Quote:
Originally Posted by Deckard
1) Theism and atheism
lots of stuff
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well, once again you're examining semantics. it's really hard to not discuss semantics when we're talking about what a term really means. i know that you have *your* definition of what atheist/theist means, based on the etymology of the words, but i don't really believe that most people in the united states apply those terms in the way that you do, although your definition may be technically correct. i think that most people who describe themselves as agnostics would probably fall under your definition of atheism. most people who describe themselves as atheists would probably fall under the subset that you describe as making a positive claim— despite what the terms actually mean, society has generally moved towards the idea that an atheist is a person who is making a positive claim that there is no G-d.
*oh, by the way, to whomever asked about using G-d instead of the full word, basically it's a sign of respect— someone may very well print out this thread and take it to work, and then throw it in the trash later on not thinking about it. it's basically an acknowledgment that his name is important enough not to throw around willy-nilly— in many cases G-d's name can be written such as in a siddur (prayer book) or on a religious website as long as a disclaimer is posted to please refrain from taking the posting lightly. it's basically an interpretation of the 3rd commandment to not take his name in vein.
this reminds me of a discussion i had with an atheist a while back, it was very extensive but i might be able to copy it and paste it here later— y'all might find it interesting.