Ignorance is the default value

I’ve seen some discussions lately that suggest that atheism is simply a lack of belief in god. This is somewhat misleading because atheists do not just lack a belief in god, they “disbelieve” in god.

To reach atheism, I think it must go in this order: Ignorant - agnostic - atheist.

By default we are all ignorant.

A baby for example has no idea of god, and therefore can not even disbelieve in god. A baby by default is ignorant. Once ideas are introduced, such as the idea of a god, then one immediately becomes agnostic until they decide to believe in the idea or not. If they decide to not believe in god then they are labelled as an atheist.

An atheist holds a disbelief based on being exposed to the idea of god and having rejected it. A baby for example does not hold a belief or even a disbelief. They are totally “ignorant”, they are not atheists. You must be exposed to the idea to reject it. Babies do not not believe in god. They haven’t been exposed to god to even not believe in god. Atheism isn’t just lacking a belief, it’s also holding a disbelief. To disbelieve, you must be exposed to the idea.

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