ANSWERS: 30
  • I dont think you got that right.
  • You have the right to claim anything you wish. Claiming something, no matter who says it, won't make it any more or any less true. +5
  • Pretty much for most atheists I think. Not for agnostics though.
  • Wrong..A true atheist does not believe that there is a god. Agnostics may have that belief but atheists do not believe that god ever existed.
  • Yes, you have that right. But the question seems to imply that someone is trying to take that right away from you. Who? If you're suggesting that, point us to the aggressor and we'll get them hauled into court :)
  • Technically yes but practically no. Basically any logical atheist will concede (as does Dawkins for example), that we cannot, of course, be 100% sure of anything, including the non-existance of a deity. I'm sure you've read lots of debates re. the impossibility of proving (to ourselves or others) the non-existence of something. So, you're right, God is for atheists just a hugely implausible, never-proved, bollocks construct of the human mind. Vampires, werewolves and the little folk are similar in that regard. Practically however, when you are as close to 100% sure of something as you can rationally be you live your life accordingly if you have any sense and for all intents and purposes the 0.00000001% (or whatever) doubt becomes irrelevant and dismissable. So, others here who have answered your question with a blunt 'no' are not necessarily in disagreement (correct me if I'm wrong guys) that all and any outlandish thing is technically possible, but there is no practical reason to bother with acknowledging the sliver of theoretical possibility that there could be a deity anymore than one should carry garlic around in case there really are vampires out there. Besides, if we all carried garlic around we'd smell. It's belief 'vs' scientifically sound statement. I 100% don't believe in god but would have to concede the possibility exists if put on the scientific stand, as it were.
  • Many atheists DO claim "there is no God". Others (particularly the ones that have thought philosophically about their beliefs) have realized that is usually impossible to prove a negative, and instead state that "There is currently insufficient evidence for the existence of God". This is where the line between atheist and agnostic begins to blur. Often atheists do claim that God is in the "fairytale" realm, right along side other human fairy tales like those of vampires, leprechauns...etc. Most of the time however they make this claim as a frivolous summary in the same way that Christians often say of atheists "you're all going to hell". When pressed to discuss their beliefs, they're usually more serious.
  • No, an atheist does proclaim "there is no god".An agnostic would proclaim that a deity is unlikely, unproven or just doesn't know or care. +5
  • i certainly hope not.
  • This here is the definition of weak atheism. Strong atheism actually does proclaim "there is no God", in that God does not, has not, and cannot ever have existed. Strong Atheism requires faith on par with that seen in religious belief, whereas weak atheism does not.
  • Its alot closer than the first statement, and I'd say it hints at the position or reasoning of alot of atheists, but still not quite right. I won't presume to speak for all skeptics of the supernatural, but I think its fair to say that most of us do not hold a belief in deities or the supernatural realm because of the complete lack of testable physical evidence and/or logical support for it(after all, if this evidential and logical support existed, faith wouldn't be necessary). However, most of us are willing to admit that this absence of evidence does not necessarily equate evidence of absence of God, since we cannot be everywhere at once in the Universe to make sure there isn't a god hiding somewhere. So one could say the same for not believing in as you said, vampires or werewolves, but at the same time admit that they cannot be absolutely certain they do not exist, but its a pretty safe bet seeing as how no one has any real evidence for their existence.
  • Not in my opinion, but I'm not an atheist. Vampires, werewolves, and leprechauns have actual origins and history. There are explanations for all of them.
  • going on proper and historical definition, an atheist would say, "there is not god" or "god does not exist". someone who is agnostic traditionally would say that the existence of god can be neither proven nor disproven. though many people nowadays who claim agnosticism say, "i just don't know if there's a god".
  • An atheist does not believe in God. Agnostics questions the existance of God. Whoever mention vampires, werewolves, and leprachauns was just making fun of people who believe in god.
  • Anyone who claims to be an atheist today is self-deceived! To say there's no evidence of the spiritual proves they prefer not to know the truth because they aren't looking at the research. God is a free spirit, the spirit of love and justice. We are not bodies with a spirit, we are spirits with bodies and when we die, scientists have proven that we lose a tiny bit of weight on death and a little white cloud has been photographed rising out of subjects' bodies. Many of us, can sense visits by spirits and even have seen physical evidence of their visits. I know a guy who's mom who passed on, moves a rose off a bible every anniversary of her passing and on her birthday! How much evidence do atheists want? It's not about evidence, an atheist has his head buried up their butt and doesn't believe because he' either angry with God or doesn't want to be accountable to God. Personally, I wouldn't worry about what they proclaim!
  • There is no god. You have the rights you choose to exercise.
  • If you´re sure there never will be evidence(but ofcourse everbody can be wrong) you are an atheist If you think that they just must find something, somewhere, somehow, you´re an agnost And if you BELIEF there will be evidence, well.. then you belief. And where does that `strong` and `weak` atheist crap come from? Stop making up terms that do not excist! My sincerest, nikki..
  • Not correct. Atheism is the belief that there is no God. (see the dictionary definition of the word and countless AB atheist answers) [Some] also make absurd comparisons, just as you have listed.
  • An atheist believes there is no god. Actually they believe there are no deities. Agnostics believe the jury is still out. The existence of god is unknowable.+5
  • An atheist simply does not believe in God. An agnostic isn't sure. The existance or non-existance of vampires, werewolves and leprechauns is totally unrelated as they are not connected with "theism" in any way.
  • No two atheists are alike. There is no atheism "religion", so no book, manual or fellowship organization decrees anything that an individual atheist may proclaim. Their are certainly atheists who will agree with the statement you've made, in whole or in part.
  • An atheist can't say "There is no God" because that idea, without evidence, is bordering on a religion. An atheist says "There is no reason to believe in God because there's no evidence to prove in God's existence"
  • No, you are wrong. I think vampires are more plausible than a god or gods!
  • You have the right to claim whatever you like. Both statements are true.
  • No doubt you can find an atheist that would declare one or both of those viewpoints. Some will claim that there is no god, while others simply don't believe. I fall more into the second category. It is very unlikely that a god exists, but I don't have the absolute knowledge neccesary to make the first statement.
  • An atheist is a man (or woman) that simply states that if God cannot be made manifested in some way, therefore He does not exist. An atheist has the same trouble as a religious man in proving that if something illudes our senses it is automatically nonexistant. May I ask, are all animal species in the Amazon nonexistant until they are discovered by man? Has anyone actually measured atomic nucleus cohesion? Did anyone actually see or hear or taste or feel or sense time. Prove that time is not just a human convention and events in the univers only have a natural speed that is not subjected to such a force we call time. The time of a bacteria versus the time of a sequoia. To me, time does not exist. There is a natural velocity of all universal processes, and a succession of events, but I do not percieve proprietary manifestation of what we call time. speed=distance/time appears to me like an arbitrary and misleading formula. So, atheist, prove me your scientifical god. All I see are just some little effects, partially explained by an incomplete, newborn culture. That of science. Prove to me, with all mathematical tricks available, that when you strip down matter and energy down to it's smallest unit, you don't remain without a unit, but only with a nonquantifiable energy matrix? The child's question: what is this made from? A. What is A made from? B. What is B made from? C. What is C made from? ............. What is ZZZ9999 made from ? The child is simply proving to you that your explainable god is faulty. Basically, the atheist says says I cannot experience, terefore there isn't. Prove that just because you cannot experience, it isn't. About right. Free will. Some might say it's bad, not proper, or all other crap. You DO have the right ! How? Simple! Can you think it? Can you vocalise it? Did you do that already? It is done, what right do you need? I can say that God is the fish that swims in my bladder, I feel mother Earth and I love Buddha. Give me some peyote. It is my journey trough life, and if you take my freedom to undertake it as I choose, without me having hurt you in any way, I'll crack your arrogant little skull. The philosopher said : The man is born free, yet all his life he is in chains. Challenging the establishment is the only way for progress. Otherwise, House MD would have still prescribed bloodlettings and the world would have still "been" sorta' flat. I love that right of yours ! And, yes, God has the same need-of-faith as many mythical creatures once did. Nothing you say is untrue. The believer says it is through faith that you experience God. That's why peyote. Maybe God actually is the real free person in us. Hey, prove me wrong, please !
  • You forgot the Tooth Fairy, but yeah, that about sums up the way I look at it. But the other thing to remember is that there is no one who speaks for atheists nor any Atheist Handbook, Bible and BBQ Guide. We all have our own way of looking at it. +5
  • 1) I assume that you were meaning: "Did I get it right?" 2) Some atheists proclaim that there is no god, other think that the claim that a god exists is not supported, some just don't care. This article gives an overview about various kinds of atheism (strong vs. weak; implicit vs. explicit; etc): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atheism I could even imagine atheists who would believe in vampires and that kind of things (but not in a god).
  • The two statements are a version of the same principle. What right are you talking about by the way? The right to proclaim something? The answer is yes. You do not have the right to expect everyone, or anyone for that matter, to take you seriously.

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