atheist n. : One who has rejected all existing theistic concepts.
Freethinker: : one that forms opinions on the basis of reason independently of authority; especially : one who doubts or denies religious dogma By all means let's be open-minded, but not so open-minded that our brains drop out. Richard Dawkins, in "Science, Delusion and the Appetite for Wonder,"
Thursday, December 08, 2005
Defining Atheism
There has been lots of disatisfaction amongst the atheist community about the common textbook definition of the label "atheist". According to Merriam Webster and most dictionaries used by the average student today, the definition if atheist is: "One who disbelieves or denies the existence of God or gods." I find the "denies the existence of" particularly annoying; as if I know a god is there, I'm just denying it. If you MUST give us non-believers a LABEL...then please know the new and better definition of atheist which is now widely endorsed and used by atheists all over the globe.
No comments:
Post a Comment