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The way I understand it, atheism is an explicit rejection of the existence of gods. You can't be born taking this position because you have not been introduced
by kwamenum86 18y ago
The way I understand it, atheism is an explicit rejection of the existence of gods. You can't be born taking this position because you have not been introduced to the concept yet.
But I do understand that you are saying everyone is born not believing in a god or gods because they have not been introduced to the concept.
- RK 18y agoI think most "internet atheists" (for lack of a better term) would define atheism simply as a lack of a belief in god(s). Beyond that there is usually the distinction between those who claim that there is no god or gods (strong atheism) and those who simply lack a belief (weak atheism). Edit: Wikipedia has a pretty extensive discussion: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atheism#Definitions_and_distinctions http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atheism#Definitions_and_distinc...
- MikeCapone 18y agoMost atheist would probably use the same phrase that Dawkins uses when questioned: I'm an atheist about god in the same way that I'm an atheist about the tooth fairy (paraphrasing). Technically, you can't prove a negative. But in practice...
- MikeCapone 18y agoOh wait, I think I remember it better now.. It's when people tell Dawkins that he shouldn't call himself an atheist, but he should be an 'agnostic' instead because you can't prove that there's no god. And he replies: I'm agnostic about god in the same way I'm an agnostic about the tooth fairy.