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Surely everyone is either a theist or an atheist?
You can throw in all manner of other descriptions, apatheism, deism, etc, you can say you don't KNOW for sure, but in terms of BELIEF in a personal god being, you either do believe or you don't, making you either a theist or an atheist.
Or is this a false dichotomy?
I see people are claiming to be neither, is it possible to both believe and not believe in a god being at the same time, as they can only be implying?
You do believe in one = theist
You don't believe in one = atheist
Or are they perhaps confusing not knowing ( agnostic) with not believing (atheist) and think that they aren't atheists when they are?
Or if you believe in something you call god but it isn't a personal being, eg just the forces of nature with zero intent, thought, etc, then you are also an atheist because you don't believe in a god being.
William
Is it possible to sit on the fence when it comes to belief?
I think that comes under "not knowing," like if someone asked me; will I be alive or dead in five years, I cannot know, even though I do happen to believe I'll be alive.
Put another way, if someone asks you what you believe, the answer "I don't know" is irrelevant because you were asked about your belief, not knowledge, and you either believe something is the case or you don't.
VW
because people keep claiming one exists, it is argued about.
Since people live their lives, make laws, fly planes into buildings and go to war because of differing beliefs on the topic, I'd say it's kinda prudent to determine what is true instead of many billions of people believing something false, which, best case scenario, is definitely the case.
Sarah Louise
So you think there probably is life elsewhere in the universe.
Isn't that another of way of saying you believe it?
Probability is a huge factor in belief, not something that has no affect on it.
For example, I have no evidence that in 60 seconds I'll be alive, but since I recognise the probability that I'll die in the next 60 seconds is low, I still believe it.
Sarah Louise
Well I'd say that was confusing SAYING you were a believer or not, with BEING a believer or not.
4 Answers
- ?Lv 67 years ago
Its quite possible to be unsure about something and be unable to say you believe in something or disbelieve in it. I feel that way about intelligent life elsewhere. There just isn't enough evidence to say - its very probable but no evidence so I am unsure.
Some people may feel that way about gods. I'm not sure why. A little reading makes it quite clear that all the 'evidence' given for gods is nothing of the sort. Maybe they don't like to read.
Like you, I think its very important to determine what is true about the existence of gods and an afterlife. I always have. However from the age of 16-30, I was not completely honest when I said I did not believe in God. (The Christian one was the only one I considered possible.) This was because I recognised that belief in God was irrational and could not believe in him even if I wanted to but I could not entirely shake my fear of him which came from my early indoctrination. I overcame it at last by much reading but I wonder what you'd say I was - a believer or a non-believer?
eg- I did not believe in God, I said so. I called myself an atheist when asked. I recognised how crazy Christianity was. However, when some Christian loon or other claimed that the rapture was due on a certain day, I was anxious and on edge that day. I could not sleep the night before. I said a prayer which went 'Look, I don't think you're there but if by any chance you are, please be aware I looked hard for evidence of you and couldn't find any so I couldn't believe in you.'
That is clearly nuts. It is obviously an irrational fear like when someone knows a spider cannot hurt them but is scared of them anyway. But what do you think I should have answered if asked to say honestly whether I believed in God or not?
Edit - No, I don't agree. There is no point in believing that there is life elsewhere in the universe. If you see 'I believe' as meaning 'I think it likely' then I believe there is life elsewhere but I accept the meaning of belief as 'accepting something is true without evidence that it is.'
OK, well coming away from what I said, what was I? I didn't believe in gods and yet I was scared of one. Its much the same as with ghosts. I don't believe in them either but I will fear them if I watch a very scary film and am then alone in the house. Clearly I have a tendency to irrational fears but so do many people.
- ?Lv 47 years ago
It's not a false dichotomy. It's a true dichotomy. A binary proposition. 0 or 1, yes or no, on or off.
Now mind you there is a type of reasoner called the peculiar reasoner who will express both belief and the lack thereof at the same time. But this is explaining their reasoning, and not what actually is. In actuality, it must be one or the other.
- WilliamLv 57 years ago
agnostic (not knowing whether there is or isn't any god(s)) = no positive belief in any god(s) = atheism.
You either believe or you don't believe, and if you're sitting on the fence then you are either leaning toward belief or non-belief (non-belief not to be confused with disbelief).
- VWLv 67 years ago
It goes back to the same old question. If there is no God, then why do people even argue about this? Or could it be that there is truth to God and therefore we are born with never ending desire to either serve Him or fight Him?
