Posted: Mar 07, 2012 11:40 am
@epepke
Tell me more about what you mean by a personal god. I would like to have a definition help me understand if that is something I can apply to my viewpoint. (or if I do already without having used that specific label.) I know a guy who some people call "maurice."
Remember, there is no definition as to what an atheist believes or how he behaves concerning his lack of belief. (Is that what I learned?) Although I don't know. Could you tell me what an atheist might have faith in? How does one behave like an atheist? I am still under the impression (as it has been posited to me here) that being an atheist is unrelated to what one (or any) atheist does do. I'm not looking for a tell all. Just a case study on one atheist. Not out to get anybody. I just am so darn curious. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_0ava_MSSw[/youtube]
epepke wrote:DefineGod wrote:I consider myself a theist. Can you convince or otherwise talk me out of it?...
God is a symbol for all that exists. (Pantheism, Panentheism)
I can't talk you out of saying you are whatever you want to, but we can work on some words. Theism is usually used to mean belief in a personal god. Pantheists, panentheists, and even deists don't qualify. Whether they qualify as atheists is another story. I know one atheist who calls himself a pantheist/atheist, and I have no problem with that classification. I also knew someone else who said he was a pantheist, but he behaved and spoke just like an atheist, and he did it quite well.
Theism and deism have traditionally been defined as different from each other. Deism is, to me, a stronger claim than pantheism or panentheism, so I really see no way to claim that they are theism without a contradiction, word salad, or Humpty Dumptyism.
Tell me more about what you mean by a personal god. I would like to have a definition help me understand if that is something I can apply to my viewpoint. (or if I do already without having used that specific label.) I know a guy who some people call "maurice."
Remember, there is no definition as to what an atheist believes or how he behaves concerning his lack of belief. (Is that what I learned?) Although I don't know. Could you tell me what an atheist might have faith in? How does one behave like an atheist? I am still under the impression (as it has been posited to me here) that being an atheist is unrelated to what one (or any) atheist does do. I'm not looking for a tell all. Just a case study on one atheist. Not out to get anybody. I just am so darn curious. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_0ava_MSSw[/youtube]