merriam Webster dictionary finally fix the definition of atheist

[none]

finally

[Teaspoon Shallow]

Dictionaries describe usages and not meaning. 

If a theist is too stubborn to acknowledge what I label myself as, I don't care.  Communication has broken down because the theist has mistaken the map for the place. The theist wants to score points and not have honest dialogue.

This does not happen to me in real life very often except for the JWs that used to visit me on a regular basis.  The nice old guy named Murray (not English) would visit me every month.  First time he visited me it was very hot and I offered him an ice water and a bathroom prior to having a chat.  He was and hopefully is a cool dude.  He presented me with many poor arguments for his gods existence and I considered them and shared my thoughts.  Not once did he ever supply and explanation why I was wrong, he would follow script and offer me the next argument. 

He bought well over 20 helpers to talk with me and I listened to each one.  When their poor reasoning was explained they advised they would get another elder to visit me but no answer ever came.

The straw came when I asked if it was always moral to stop someone raping a child.  He advised it was.  I asked if there were any circumstances when that  allowing it to happen would be the moral action.  he advised it would not.  I asked what if by allowing it to happen, some one would not kill another human, would it be moral then because it was a lesser of 2 evils.  He advised that by condoning evil you are commuting evil.

I advised I thought he was more moral than his god.  He advised that was impossible because his god is perfect.  I asked if he wanted to change his position that allowing a child rapist to apply his wicked trade could ever be moral. He said god was different because of free will.  If god did not allow people to rape children then there would be no free will.  I asked about the free will of the child not to be raped.  He advised even the little child was wicked and deserving of punishment.   I asked if he would still atop someone raping a wicked child because it was the only moral thing to do.  He advised he would.

I asked why he was more moral than his god.

He advised I was not an atheist but a deep thinker and one of gods children.  He said I would find my way to Jehovah because he could not see how I could be destroyed because I search for the truth.  A few years of visiting me stopped about 4 months ago.

Hope he is alright.

[Mark]

Is there a word for someone who believes there is no god? I'd go as far as to say I believe there is no god as opposed to merely not believing there is one.

[Teaspoon Shallow]

Is there a word for someone who believes there is no god? I'd go as far as to say I believe there is no god as opposed to merely not believing there is one.

Strong Atheist.

What convinced you that no gods exists?

[Mark]

What convinced you that no gods exists?

The bible convinced me that Yahweh doesn't exist. Lack of evidence basically for other gods; if there was any god I think he'd have done something to make me aware of his existence by now.

[Teaspoon Shallow]

The bible convinced me that Yahweh doesn't exist. Lack of evidence basically for other gods; if there was any god I think he'd have done something to make me aware of his existence by now.

For your information Mark, I am an atheist.  I actively believe certain god concepts cannot be more than that but I do not claim that there cannot be a god.
I think that would be over stepping my ability to know.

Just playing devils advocate because I want every one of us to have a solid foundation for our beliefs, why do you think if a real god exists it would care if your were aware of its existence or not?

[Inertialmass]

Gosh right out loud I been labeling myself an atheist since I was 15 or 16 and I'm pretty sure I never even for a moment fell in with the god concept, even as a small child.  The dude was a figure with a beard from fiction just like Santa.  But this subtle distinction seems just a bit too much to wrap my disbelief around.   

1)  I don't believe in Santa's existence.

2)  I believe Santa doesn't exist.

These are both expressions of an intuitive negative attitude.  They seem darn near identical to me.

As opposed to:

3)  I have overwhelming empirical proof that Santa does not exist.

Option 3 strikes me as logically and epistemologically quite distinct from 1 and 2. 


 

[Teaspoon Shallow]

1)  I don't believe in Santa's existence.

2)  I believe Santa doesn't exist.

Hey mate. 

If you put your reasons for both propositions into syllogisms I think number 2 suffers from the black swan fallacy.

[Inertialmass]

Yes, someone could argue that I have not searched each and every cubic centimeter of the whole wide universe to definitively prove that there does not exist a man capable of delivering gifts down every chimney in the world during one night.  And yet I could still hold to both negative and positive forms of my intuitive belief.

I don't believe in the existence of creatures from human folklore alleged to perform impossible physics.  Therefore I don't believe in Santa's existence.

I believe creatures from human folklore alleged to perform impossible physics don't exist.  Therefore I believe Santa doesn't exist.

Propositions 1) and 2) are both about my own introspective, intuited beliefs.  Neither is a hard truth-claim about the universe.

[Mark]

Just playing devils advocate because I want every one of us to have a solid foundation for our beliefs, why do you think if a real god exists it would care if your were aware of its existence or not?

A god has power over human affairs (according to my dictionary), so I think he'd have some interest in using that power to help us in some way. If we knew that there was a supernatural being able and willing to help us, that would give us encouragement and hope, so I think that makes it reasonably likely he'd want us to know he exists.

[kevin]

A god has power over human affairs (according to my dictionary), so I think he'd have some interest in using that power to help us in some way. If we knew that there was a supernatural being able and willing to help us, that would give us encouragement and hope, so I think that makes it reasonably likely he'd want us to know he exists.

you have power over the affairs of slaughter hogs that fill grocery stores with sliced bacon.

how much do you want to help them?

[Mark]

I don't have power over their affairs until they're about to die. At that point I'd want to do what I can to make sure they die painlessly.

[kevin]

so having power over something does not necessarily mean that you would want to help them.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://m.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DBpaRouocBes&ved=2ahUKEwjUn8Hn2OXpAhVrdt8KHUkDDogQwqsBMAB6BAgEEAM&usg=AOvVaw0lEKbanBtsFA4VizoKWxOP

[Teaspoon Shallow]

Yes, someone could argue that I have not searched each and every cubic centimeter of the whole wide universe to definitively prove that there does not exist a man capable of delivering gifts down every chimney in the world during one night.  And yet I could still hold to both negative and positive forms of my intuitive belief.

I don't believe in the existence of creatures from human folklore alleged to perform impossible physics.  Therefore I don't believe in Santa's existence.

I believe creatures from human folklore alleged to perform impossible physics don't exist.  Therefore I believe Santa doesn't exist.

Propositions 1) and 2) are both about my own introspective, intuited beliefs.  Neither is a hard truth-claim about the universe.

How do you identify impossible physics?   Is it just one that has not been observed or one that violates a pre-existing understanding of physics?

[none]

Yes, someone could argue that I have not searched each and every cubic centimeter of the whole wide universe to definitively prove that there does not exist a man capable of delivering gifts down every chimney in the world during one night.  And yet I could still hold to both negative and positive forms of my intuitive belief.

I don't believe in the existence of creatures from human folklore alleged to perform impossible physics.  Therefore I don't believe in Santa's existence.

I believe creatures from human folklore alleged to perform impossible physics don't exist.  Therefore I believe Santa doesn't exist.

Propositions 1) and 2) are both about my own introspective, intuited beliefs.  Neither is a hard truth-claim about the universe.

How do you identify impossible physics?   Is it just one that has not been observed or one that violates a pre-existing understanding of physics?

impossible phsyics: my d**k in your mouth

[Teaspoon Shallow]

impossible phsyics: my d**k in your mouth

I think he is coming onto me. 

[none]

impossible phsyics: my d**k in your mouth

I think he is coming onto me. 

i
its just servitude not possession

[ak.yonathan]

Yes, someone could argue that I have not searched each and every cubic centimeter of the whole wide universe to definitively prove that there does not exist a man capable of delivering gifts down every chimney in the world during one night.  And yet I could still hold to both negative and positive forms of my intuitive belief.

I don't believe in the existence of creatures from human folklore alleged to perform impossible physics.  Therefore I don't believe in Santa's existence.

I believe creatures from human folklore alleged to perform impossible physics don't exist.  Therefore I believe Santa doesn't exist.

Propositions 1) and 2) are both about my own introspective, intuited beliefs.  Neither is a hard truth-claim about the universe.

How do you identify impossible physics?   Is it just one that has not been observed or one that violates a pre-existing understanding of physics?

Actually if singularities really do exist then literally anything can happen (even logically impossible things) since the laws of physics no longer apply.

Sent from my RMX1805 using Tapatalk

[Teaspoon Shallow]

Yes, someone could argue that I have not searched each and every cubic centimeter of the whole wide universe to definitively prove that there does not exist a man capable of delivering gifts down every chimney in the world during one night.  And yet I could still hold to both negative and positive forms of my intuitive belief.

I don't believe in the existence of creatures from human folklore alleged to perform impossible physics.  Therefore I don't believe in Santa's existence.

I believe creatures from human folklore alleged to perform impossible physics don't exist.  Therefore I believe Santa doesn't exist.

Propositions 1) and 2) are both about my own introspective, intuited beliefs.  Neither is a hard truth-claim about the universe.

How do you identify impossible physics?   Is it just one that has not been observed or one that violates a pre-existing understanding of physics?

Actually if singularities really do exist then literally anything can happen (even logically impossible things) since the laws of physics no longer apply.

Sent from my RMX1805 using Tapatalk

You have made huge leap that I think is unjustified. How would you know what characteristics a singularity can and cannot have?  For example, does this singularity exist and not exist at the same time in the same respect?