Yahoo Answers is shutting down on May 4th, 2021 (Eastern Time) and beginning April 20th, 2021 (Eastern Time) the Yahoo Answers website will be in read-only mode. There will be no changes to other Yahoo properties or services, or your Yahoo account. You can find more information about the Yahoo Answers shutdown and how to download your data on this help page.

?
Lv 6

Which is more logical?

Atheists are fond of saying that atheism is a "lack of belief" which too me is illogical on its face as it ignores the definition of the word, and overlooks the fact that it means that NO thought can go into it if its is a lack of belief.

Isn't that sort of like calling a black people a "lack of color" race? This in fact, when you think of it is more logical since black is NOT a color but is in fact a lack of color. If you combine all colors of the spectrum together you do not get black, you get white.

So which is more logical, atheism being a "lack of belief" or black people being the "lack of color" race?

Update:

Doya: Get real and talk like a normal person. No one says they have a "lack of belief in unicorns". They say the do not believe in them. Simple and to the point.

Update 2:

Trisha: But I did not ask about brown or tan people, did I... I asked about those people whose skin tone is jet black. And how does that lend any logic to the "lack of belief" comment?

Update 3:

Terry: I agree with you. So why do so many atheists claim that it is a "lack of belief"?

Update 4:

le: Thank you for your typical example of the fabled yet never seen atheistic "logic".

Update 5:

Salvation: It cannot be both, and it cannot be a lack of belief which implies that absolutely no thought has gone into the matter. Therefore it can only be not believing.

Update 6:

2L: You need to repeat the 5th grade. I cannot believe you made that statement.

Update 7:

The Rev: Of course lack of belief means that. If you HAVE given thought to it then you have formed opinions .... aka beliefs.

Update 8:

Acid: Are you aware that the first sentence of your explantion contradicted your premise. If you do not belief in something that is NOT a "lack of belief".

Update 9:

Foster: Too bad you ignored all the reasons I made those statements. Fail.

Update 10:

Evarard: Wow. You cannot see the illogic in your statement? Please look up in ANY dictionary the word "atheist". When you state "Gods ARE.." you are stating a BELIEF.

Update 11:

Aeyden: I guess you too must go back to the 5th grade are restudy colors and prisms.

Update 12:

Leah: Sorry... logic fail. You cannot say that you "lack belief" which is passive and states that no thought has been given, and then say "Atheists do not belief" which is an active statement which states that thought have been given.

14 Answers

Relevance
  • 9 years ago
    Favorite Answer

    1 Atheist is a label theists put on us. We just do not believe in a god. So the existence of any deity is irrelevant.

    2 The "lack of belief" is really agnostic. There is, after all, such a mass of evidence against a god existing and that is what atheists usually take into account.

  • Anonymous
    9 years ago

    You just proved in your own post that both are logical, saying that atheism as a 'lack of belief' is similar to black people being a 'lack of color' race. Then you go on to say that black people being a 'lack of color' race is logical, and since you believe the logic behind atheism as a 'lack of belief' is similar to the logic behind the black people analogy, atheism as a 'lack of belief' should also be logical to you.

    Also, I want to add that not having something means you also lack something. I do not have an apple in my possession right now, but I can also logically say that I lack an apple in my possession.

    Too bad you ignored my argument. Do I really have to spell it out for you? I think I do, and I hate you for making me do it you evil, evil troll.

    Lack

    Noun: The state of being without or not having enough of something.

  • 9 years ago

    "NO thought can go into it if its is a lack of belief."

    I don't believe Darth Vader exists but I can speculate about him Dave. Now I know it's all just semantics, but do you really think my lack of belief in Darth Vader is an active belief in itself that I somehow need to maintain? Do you think I go to the "Star Wars is Fiction Church" on Tuesday and chant "it's all not real! I believe I do not believe!" and then some boring old fart reads an online article criticising George Lucas?

    If so, your head must be swirling with all the things you don't believe in. Perhaps that's why the next paragraph about "lack of color" race is so bizarre and, well, profoundly stupid. That or you actually think African people are pitch black. I wouldn't put it beyond you. Even "jet black" african people are still just very, very brown, Dave. Only white people in blackface were ever really jet black, and we don't do that anymore.

    Source(s): "They say the do not believe in them" ...you just said it yourself. Do not believe. A non-belief. The absence of a belief. I don't know what part of this is giving you trouble.
  • 2L84ME
    Lv 4
    9 years ago

    Your second statement is wrong. Black is not the absence of color it is the opposite, it is the combination of ALL colors. White is the absence of color Go back to the drawing board and saying atheist are lacking belief is implying they are in some kind of denial. Atheism is the believe that there is no god.

  • How do you think about the answers? You can sign in to vote the answer.
  • 9 years ago

    You are mistaken in your description. Atheism is a lack of belief in a deity, i.e. a god or gods. It is not just: "lack of belief." Atheists don't believe that any gods exist.

  • Anonymous
    9 years ago

    Lack of belief in a concept does not mean that no thought has gone into it. It just doesn't, and from there it falls apart on you.

    No, for that to be the case, you would have to specify and limit the definition of "belief" to the conversation. Putting thought into things does not equate to belief. If you are talking to me, use epistemological defaults for the meaning of "belief" and "knowledge", and refer to cognitive science for a definition of "thought".

    ...and if I did find your question valid on that account, the other problem is that logic is on/off - there are not shades of logic, or something be "more logical" than something else.

  • Trisha
    Lv 5
    9 years ago

    I'd say lack of belief makes more sense. Especially since black people aren't even black. They're dark brown, and dark brown is a color.

  • Aeyden
    Lv 4
    9 years ago

    dude,black IS a color.color spectrum is entirely different from pigmentation and texture.if you do a simple test you'll see that black ink is not just black ink! its a mixture of many colors! the test is called chromatography! check it out...it might reduce the state of moron-ism you are in right now...

    atheism IS a lack of belief.thought is not a basis of belief.an opinion is.

    get your facts right.and stop making a fool out of yourself...

    Source(s): atheist
  • Anonymous
    9 years ago

    Oh what a shame.

    It seems you completely misunderstood what logic was about.

    I do NOT have a belief IN gods.

    Sure I have an opinion on gods.

    Gods are imaginary.

    I hope I wasn't too deep for you :)

    ~

  • Anonymous
    9 years ago

    Black people

Still have questions? Get your answers by asking now.