Education on the actual meaning of the word 'Atheist'.

Hey all.

Found this clip that many here will find educational.

m.youtube.com...

Hope this clears things up for people.

I like the box example, very easy to understand.

Coomba98

a reply to: coomba98

Its still a belief system

atheist (n.)
1570s, from French athéiste (16c.), from Greek atheos "without god, denying the gods; abandoned of the gods; godless, ungodly," from a- "without" + theos "a god" (see theo-).

the definition of atheist is pretty well understood. you dont need a YouTube video for that.

a reply to: tikbalang

Its still a belief system

No. It's the rejection of a belief system.

a reply to: windword

You didnt wonder why i put in the etymology? To avoid an opinion of a factual statement

originally posted by: windword
a reply to: tikbalang

Its still a belief system

No. It's the rejection of a belief system.

It is as much a belief as the belief in something.

No one knows. It's that simple. There is too much to the universe that is unknown by anyone and unproven for anyone to say definitively that there is nothing the same way that no one can definitively say there is something.

So to be an assured atheist is as much a function of belief as being a theist.

The idea that you have some kind of system of actions to express this surety is merely window dressing to make yourself feel better about the uncomfortable realization that you have as much faith as any believer.

originally posted by: tikbalang
a reply to: coomba98

Its still a belief system

atheist (n.)
1570s, from French athéiste (16c.), from Greek atheos "without god, denying the gods; abandoned of the gods; godless, ungodly," from a- "without" + theos "a god" (see theo-).

...and bald is a hair color.

a reply to: ketsuko

Didn't watch the video, eh?

a reply to: ketsuko

No one knows. It's that simple. There is too much to the universe that is unknown by anyone and unproven for anyone to say definitively that there is nothing the same way that no one can definitively say there is something.

Closet agnostic? 😇

a reply to: TzarChasm

I believe using facts, and not opinions nor a belief is important when discussing the etymology of a word, do you think a Christian thinks its a belief, a Muslim even the Jewish? Do you think they believe that the western culture and its secularized cultre of atheism is a belief system ?

Atheism only means what i used the word for? Everything else someone puts in is their subjective view on the word "Atheism", it doesnt mean lack of faith, it doesnt mean a rejection of a belief system.. Thats your words.. And they are wrong..

a reply to: windword

Should we start using fact instead of stories and stuff?

Its a better discussion sometimes, usually i dont care, but i learned a long time ago, stupid people to stupid S#

a reply to: coomba98

I had a revelation, of sorts, when I realized I was an agnostic. It really struck me after having been raised Christian.

One of my children is an Atheist and the other Christian so, I suppose we are all messed up when you look at the 'proper' definitions.

It can certainly lead to some interesting discussions.

originally posted by: tikbalang
a reply to: TzarChasm

I believe using facts, and not opinions nor a belief is important when discussing the etymology of a word, do you think a Christian thinks its a belief, a Muslim even the Jewish? Do you think they believe that the western culture and its secularized cultre of atheism is a belief system ?

Atheism only means what i used the word for? Everything else someone puts in is their subjective view on the word "Atheism", it doesnt mean lack of faith, it doesnt mean a rejection of a belief system.. Thats your words.. And they are wrong..

as far as facts go, theology has only been a thing for about .17% of the totality of life on earth, currently. that is less than 1% of life as we know it, not to mention earth's lifespan or the universe. facts.

a reply to: TzarChasm

Not sure if that had anything to do with the word?

originally posted by: tikbalang
a reply to: TzarChasm

Not sure if that had anything to do with the word?

we already know what the word means. i was addressing the 'rejection of a belief system, which in itself is a belief system' part. atheism reflects the other 99.93% of life on earth (from the beginning of life to today) which never even considered the idea of theology. atheism came first, logically. because it means 'without god' and life up to about 500,000 years ago was basically without god or any concept of an afterlife. does that help?

a reply to: TzarChasm

I believe you Are making assumptions, no one knows what anyone thought 500.000 years ago, not even 10.000 years ago..

My two cents.

The video is indeed correct. The problem is that the goal posts have moved, much like the talking points of feminism. Most of the Atheists on YouTube produce vitriolic videos about those who have faith, and even think of those people as stupid for believing in a God. Some of them post on this website. Because of all that hate, the word Atheist no longer just means "lack of belief". In some cases it even means God hater because of all the abuse the religious community has suffered at the hands of so-called Atheists.

Now I'm not going to defend the religious community either, they have debauched themselves and deserve to be called out for their ignorance and stupidity, but let's not strain at gnats here. The dictionary doesn't define a word, society and culture do. The intellectually honest thing to do here is accept that because of the hate on both sides, the meanings have become blurred to a great extent. This isn't a movement to obfuscate and discredit Atheists, which that video projects, but it's the natural progression between two conflicting sides who are trying to defend themselves to the best of their ability (or so they think).

There is no secret agenda within the christian community to misrepresent the word Atheist, it's simply a byproduct of all the hate over the years which has morphed Atheism into its own religion - it's own people have done this to Atheism. Obviously it's absurd for a word like Atheist to become synonymous with religion, but if you're honest and have done your research, you'll see how much hate is actually spread in the name of Atheism. A true Atheist would not dedicate their time to anything concerning religion, however the majority of Atheists on YouTube do just that...and get payed for it.

Neither side is innocent when they argue with each other, but debating the words themselves is tantamount to condemning a presidential candidate for wearing white after labor day. It just doesn't matter with the current scope of conflicts in play.

Both sides need a complete overhaul that isn't coming any time soon, much like our political party system.

I have my own belief system. I think religions are dangerous hateful fairy tales that cause people to fight. I don't believe in most of the stories, I dont believe any book had anything to do with the creator of everything. I keep an open mind. To me, God would be the creator of this evolved virtual reality we are in and Heaven would be cyberspace.

Hey all.

Glad this video has helped.

Ohh and i agree atheism is a belief, a belief that their is no evidence of god or gods and the rejection of god claims provided.

Coomba98

a reply to: tikbalang

Should we start using fact instead of stories and stuff?

The video, which is presented by the OP for discussion, is not "stories and stuff", which is the way I would describe the Bible. The fact is, which was addressed in the video, is that Christians are operating under the assumption of a false dichotomy when it comes to understanding atheism.

If someone tells me a story, as fact, about an enchanted garden, a woman made from a man's rib, a talking snake and magically forbidden fruit, I can reject the truth or reality of that story and dismiss its god character. The same with the Jesus story, or the tales of Hercules or Zeus, or if someone tries to tell me that there is a magical entity that exists outside of the universe, that willed the universe into existence. These not ideas I believe, these are concepts that I reject.