The problem mate is that people use the concept of invisible sky fairies to wreak havoc in society, education and government. This, and this alone, is why we atheists must organize, and be active. Otherwise, I could give fook all, and I'd join a random sky fairy party every month, just for the cameraderie.
On Thu, Jul 30, 2009 at 10:01 AM, [email protected] < [email protected]> wrote: > > Yes Ian that does help explain a bit. However it is still not clear to > me the differance in disbelife and absence of belife, which is why > Iasked for a mundane example. > > Let me try this one out on you then. > > I'm reading my paper keeping myself to myself on my morning commute, > when I notice a bloke reading over my shoulder, when I turn to him he > brazenly and cheeckily asks me to flip back to the horoscopes page so > he can check out how his day will goe. > > I laugh and declare that that I do not accpet his claim that the > movments of other planets and stars has any bearing on how our day > will progress. > > Do I do so from an absence of belife in horoscopes or from a disbelife > in the concept of them? What in all reality is the differance. > > Also if no agrument sways me to except the idea of a creator God, but > at the same time I am unwilling to declare that I belive there exists > no such thing, then am I not agnostic? > > > > On 30 July, 14:43, Ian Pollard <[email protected]> wrote: > > Hi Lee, > > > > I'll try my best... > > > > The theist makes a positive assertion about the existence of God. An > atheist > > is someone who does not accept the theist's claim; thus they are an > > "a"-theist. Atheism is therefore only the absence of that theistic > belief. > > An atheist does not claim to know that God does not exist, only that the > > arguments presented in favour, thus far, are insufficient hold such a > > belief. > > > > Positively asserting that "there is no God" is further than any sensible > > atheist would go. An "in joke" that demonstrates this very well is the > > chapter of Richard Dawkin's 'The God Delusion' entitled 'Why There Almost > > Certainly Is No God'. I could well believe that the nuances of this were > > lost on some people, but there's no semantic word fuckery going on; this > is > > really what atheism is. > > > > What you continually describe, I think, is some form of escalated "strong > > atheism" or obnoxious forum trolling. I've started to wonder whether this > > particular kind of atheism only exists on Internet forums to antagonise > > theists (see Chazwin's posts). In a sensible discussion I don't know any > > atheist who would support such a position, hence I say your assertions > about > > atheism lead you only to a strawman. > > > > Look at the atheists you chat with here Mind's Eye; do I, Chris, Fran, or > > anyone else, claim "there is no God"? > > > > Ian > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups ""Minds Eye"" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Minds-Eye?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
