Lord Asriel

I like to think of myself as someone who will always oppose authority.

Starboy

Perhaps this was covered in a previous post, but I think of myself as an a-theist, using the natural definition that would be without theism. Thus a new born baby would be an a-theist. If that baby lived its entire life without exposure to theism or considered theism to be irrelevant, then as an adult they would be an a-theist. It is my hope that someday that will be very easy to do.

Starboy

Buffman

When I was a lad, I asked the typical child-like questions...the origin of all that I could see. I was provided with the standard answer...God made it. So naturally I asked the next obvious question. "Who made God?" That question brought forth a profusion of answers, none of which being identical or definitive.

Up till that question, I had pretty well considered my parents to be God. They suggested that I might be better served if I were to ask that question of the mortal representatives of God. So I began asking priests, ministers, pastors, rabbis, reverends of every manner (there were no Muslim clerics in my community at that time), and anyone else I hoped might know, that very same question.

Well it didn't take very long to discover that none of them had any idea, let alone factual data other than their self-proclaimed sacred texts, of where this God had originated, though each professed a zealous belief in his existence. By this time, I was into my third year of Latin and had been exposed to the various Gods and Goddesses of the ancient Romans and Greeks and knew that they, and the supernatural miracles performed by them, were merely mythical stories created by other humans to explain "origins" to those who had asked the same questions I was asking.

At approximately this same time, I was being exposed to the scientific method of inquiry in my biology, chemistry and physics classes. Suddenly the ability to sort fiction from fact took on a whole new and exciting dimension. The supernatural became irrelevant in the quest for ever more accurate knowledge and understanding. Whenever a true believer made a claim, I would ask for the verifiable evidence for their claim. I didn't tell them that they had their head buried in the sand. I simply asked them for the verifiable evidence that could be used to support their allegations. I have been doing that now for over the last 50 years of my life. I am still awaiting the presentation of some verifiable evidence that would support the existence of supernatural origins.

Thus, if I must affix a label to myself in order to communicate in forums such as this, then it would be that of a "Non-Supernaturalist"... awaiting the presentation of verifiable evidence that proves the existence of a supernatural world.
(Personally, I find the word "atheist" to be self-limiting and defined by an, as yet, unproven premise.)

sighhswolf

Oh I personally have some very strong thoughts on this subject, however I do not like labels period.
Labels restrict your freedom to explore ALL alternatives.
I think it is contradictory to proclaim yourself a "freethinker" and then label yourself as an "atheist". Atheism implies that a person is convinced there is no god, thereby closing the mind to any/all alternatives (strong atheism).

I also think that "agnosticism" is more irrational than "theism".
Either you think a god exists, or you dont.
To assign characteristics and attributes to some mythical god figure and in the same breath exclaim, "Oh we small minded humans just cant and never will understand the ways of this supernatural wonder thing."
Or "I'm not sure, I cant see any evidence, but I will not rule out the possibility that there may be a supernatural being".
My mind cannot deal with that kind of reasoning.

Simply put, I consider myself to be a non-believer.
However if some strong and indisputable evidence along with the proper scientific investigation
and documentation were presented to PROVE without doubt that there is a supernatural being up, out, in, down there somewhere, I may reconsider my position and investigate further.

Up to this point in my personal existence, I have found no evidence that a supernatural creator of the universe exists either now or historically.
Wolf