Does atheism define you?
Absolutely not. Atheism doesn’t reflect something you are, it reflects something you are not. It is of no substance by itself. Not believing in something doesn’t define who you are, just like not believing in fairies doesn’t define who you are. Most people are “afairiest,“ in that they don’t believe in fairies. Does your afairiesm define you? Of course not. Have you even heard of the term? Probably not, because it is as meaningless as the term atheism. We can have an individual term for every individual thing we don’t believe exist. The list would be endless. Is this list of things we don’t believe in what defines us? Of course not.
You may also happen to be a secularist, humanist, naturalist, materialist, skeptic, scientist, environmentalist, logician, universalist, pantheist, etc.. these things contribute to defining you, not atheism. Theists attempt to generalize atheists as being materialistic evolutionists and go so far as to confuse the two as being synonymous. This is as much of a blanket stereotype as saying all theists are fundamentalists. While many atheists accept evolution as being true given the overwhelming evidence, the term “atheist” does not necessitate that one take a stance FOR anything, it simply means that one doesn’t believe there is a god or gods. The other stances I listed are expressions that could be considered FOR something, stances that actually do contribute to defining us.
So I wish people would stop using the term, “atheism,” as being a position FOR something. If you want to talk about evolution, science, the environment, logic, reason, the universe, nature, moral values, etc… and a persons position FOR these things, use the correct terms, not atheism.
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I totally agree. I’m an atheist myself, and theists are quite surprised when I tell them that I’m just like them, the only difference being that I believe in one less god than they do.
This post has been linked for the HOT5 Daily 1/6/2009, at The Unreligious Right
For a while now I’ve been making this very same point everywhere I can find discussions of “atheism”, particularly when it’s theists attempting make some generalized judgment about so-called “atheists”. It’s true, no one is an “atheist” primarily. It isn’t one’s positive belief set but rather a result of one’s positive beliefs. I continue to tell theists that, if it is their goal to understand an “atheist”, perhaps they should ask them what they DO believe rather than what they do NOT. I’ve had no one thus far step up to do so but, I continue to hope. There have been a few instances when, quite unsolicited, I offered up my positive beliefs that explain my atheistic conclusions, but no one has commented on those offerings.
Knowing the theists, they’ll respond to that once they’ve invented some very twisted rationalizations befitting their viewpoint to which “atheists” will have to respond.
Travis,
Well done!
I think Hitchens put it well in God is not great (page 5), when he said: “Our belief is not a belief. Our principles are not a faith.”
I recently discocvered http://atheistnexus.org/ which is for atheists and skeptics. It has over 5000 members and you can blog there. When you first post, it stays on the main page; it’s a good way to reach an ever wider audience for these topics. That is, if you don’t already know about it.
Adam Tramantanos last blog post..Are we so in-touch that we’re out of touch?: 7 thoughts on what exactly technology does to us.
My interpretation of the first commandment is to have any concept of a creator could never do justice to all. That’s the human awareness reflex, to be critical, meaning appreciation is limited by god-forms. “Have No God” (from) before you. Any Theism is gambling awareness, I have none to spare, but I still play with Hope.
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I was quite taken by your descriptor, or shall I say, non-descriptor of atheism, as I to believe that you are not defined by the constraints of words. It’s more then that, it’s who you are, and what you believe on so many different levels.
What I do believe, is that we perhaps tend to get lazy with the use of words, as well, our social community seems to be comfortable using labels.
Thanks for writing this thought-provoking piece.
Bcreatives last blog post..So Much Stuff and Not enough Substance
Well put, as with Bcreative’s comment. Not sure why we do it, but we also do a lot of self-talk in defining ourselves in stereotypes. Example, I was a Christian for many years, then moved through the process of being agnostic and then atheistic. I still compare my old self (thoughts and ideas) to my new self.
I really like that thought as well and is so logical. It is annoying when Christians group atheists in one group and stereotype them.