declares they don't know. I used to be an agnostic but now think I have an understanding of what's going on with the god thing.

I consider a dogmaticist as someone that holds on to their belief without question. In this sense, I suspect most atheists on this board are atheists because they do question thier beliefs (and are therefore not dogmaticists in the strict sense of the word). Hey, show me the pearly gates and the choir eternal perhaps I'll join (after due diligence).

Cheers, John