Atheism v. Agnosticism

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Vendetta
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Post by Vendetta »

Durandal wrote:Atheism imples a belief regarding religion, but it is not a "religious" or faith-based belief. If atheism is a religious belief, then "bald" is a hair color.
Sometimes true.

Though I would say a viewpoint on religion is more accurate. An atheist position could arise as a result of belief, or as a result of logical inference.
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Darth Wong
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Post by Darth Wong »

Vendetta wrote:
Durandal wrote:Atheism imples a belief regarding religion, but it is not a "religious" or faith-based belief. If atheism is a religious belief, then "bald" is a hair color.
Sometimes true.

Though I would say a viewpoint on religion is more accurate. An atheist position could arise as a result of belief, or as a result of logical inference.
Atheism is a logical conclusion on religion, much as disbelief is a logical conclusion for Santa Claus. Agnostics simply don't realize this. The agnostic position is akin to saying "there's no way to know whether there's a real Santa Claus". At least the religious person freely says "it makes no sense but I believe it anyway". The agnostic pretends that his position is logically superior when it is in fact retarded.
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Vendetta
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Post by Vendetta »

Darth Wong wrote: Atheism is a logical conclusion on religion.
Your brand of atheism is, yes.

Buddhism, however, is also an atheist system, but one which does not make any claims to a logical foundation for the nonexistence of the Divine.

Buddhists* actively believe in a state of no gods. The fact that they have a substitute spiritual system with equally little logical basis as anyone's Beard in the Sky does not mean they are not atheist.

(* Those that didn't mix buddhist spiritual teachings with pre-existing pantheons like Shinto, anyway)
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Durandal
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Post by Durandal »

Oh would you quit splitting hairs? "Theism" has become somewhat associated with religion in general, hence "atheism" would refer to an absence of religious belief.
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