since religions are beliefs theism and atheism are beliefs the exact opposite of what you stated can be a POV too. Just replace atheist with theist (religious believer) and you have the same valid POV. you can`t argue beliefs.
Originally Posted by ninasastri
Bebe i know what you mean but atheism is also a belief. what you state is non-believe or sophism or scientific research. Believers never search for fact. atheists don`t necessarily seek truth anymore than theists do. Its very simple to explain. If you look at a word on how it is combined you see that a-thei -sm includes theo which is god. it defines itself thru the " non belief in god" which is a belief per se. you cannot really say that "god does not exist" in the same way that you can`t say "god does exist". Both are belief-systems. The existence of god is not to be proofen since real science can`t proof anything. Only make references and point out trúths valid within certain reference frames.
So - talking about scientific approval that "god does not exist" its not possible. You cannot say with certainty that "god does not exist" since no one has ever seen proof of it in a certain frame of reference. You can`t question a belief because a belief is based on science fiction (or drug induced writings - an austrian cartoonist portrayed the bible as product of hemp smoking people which holds some legitimacy to it - and he got death threats :-) ....and was not allowed to enter greece anymore (Greece = catholic orthodox).
so atheism is a belief system same as theism. they just hold opposite POVs. So if you are against religious belief systems its not a smart move to state you are an atheist. you could argue to be a non-believer ;-). Hope that helped. Otherwise, i think you are a great intellectual! I value your posts and i vallue the way you underline your arguments with quotations and references. Really really great! Keep up the great work. Love reading your posts!
Originally Posted by ninasastri
Well this is where I have to disagree with you.
Golf and basketball are sports. Sandwiches and omelets are meals. Is the choice not to play golf also a sport? If I eat nothing what meal am I eating?
This is one of the classic apologist moves that makes religion inescapable. (there are many) You cannot even opt out of religion without it being a religion.
It also highlights the cultural double standard of religious dialogue. The arguments put forth in defense of religious positions would not be seriously considered in any other context because they are absurd. They get a pass because we are afraid of offending peoples religious beliefs.
Without a little more intellectual honesty than that no serious progress will be made toward anything.
No, atheism is not a belief system same as theism. If someone says that they have an Invisible Pink Unicorn for a pet or a Dragon living in their garage not believing them is not a belief system, it’s called being rational.