I have to laugh, when some people find out I consider myself “Atheist”, they proceed to tell me what they think an atheist is and sometimes it evolves into false information, assumptions, fallacies and logical arguments that contain faulty logic. I once spent months bantering back and forth with someone claiming my “stance” was wrong. After months of this banter, the argument ceased when I pointed out “You can no more prove a god exists than I can prove a god doesn’t exist”.

This conclusion goes hand in hand with my previous blog that I mention Creation and the Big Bang. Both are excellent stories/theories but we may never, beyond a shadow of a doubt, know the truth of the matter. Even though I have taken the most logical stance, someone will come around and claim otherwise.

The correct definition for Atheist is the absence of a belief in any god. It was actually a derogatory term used against people who did not share others belief of a God. The definition has expanded over the years but the bottom line, it is lack of belief in any gods.

For me, it works great! I am able to learn about the worlds religions without having to take a position in any of them. I find it a useful tool when others challenge me for my atheism. It is quite interesting being challenged by someone who has hardly any knowledge of their own religion.

Recently I came across the argument that an atheist must have a belief in a god since they took a position whether to believe in one or not. An atheists position did not come from a void, it came about due to the claim of a god. The atheist may not take a position in this claim or may not agree with the person making the claim. Similar to someone saying “That house is haunted by ghosts”,  No matter how many times one goes into the house, there are no ghosts discovered so the claim cannot be proven. Some may say, “There are no such thing as ghosts”.

As there are different views of god, there is also different views of atheism. Some Atheists may take a hard stance that there are absolutely no gods and on the flip side, some Theists may state a god is absolute. Likewise some atheists may be convinced of a god if they find verifiable proof and some theists who understand that their faith in god is based solely on a belief.

The longer I travel down this road and debate with people, the less I want to do it. It all comes down to the fact that one can no more prove a god than disprove a god. There are those who are really great about debating and are open to clearing up their own misunderstanding and learning something. Other people will keep repeating the same arguments and even seek out additional points to argue because they refuse to believe anything other than their preconceived beliefs.

Don’t delude yourself that you know what it is to be atheist or what an Atheist thinks (or other beliefs other than your own). If you are intolerant of other beliefs, you should probably do yourself a favor and walk a mile in their shoes, learn about their views and live among them. The world can use much more understanding and less intolerance.

 

 

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