FACT: Atheists are Lost

Discussion in 'Religion & Philosophy' started by Alejandri, Jul 17, 2015.

  1. Alejandri

    Alejandri Member

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    Atheism in the U.S. IS GROWING!

    However, it seems to just be compounding the fact that you are, quite literally and collectively, "LOST".

    Look at these numbers from a Pew Research poll from 2012...

    The number of people who identify themselves as atheists in the United States has been rising, modestly but steadily, in recent years. Our aggregated data from 2012 show that 2.4% of American adults say they are atheists when asked about their religious identity, up from 1.6% in 2007.

    Although the literal definition of “atheist” is “a person who believes that God does not exist,” according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, 14% of those who call themselves atheists also say they believe in God or a universal spirit. That includes 5% who say they are “absolutely certain” about the existence of God or a universal spirit. Alternatively, there are many people who fit the dictionary definition of “atheist” but do not call themselves atheists. More Americans say they do not believe in God or a universal spirit (7%) than say they are atheists (2.4%).
     
  2. PatriceBa

    PatriceBa Well-Known Member

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    For starters, it does not, at least not exclusively. According to the internet version, atheism is defined as:

    1: archaic : ungodliness, wickedness
    2: a : a disbelief in the existence of deity
    b : the doctrine that there is no deity

    Atheism in the most common sense (and most importantly, the sense most often referred to by those who proclaim to be atheists) is 2a, the disbelief. There are countless threads on this forum that explain the difference between the two (my favourite being people guessing whether there are an odd or an even number of beans in a jar and person A saying there is an even number, person B, the disbeliever does not have to believe that there is an odd number of beans in the jar to be justified in claiming that A:s argument for the evenness of the number of beans is incorrect).

    I think the reason for most uneven answers are people like you making baseless assumptions of what they mean.
     
  3. Alejandri

    Alejandri Member

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    What is so wrong with using the construction of the word to determine it's meaning? That is where the confusion lies.

    They are of greek construction:

    Theism from theos "god".
    Atheism from atheos "without god".

    Why complicate the term instead creating a new term?
     
  4. PatriceBa

    PatriceBa Well-Known Member

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    So you are now backing away from the idea of using dictionaries? Which way do you want it?

    That being said, etymology is not a reliable way of finding the meaning of a word. Take the Canaries, referring to the bird. The etymology means "dog" (same as canine). Similarly, "atom" means undividable, whereas we have split the atom. It is not at all surprising to see the confusion arising where it does, although I am unwilling to without comment equate "without god" with "not believing that god exists" (I am without cancer, yet I don't question the claims that it exists, nor do I deny its existence, so the distinction you mention doesn't actually resolve the argument in the way that would make your point). The fact that confusion is nigh on expected should send us back to the dictionaries, at which point, the arguments in my previous post applies.
     
  5. Corzhens

    Corzhens Senior Investor

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    When I was in grade school, I couldn't imagine that there are people who don't have a religion, much more who don't believe in God. I was raised in a Catholic school and the practice of religion is a major part of our home. I remember my father saying that there is that philosopher by the name of Voltaire who said that we need God so if there is no God then we must invent Him. And probably that philosopher is right because our future is dim without God.
     
  6. ScooterBrandon

    ScooterBrandon Senior Investor

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    So what if they are "lost." At least they are not committing terrible acts in the name of their higher power. When was the last time you heard about an atheist doing the things that we take for granted from the followers of the major world religions? ALL of the major world faiths have so much blood on their hands, among other things.
     
  7. Penny

    Penny Well-Known Member

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    I am an atheist and I am just fine. I think people should follow the path that they feel in their deepest self is right and true, and not spend so much time getting involved in other people's choices. I have good friends who are Christian (of various kinds), Muslim, and Hindi, and they are fulfilled by how they see the world and live their truth. So good on them. I have friends who are atheist like me and the same is true for us.
     
  8. AtlantaSports

    AtlantaSports Senior Investor

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    I'm a Christian, and while I agree with you at points, this is not the way to convert others.
     
  9. crimsonghost747

    crimsonghost747 Senior Investor

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    Why is the topic "atheists are lost" and not "american's are lost" ? What is the proof that this "being lost" is due to them being atheists, not due to some other thing. The america part just jumped into my mind since we have all heard of crazy statistics coming from that side of the pond and it does specify that this is study was only done on US atheists.
     
  10. JoshPosh

    JoshPosh Guest

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    The OP is preaching. Sounds like he or she is leading the congregation and saying that I am lost because I don't follow your belief of the imaginary man in the sky. If I'm lost then you're delusional OP. I don't recall anyone asking me what religion I was or my beliefs. So your numbers are far off base.

    If you can prove to me that there is a imaginary all mighty being in the sky that is all powerful and loving, but lets millions die of illnesses, disease, ISIS, and anything else, then I'll convert. Show me one scientific proof and not just your word, then I'll join you. But the fact of the matter is you will not, because you have just your faith which means less then the numbers that you just posted.
     

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