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 Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2006 12:14 am
Many of you probably already know this, but for those who don't: Merriam-Webster's Dictionary Main Entry: cult Pronunciation: 'k< Function: noun Usage: often attributive Etymology: French & Latin; French culte, from Latin cultus care, adoration, from colere to cultivate -- more at WHEEL 1 : formal religious veneration : WORSHIP 2 : a system of religious beliefs and ritual; also : its body of adherents 3 : a religion regarded as unorthodox or spurious; also : its body of adherents 4 : a system for the cure of disease based on dogma set forth by its promulgator
5 a : great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work (as a film or book); especially : such devotion regarded as a literary or intellectual fad b : the object of such devotion c : a usually small group of people characterized by such devotion By the above definition, any religion, political party, or basically any group of people led by some form of an idea is considered a cult. Examples include (but are not limited to) Christianity, atheism, and Trekkies. In fact, Gaia could be considered a cult. Comments?
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Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2006 12:46 pm
You forget that Cult does not apply to everything such as Atheism for example as for atheism here you go What person does atheism devout to? None What idea? None Object? None Movement? None Atheism is in no way shape or form a cult. Also I would like to mention that there is only 1 man that I worship and he is the MOST versatile actor in the business because he is just so damn awesome. NO other actor can come up close to him besides (marlon brando, Al Pacino, and Robert DeNiro) Bonus if you know who he is ^^ 
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Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2006 4:19 pm
shinobikun You forget that Cult does not apply to everything such as Atheism for example as for atheism here you go What person does atheism devout to? None True. The nonexistance of a theistic being? Duh. rolleyes True. The atheist movement? More and more people are becoming atheists or agnostics, you know. Quote: Atheism is in no way shape or form a cult. Discredit my arguments. Quote: Also I would like to mention that there is only 1 man that I worship and he is the MOST versatile actor in the business because he is just so damn awesome. NO other actor can come up close to him besides (marlon brando, Al Pacino, and Robert DeNiro) Bonus if you know who he is ^^ I've seen him before. But honestly, as long as it's a good movie I don't care who's acting in it. I seriously don't know the names of any actors. I just don't care. Does he have a British accent?
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Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2006 9:08 pm
Lethkar The nonexistance of a theistic being? Duh. Well you forget that there are different views of atheism Quote: Many people who self-identify as atheists do tend to share common skeptical concerns regarding the evidence (or lack of evidence) of the world's many deities and creation stories as well as questioning the goodness and morality of religions that have brought us such things as holy wars and inquisitions. Yet while some adhere to philosophies such as humanism, naturalism and materialism, there is no single ideology that all atheists share, nor does atheism have any institutionalized rituals or behaviors. Indeed, atheism is inspired by many rationales, encompassing personal, scientific, social, philosophical, and historical reasoning. An example would be Weak Atheism-Lack of belief in any diety of some sort Strong Atheism A.K.A-The firm belief that there is no such thing that there is some sort of diety. There is a difference between the two and you also forget that atheism falls into the category of Non-Theistic and falls along with Secular Humanism, Agnosticsm, Nihilsm, rationalism, and Humanism (I could go on but it will take quite some space) Lethkar The atheist movement? More and more people are becoming atheists or agnostics, you know. Actually that is not true because each person who are "atheists" have their own agendas when it comes to their own movements. People fall more into the Non-Theist category and as stated above there is a list of different belief systems that express a non-belief or strong firmness that there is no diety or dieties. Hope that is enough As for the Actor that is Christopher Walken and because of his versatility in Acting and the fact that he plays dark roles I worship him ^^
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Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2006 1:19 am
shinobikun Lethkar The nonexistance of a theistic being? Duh. Well you forget that there are different views of atheism Quote: Many people who self-identify as atheists do tend to share common skeptical concerns regarding the evidence (or lack of evidence) of the world's many deities and creation stories as well as questioning the goodness and morality of religions that have brought us such things as holy wars and inquisitions. Yet while some adhere to philosophies such as humanism, naturalism and materialism, there is no single ideology that all atheists share, nor does atheism have any institutionalized rituals or behaviors. Indeed, atheism is inspired by many rationales, encompassing personal, scientific, social, philosophical, and historical reasoning. An example would be Weak Atheism-Lack of belief in any diety of some sort Strong Atheism A.K.A-The firm belief that there is no such thing that there is some sort of diety. There is a difference between the two and you also forget that atheism falls into the category of Non-Theistic and falls along with Secular Humanism, Agnosticsm, Nihilsm, rationalism, and Humanism (I could go on but it will take quite some space) Lethkar The atheist movement? More and more people are becoming atheists or agnostics, you know. Actually that is not true because each person who are "atheists" have their own agendas when it comes to their own movements. People fall more into the Non-Theist category and as stated above there is a list of different belief systems that express a non-belief or strong firmness that there is no diety or dieties. Hope that is enough Merriam-Webster's Dictionary Main Entry: athe·ist Pronunciation: 'A-thE-ist Function: noun : one who believes that there is no deity - athe·is·tic /"A-thE-'is-tik/ or athe·is·ti·cal /"A-thE-'is-ti-k&l/ adjective - athe·is·ti·cal·ly /-ti-k(&-)lE/ adverb Hope that is enough.^ Quote: As for the Actor that is Christopher Walken and because of his versatility in Acting and the fact that he plays dark roles I worship him ^^ What movies has he been in?
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Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2006 9:10 am
Lethkar The nonexistance of a Theistic Being?Duh. rolleyes Nope, atheism is not the same as nosticm, er, def. spelled wrong. One does not have to know of the non-existence of a deity in order to be an atheist. For example, a baby does not devout to the idea of no gods and is still labeled atheist. Lethkar' The atheist movement? More and more people are becoming atheists or agnostics, you know. Again, atheism is simply a lack or absence of belief in god(s). One is not subscribed to a movement if the label of atheist is placed upon oneself. It is perfectly reasonable for me to be an atheist and also not be persuaded if the atheist movement halts, diminishes, or grows. Lethkhar Merriam-Webster's Dictionary Main Entry: athe·ist Pronunciation: 'A-thE-ist Function: noun : one who believes that there is no deity - athe·is·tic /"A-thE-'is-tik/ or athe·is·ti·cal /"A-thE-'is-ti-k&l/ adjective - athe·is·ti·cal·ly /-ti-k(&-)lE/ adverb Hope that is enough.^ What movies has he been in? as quoted above Quote: Many people who self-identify as atheists do tend to share common skeptical concerns regarding the evidence (or lack of evidence) of the world's many deities and creation stories as well as questioning the goodness and morality of religions that have brought us such things as holy wars and inquisitions. Yet while some adhere to philosophies such as humanism, naturalism and materialism, there is no single ideology that all atheists share, nor does atheism have any institutionalized rituals or behaviors. Indeed, atheism is inspired by many rationales, encompassing personal, scientific, social, philosophical, and historical reasoning. That definition is too broad and is not specific and here is what I mean Weak atheism:(also called negative atheism) is the lack of belief in the existence of deities, without a commitment to the necessary non-existence of deities. Weak atheism contrasts with strong atheism, which is the belief that no deities exist, and theism, which asserts that there is at least one deity. The weak atheist generally gives a broad definition of atheism as a lack or absence of evidence justifying a belief in any deity, which defines atheism as a range of positions that entail non-belief, disbelief, doubt, or denial of theism. A narrower definition of atheism as denial of the existence of any deity as epistemically impossible (synonymous with strong atheism) is also in common use. As for the actor he is Christopher Walken and you can see him in his many films such as Click, Envy, Prophecy series, Batman returns, Catch me if you can, View to Kill (james bond movie) and Pulp Fiction. This guy always plays a dark role or a psychologiaclly imbalanced person. For that I worship^^
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Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2006 5:07 pm
It's a word game.
Atheism isn't a cult like a religious cult but if you wanted to think of it like devotion in the 'cult films' kind of way then you could. That would just mean it was like that for you personally and whatever group of atheists you shared similar 'devotion' with, so your little group could be a cult maybe but not atheism as a whole. If you take it on that level and let cult be interpreted that way then any such devoted group- political parties, interest groups, etc, are also cults.
All of theism isn't a cult. I think of atheism and theism as just a descriptive kind of label. There is nothing there that has to be uniform and organized.
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Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2006 9:39 pm
shinobikun Lethkar The nonexistance of a Theistic Being?Duh. rolleyes Nope, atheism is not the same as nosticm, er, def. spelled wrong. One does not have to know of the non-existence of a deity in order to be an atheist. For example, a baby does not devout to the idea of no gods and is still labeled atheist. Lethkar' The atheist movement? More and more people are becoming atheists or agnostics, you know. Again, atheism is simply a lack or absence of belief in god(s). One is not subscribed to a movement if the label of atheist is placed upon oneself. It is perfectly reasonable for me to be an atheist and also not be persuaded if the atheist movement halts, diminishes, or grows. Lethkhar Merriam-Webster's Dictionary Main Entry: athe·ist Pronunciation: 'A-thE-ist Function: noun : one who believes that there is no deity - athe·is·tic /"A-thE-'is-tik/ or athe·is·ti·cal /"A-thE-'is-ti-k&l/ adjective - athe·is·ti·cal·ly /-ti-k(&-)lE/ adverb Hope that is enough.^ What movies has he been in? as quoted above Quote: Many people who self-identify as atheists do tend to share common skeptical concerns regarding the evidence (or lack of evidence) of the world's many deities and creation stories as well as questioning the goodness and morality of religions that have brought us such things as holy wars and inquisitions. Yet while some adhere to philosophies such as humanism, naturalism and materialism, there is no single ideology that all atheists share, nor does atheism have any institutionalized rituals or behaviors. Indeed, atheism is inspired by many rationales, encompassing personal, scientific, social, philosophical, and historical reasoning. That definition is too broad and is not specific and here is what I mean Weak atheism:(also called negative atheism) is the lack of belief in the existence of deities, without a commitment to the necessary non-existence of deities. Weak atheism contrasts with strong atheism, which is the belief that no deities exist, and theism, which asserts that there is at least one deity. The weak atheist generally gives a broad definition of atheism as a lack or absence of evidence justifying a belief in any deity, which defines atheism as a range of positions that entail non-belief, disbelief, doubt, or denial of theism. A narrower definition of atheism as denial of the existence of any deity as epistemically impossible (synonymous with strong atheism) is also in common use. I know what weak atheism and strong atheism is. But all in all, they're still atheists and according to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, that means that they all have the common idea that they don't believe that there is a deity. Quote: As for the actor he is Christopher Walken and you can see him in his many films such as Click, Envy, Prophecy series, Batman returns, Catch me if you can, View to Kill (james bond movie) and Pulp Fiction. This guy always plays a dark role or a psychologiaclly imbalanced person. For that I worship^^ Oh right. I remember seeing him in Batman Returns and Catch Me if You Can. I also saw him in something else a long time ago...
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Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2006 9:41 pm
c a u s t i c
It's a word game.
Atheism isn't a cult like a religious cult but if you wanted to think of it like devotion in the 'cult films' kind of way then you could. That would just mean it was like that for you personally and whatever group of atheists you shared similar 'devotion' with, so your little group could be a cult maybe but not atheism as a whole. If you take it on that level and let cult be interpreted that way then any such devoted group- political parties, interest groups, etc, are also cults.
All of theism isn't a cult. I think of atheism and theism as just a descriptive kind of label. There is nothing there that has to be uniform and organized.Ah, but it's the common idea that counts. By the dictionary definition, it's nearly impossible to not be part of a cult. Therefore, I conclude that cults aren't necessarily bad.
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Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2006 12:22 pm
shinobikun You forget that Cult does not apply to everything such as Atheism for example as for atheism here you go What person does atheism devout to? None What idea? None Object? None Movement? None Atheism is in no way shape or form a cult. Also I would like to mention that there is only 1 man that I worship and he is the MOST versatile actor in the business because he is just so damn awesome. NO other actor can come up close to him besides (marlon brando, Al Pacino, and Robert DeNiro) Bonus if you know who he is ^^
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Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2006 3:06 pm
Sorry I was gone for a while I was trying out a new program I was playing around with and haven't came back yet. ANYWAYS Lethkar I'm afraid I still have to disagree with you Quote: Many people who self-identify as atheists do tend to share common skeptical concerns regarding the evidence (or lack of evidence) of the world's many deities and creation stories as well as questioning the goodness and morality of religions that have brought us such things as holy wars and inquisitions. I bolded the most important part in the above quote. What you did was turn the argument into those who are consciously atheist. Or in other words, have been exposed to the idea of god and lack belief in it. There are many people such as babies and natives of foreign countries that have no deity and therefore do not share skeptical concerns. Quote: Yet while some adhere to philosophies such as humanism, naturalism and materialism, there is no single ideology that all atheists share, nor does atheism have any institutionalized rituals or behaviors. Indeed, atheism is inspired by many rationales, encompassing personal, scientific, social, philosophical, and historical reasoning. Note how you also says SOME adhere to the philosophies. Meaning atheism is not an absolute concerning a particular life philosophy. Quote: Weak atheism sad also called negative atheism) is the lack of belief in the existence of deities, without a commitment to the necessary non-existence of deities. Weak atheism contrasts with strong atheism, which is the belief that no deities exist, and theism, which asserts that there is at least one deity. The weak atheist generally gives a broad definition of atheism as a lack or absence of evidence justifying a belief in any deity, which defines atheism as a range of positions that entail non-belief, disbelief, doubt, or denial of theism. A narrower definition of atheism as denial of the existence of any deity as epistemically impossible (synonymous with strong atheism) is also in common use. Lethkar I know what weak atheism and strong atheism is. But all in all, they're still atheists and according to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, that means that they all have the common idea that they don't believe that there is a deity. Nope, wrong again. You're is making ALL OF atheism a definite stance when it is not. It is not that we DON'T believe, it is that we LACK belief. Well at least in the case of weak atheism as I have pointed out. If I DIDN'T believe, I would be taking a stance that there is no god, which I don't. I simply state that there is a lack of evidence for theism. C a u s t i c It's a word game. Atheism isn't a cult like a religious cult but if you wanted to think of it like devotion in the 'cult films' kind of way then you could. Nope, atheism is in no way shape or form a cult. I suppose you could make the argument that atheist organizations are cults. But even that would be difficult to do. C a u s t i c That would just mean it was like that for you personally and whatever group of atheists you shared similar 'devotion' with, so your little group could be a cult maybe but not atheism as a whole. Even this is sketchy. Atheists do not develop morality, system of ethics, or philosophy based on their lack of belief. They simply eliminate one source of reference. For atheists, that would be the church, religion, fear of god, etc. We do not worship or agree upon anything except our lack of belief in gods. In what way would that be a cult? C a u s t i c If you take it on that level and let cult be interpreted that way then any such devoted group- political parties, interest groups, etc, are also cults. Ditto C a u s t i c All of theism isn't a cult. I think of atheism and theism as just a descriptive kind of label. There is nothing there that has to be uniform and organized. Well said. Lethkar Ah, but it's the common idea that counts. By the dictionary definition, it's nearly impossible to not be part of a cult. Therefore, I conclude that cults aren't necessarily bad. Definitions DO NOT hold sole authority on the meaning of a word. They are used as indicators of what the word means. Playing semantics with words would make the entire dictionary void used in that fashion. any comments? Blasphemize you are right but you are a little late I'm afraid
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Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2006 3:42 pm
shinobikun Sorry I was gone for a while I was trying out a new program I was playing around with and haven't came back yet. ANYWAYS Lethkar I'm afraid I still have to disagree with you Quote: Many people who self-identify as atheists do tend to share common skeptical concerns regarding the evidence (or lack of evidence) of the world's many deities and creation stories as well as questioning the goodness and morality of religions that have brought us such things as holy wars and inquisitions. I bolded the most important part in the above quote. What you did was turn the argument into those who are consciously atheist. Or in other words, have been exposed to the idea of god and lack belief in it. There are many people such as babies and natives of foreign countries that have no deity and therefore do not share skeptical concerns. An atheist isn't one who's sceptical, it's "one who believes that there is no deity". A newborn baby cannot be an atheist, because they (probably) have no opinion on the matter. They don't believe that there is a deity or there is no deity, simply because the idea of a deity hadn't ocurred to them yet. Quote: Lethkar I know what weak atheism and strong atheism is. But all in all, they're still atheists and according to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, that means that they all have the common idea that they don't believe that there is a deity. Nope, wrong again. You're is making ALL OF atheism a definite stance when it is not. It is not that we DON'T believe, it is that we LACK belief. Right, just like someone can BE intelligent, but also LACK intelligence. rolleyes According to Merriam-Webster's dictionary, the official dictionary of the English Language, an atheist is "one who believes that there is no deity". Quote: Well at least in the case of weak atheism as I have pointed out. If I DIDN'T believe, I would be taking a stance that there is no god, which I don't. I simply state that there is a lack of evidence for theism. Which means that you don't BELIEVE in a deity. You, like me, accept the possibility of a deity. It's just we don't blindly BELIEVE in a deity, just like I don't BELIEVE in the US ever winning the World Cup for soccer. It's possible, but there's really no reason for either of us to believe in one. Quote: C a u s t i c It's a word game. Atheism isn't a cult like a religious cult but if you wanted to think of it like devotion in the 'cult films' kind of way then you could. Nope, atheism is in no way shape or form a cult. I suppose you could make the argument that atheist organizations are cults. But even that would be difficult to do. You don't get it. By becoming an atheist, which is a group of people, you have shown a devotion, no matter how minor, to the idea of not BELIEVING in the existance of a deity. Quote: C a u s t i c That would just mean it was like that for you personally and whatever group of atheists you shared similar 'devotion' with, so your little group could be a cult maybe but not atheism as a whole. Even this is sketchy. Atheists do not develop morality, system of ethics, or philosophy based on their lack of belief. They simply eliminate one source of reference. For atheists, that would be the church, religion, fear of god, etc. We do not worship or agree upon anything except our lack of belief in gods. In what way would that be a cult? Read the definition. It's only one idea that's necessary. Nothing more. Quote: C a u s t i c If you take it on that level and let cult be interpreted that way then any such devoted group- political parties, interest groups, etc, are also cults. Ditto That's what I said in the OP. Quote: C a u s t i c All of theism isn't a cult. I think of atheism and theism as just a descriptive kind of label. There is nothing there that has to be uniform and organized. Well said. It doesn't have to be organised. Hell, it doesn't even really have to be a group. It just has to be a "great devotion", which is a relative term and completely up for interpretation. Quote: Lethkar Ah, but it's the common idea that counts. By the dictionary definition, it's nearly impossible to not be part of a cult. Therefore, I conclude that cults aren't necessarily bad. Definitions DO NOT hold sole authority on the meaning of a word. They are used as indicators of what the word means. Playing semantics with words would make the entire dictionary void used in that fashion. any comments? Attorneys use Merriam Webster's Dictionary for law suits all the time. Merriam-Webster's Dictionary is constantly having to update its definitions to try and keep it up-to-date for legal documents and contracts. This of course affects the contracts, which also have to constantly be revised. Quote: Blasphemize you are right but you are a little late I'm afraid What?
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Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2006 4:02 pm
When it comes to Religion...in order for a following to be a religion is most have a central dogma. It must have a diety. That diety is what all of the beleifs are centered around.
Next up you have basic practices...or teachings. These are life-styles that are believed to lead to the highest form of life. Usually there is a being that might not be seen as real, but is an example of what a person becomes by following the teachings perfectly. Buddism is sort of like that.
So the difference between the above is one concerns what you become after death, and the other concerns what you become while alive/or in you next life.
Atheism is niether of the two. It is simply the lack of belief in a god/deity. If you lack a belief in a deity it is almost the same as saying that it isn't real(gods and deitys).
Basically all it means is that a person lacks a belief or faith in a god or deity. There is no following. There are no rituals. There is no set in stone way of life for an athiest, or common values.
We know what all athiests do not believe in. Now what they do believe in is a different story. Normally there is a shared belief that there does not exist a god, and because a god does not exist, it did not create the universe. There is a lack of belief because there is a lack of evidence in Theism.
Basically it goes along the lines that an extradinaroy claim requires extraodinary evidence. Since thiesm consists of extraordinary claims, and lacks the extraordinary evidence it simply isn't true, or is invalid.
The lack of belief in a god, or a religion is what defines an athiest. However...that alone does not in my interphretation make Atheism a cult, or a religion. It lacks any sort of ritualistic approach, or diety.
Now...if a group of athiests were to get together, and chose to decide that one version of Evolutionism is the one true version of how our world was created, and then set about to test and attempt to get others to believe in thier beliefs...I can see that as being like a cult following, but not exactly a cult.
Now you can argue over definations and whatnot, but as it stands Atheism does not fit the basic defination of a religion, or a cult. Now if you want to strech things as Thiests do to justify what they believe is right or wrong, you can go ahead and do that, but keep in mind to be respectful of others, and keep the debate clean.
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Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2006 4:53 pm
I don't feel like breaking everything up into quotes. It's a word game. Everyone just keeps using different meanings of the word, dictionary needed or not. We could really just go in circles forever.
If you connect my sentences in paragraph form rather than trying to make mini statements, I was trying to say that in order to think of it as a cult then that would just mean atheism was like that for you personally and maybe with a group you were involved with. I wasn't trying to say atheism in general had to be considered a cult, but rather if you wanted to look at your involvement with atheism and a group then your personal involvement could be like a cult.
I mentioned cult films. A cult for a film is a different definition of the word. They do not agree on anything except their love of the film. That's the use of cult based on sharing that devotion.
In general, atheism does not have to be a cult. But depending on how you use the term cult, it can be one for you. If I can essentially be part of a Nine Inch Nails cult or a X-Files cult, then I could be in a cult based on atheism.
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Posted: Mon Jul 10, 2006 11:33 am
Okay the only thing I have with this type of arguement is the fact that you might hold definitions from dictionary as whole authority from one specific book (that is what irks me the most) My friend caught me reading this and he was in a lecture about words and whole authority about their definitions. REMBER that this is him speaking and not me he may be harsh so please do not take it too personally because IT IS NOT FROM ME- You have been notified- Shinobikun's friend Well, let me just offer something that I think you already know but are probably having a hard time putting into words: It seems to me that what is going on is what is called "weasle words". That is, your opponent here is using weasle words to shore up his position. He is using a definition of a word that does not correspond to the context in which he is using the word, then claiming that his mis-usage supports his position. That's not a terribly honest way to approach an argument. Words have both a denotative meaning and a connotative meaning. A denotative meaning is a series of definitions we apply to a word so that we have a working agreement of what a word means. The dictionary lists denotative meanings of words. But there are also connotative meanings--that is, definition delimited by the context in which the word is used. The connotative meaning of a word is more precise than a denotative meaning, and actually limits the definition of a word by placing it within its specified context. While technically one can say that the word "cult" refers to devotion to something, that is part of its denotative meaning. When talking about belief systems, the context of the word "cult" has a very specific connotative meaning, and one that precludes the denotative meaning of "devotion to something". Your opponent is dishonestly engaging in weasle words because no one using reason would suggest that the deontative meaning of a word is acceptable as a defense of a specific position. Context is key.* Thus, by engaging in this tactic, your opponent is TECHNICALLY correct but fundamentally wrong. Your opponent does something similar when appealing to a dictionary definition of "atheist". Knowing full well the difference between a weak atheist and a strong atheist, your opponent is aware that the dictionary definition he insists upon is not accurate, regardless of whether it is the "official dictionary of the English language" or not (I would say that there is no such thing, and the definition of a word is only as good as the way the word is actually used). So again, he engages in weasle words to shore up a position that is untenable at best. *An example for you: "ball". A ball is a spherical object that is used in a numbers of games. It is also a party characterized by dancing and eating. It is also one of a pair of reproductive organs that produces sperm and androgen. If you and I are playing catch, and I toss a ball to you, am I tossing a party to you? Am I tossing a testicle to you? - I might have been a bit carried away but this has been the only excitement I have found on this forums in a while and the only reason I log on to Gaia is because of this guild. So I apologize if I have offened or disrespected anyone in the process of debate between me and Lethkar. Sanguvixen When it comes to Religion...in order for a following to be a religion is most have a central dogma. It must have a diety. That diety is what all of the beleifs are centered around. Nope, religion and deity are not requirements for each other. Buddhism is an example of an atheistic religion. Well at least the majority of sects are without theism. Many religions can revolve around the teachings of a spiritual leader, a morality derived from a particular philosophy or even be a simply system of worship such as paganism. Sanguvixen Next up you have basic practices...or teachings. These are life-styles that are believed to lead to the highest form of life. Usually there is a being that might not be seen as real, but is an example of what a person becomes by following the teachings perfectly. Buddism is sort of like that. Right, and buddha is not a deity. Neither would be one who reaches enlightenment. Sanguvixen So the difference between the above is one concerns what you become after death, and the other concerns what you become while alive/or in you next life. Yes, if only referring to Buddhism. There are other religions to be taken into consideration. Sanguvixen Atheism is niether of the two. It is simply the lack of belief in a god/deity. If you lack a belief in a deity it is almost the same as saying that it isn't real(gods and deitys). Nope, you are making atheism an absolute. Lacking belief is not claiming that it is not real. To make it easier to understand, I could ask you if you believes pink whales exist. Then I could ask you absolutely whether or not pink whales exist. I for one, do not believe pink whales exist, but due to lack of knowledge concerning the deep ocean, I can not state that they do not exist. I'm only 99.999999% sure..... Sanguvixen Basically all it means is that a person lacks a belief or faith in a god or deity. There is no following. There are no rituals. There is no set in stone way of life for an athiest, or common values. Bingo! Sanguvixen We know what all athiests do not believe in. Now what they do believe in is a different story. Normally there is a shared belief that there does not exist a god, and because a god does not exist, it did not create the universe. There is a lack of belief because there is a lack of evidence in Theism. Correct. Sanguvixen Basically it goes along the lines that an extradinaroy claim requires extraodinary evidence. Since thiesm consists of extraordinary claims, and lacks the extraordinary evidence it simply isn't true, or is invalid. It would go along those lines concerning conscious atheists. Ones who were presented the idea of god and rejected it due to lack of evidence. There are many, many roads to atheism. Sanguvixen The lack of belief in a god, or a religion is what defines an athiest. Nope, just lack of belief in god, no need to add religion. Other User wrote wrote: Sanguvixen However...that alone does not in my interphretation make Atheism a cult, or a religion. It lacks any sort of ritualistic approach, or diety. Ok Sanguvixen Now...if a group of athiests were to get together, and chose to decide that one version of Evolutionism is the one true version of how our world was created, and then set about to test and attempt to get others to believe in thier beliefs...I can see that as being like a cult following, but not exactly a cult. Ok, I can agree with that, but then it would be evolution X cult, not an atheist cult. Sanguvixen Now you can argue over definations and whatnot, but as it stands Atheism does not fit the basic defination of a religion, or a cult. Now if you want to strech things as Thiests do to justify what they believe is right or wrong, you can go ahead and do that, but keep in mind to be respectful of others, and keep the debate clean. Ok This will probably be my last post in this thread since I have caught attentioned and angered someone. I apologize for anyone whom I may have offended and I will cease this debate (unless I am told to continue) I would like to continue this Lethkar but I have angered someone and I would not like a ban from a guild on my personal record. Also I would like to note that when in a debate I am passionate for I overanalyze a lot of things( I'm sorry but it is just a weird habit I have)
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