Theli

The illusion can also be dangerous when it's put into action.
How can someone who represent that wich is the very definition of good do wrong?

Yes, there aren't many theists on this board right now that can really challenge you, except for Tercel that is. It's too bad.

I don't usually read too many old posts that I have written, I find myself disagreeing with them.
I guess that's called learning.

I have always seen (A)theism as a category you fall under when "developing" your own worldview and can't be used to extract much information from.
And that everyone has a god of their own, including athiests. The only thing that sets the Theist and the Atheist apart is weither he/she believe god exists outside his/her own mind or not.
The rest has been slapped on by peoples opinions of themselfs as (a)theists and their counterparts.

I think most of us are guilty of this, atleast a bit.

Thanks for this reply.

Jayhawker Soule

We may also need a definition of what it means to say a word means something. I'm beginning to think that Humptu Dumpty was right ...

jlowder

That was a cheap shot. I think it is perfectly reasonable to ask for a definition of a word, when there isn't agreement on what the word means. Some people think that a belief about the existence of God is sufficient to count as a worldview. Other people think that a belief about the existence of the supernatural in general is sufficient to count as a worldview. Still others think that a worldview must include a set of beliefs about God, ethics, epistemology, etc. I don't want to waste my time discussing whether some belief is a worldview until I first have agreement on what counts as a worldview.

jlowder

[ May 09, 2002: Message edited by: jlowder ]</p>

Ron Singh

Atheism is the default position just like Apopsiclism.

Jayhawker Soule

And I'm damn curious as to why you see the comment directed against you!

You've previously noted: "Again, this goes back to the question, "How should we define a word?" Should we rely on historical usage? Popular usage? Something else? I have argued that we should stipulate common usage and find something more useful to argue with theists about." I agreed with you in that thread, I find many discussions bogging down in what seems to me are purely semantic issues, and I repeat: "We may also need a definition of what it means to say a word means something."

You call it a "cheap shot". I call it a useful baseline. I'm sorry that you disagree, and even more sorry that you've personalized the matter.

[ May 10, 2002: Message edited by: ReasonableDoubt ]</p>

Jayhawker Soule

With reference to the question posed by the thread, I do not consider atheism to be a world view.

liquid

To put it plainly. Atheism is not a worldview. Nor is theism. A worldview is your method of or framework for interpreting reality. (A)Theism is not in any sense a framework, but something that is arrived at within a framework.

Worldviews are far more mundane, and do not make any statements of belief - although they can contain starting individual assumptions, of which [a]theism can be one, an assumption is not the whole by any means.

jlowder

I'm sorry. I misunderstood. I thought you were being sarcastic. I was so tired when I wrote my previous reply I had completely forgotten about our conversation in that other thread. I now understand the point you were trying to make.

jlowder