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Politics : Should God be replaced? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: cosmicforce who wrote (1893)	10/19/2000 6:36:30 PM
From: Solon	Respond to of 28931

You could be an "agnostic that leans toward atheism", but if you step over the line and say you are an "atheist" (i.e., expressing a certain position that you can't hold by logic alone), then you have admitted a "firm belief" and are no longer operating under one of the requirements of agnosticism, doubt. I couldn't have said it much better<ggg>

To: cosmicforce who wrote (1893)	10/19/2000 9:52:52 PM
From: Krowbar	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 28931

I have never seen atheism defined as a certain belief that there is no god, other than here. It is defined in most dictionaries only as a belief that there is no god. That's good enough for me, and defines me. There are degrees of beliefs, and we have many words in our language to convey our degree of belief. For instance, my car started just fine today, and I believe that it will start tomorrow, because the battery is fairly new. It might not, because the battery could short out, a light may be left on, corrosion might form on the terminals, etc, but you wouldn't consider me wrong in saying that I believe my car will start tomorrow. There are many words and phrases to convey my degree of belief. I doubt that my car will start. (logical thinking if it is sitting out in 30 below zero) I believe that my car might start. (it's warming up) I believe my car should start. I believe my car probably will start. I believe my car will surely start. My car will start (only a fool would state that with the certainty that it implies) All of those statements of degrees of belief are proper and logical except the last. My belief that it is highly improbable that there is no god. I am an atheist. If I am an agnostic, then so is everybody, including Christians, because they also cannot know for certain whether or not there is a god. The term then becomes meaningless. Del