Definitions of the term "Atheism"

language=javascript type=text/javascript> Ads_kid=0;Ads_bid=0;Ads_xl=728;Ads_yl=90;Ads_xp='';Ads_yp='';Ads_opt=0;Ads_wrd='';Ads_prf=''; </SCRIPT> language=javascript src="http://a.as-us.falkag.net/dat/cjf/00/08/98/82.js" type=text/javascript></SCRIPT> language=JavaScript src="http://a.as-us.falkag.net/dat/bjf/00/13/86/48.js" type=text/javascript></SCRIPT> language=JavaScript>function Ads_PopUp() {}</SCRIPT> language=JavaScript src="http://clk.atdmt.com/NFX/jview/blfntnfx0060000610nfx/direct;wi.728;hi.90/01/" type=text/javascript></SCRIPT>

Overview:

Most of the North American public defines an "Atheist" is a person who believes that no deity exists: neither a God, nor a Goddess, nor a pantheon of Gods and Goddesses. This definition is reflected in American dictionaries -- not just because most publishers are Christian, but because it is the purpose of dictionaries to follow the public's word usage. Some individuals who consider themselves Atheists mesh well with that definition. But they may be in the minority. Most Atheists simply have no belief about deity. For them, Atheism is not disbelief in a deity or deities; it is simply a lack of belief.

Conflict over religious terms:

In the fields of medicine and engineering, precise definitions of terms are of paramount importance. Otherwise, misunderstandings can cause disasters. Bridges may fall down and patients can die from excessive or insufficient medication. However, the field of religion is very different. There are probably more religious terms with multiple, conflicting meanings than in any other area of human activity. We have detected at least 17 meanings to the term "Witch" -- mostly negative, and some mutually exclusive. There are at least eight meanings for the word "cult," and six for "Pagan."

There are also many different and mutually exclusive meanings to the term "Christian," among the over 1,000 religious groups in North America which consider themselves Christians:

	Public opinion pollsters, census offices, and some other groups and individuals define  "Christian" to include 75% of the adults in America -- i.e. those who sincerely believe themselves to be of that faith.
	There are groups and individuals who consider those denominations who share their wing of Christianity to be fellow believers. So, a Fundamentalist Christian might consider a Pentecostal to be a Christian, but not a member of the United Church of Christ.
	Others consider their own denomination to be the only Christian group in the country, and may define all other Christian denominations as non-Christian, sub-Christian, or quasi-Christian. Some consider Roman Catholicism to be a form of Paganism and/or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons) to be Gnostic. They might consider fewer than 1% of Americans to be actual Christians.

	Syllabication: a·the·ist
	Pronunciation: ā'thē-ĩst
	Etymology: Atheist originated in two Greek roots: "A" which means "without" or "not" "Theos" which means "deity" This would seem to imply that an Atheist is either: A person who is without a belief in any deity. This definition would mainly include those who are simply unaware of the existence of any deity. It would also include a person who is either too young or who lacks the mental ability to conceive of a deity. In contrast to this, most Muslims believe that all babies are Muslim at birth, and only later in life may accept the teachings of another religion]. A person who totally rejects the existence of any deity. Some may keep this belief to themselves; others may assert this belief to others.
	Capitalization: The term is normally not capitalized -- except when it begins a sentence -- because it is not a proper noun. On this web site, terms like Atheist, Agnostic, Deist are capitalized. This is not ignorance or carelessness on our part. We have intentionally decided to deviate from the usual practice. We feel that most Atheists, when asked for their religion, would reply: "Atheism." Since Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Wicca etc. are all capitalized, we follow suit for Atheists, etc. out of respect for their sincerely held religious position.

 

The problem:

Most adults in North America are Theists: they have a definite belief in one or more deities. Jews and Muslims generally believe in a male God who is viewed as a unity. Most Christians believe in a Trinity which is composed of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit -- three personalities who are simultaneously viewed as a single entity. Others believe in a Goddess, a pantheon of male Gods, a group of female Goddesses or an array of Gods and Goddesses.

But there are other possible beliefs concerning deity among some non-believers:

	A definite belief that no deity exists. The individual is solidly convinced that no supreme being exists in any form.
	No belief in a specific deity. Faced with a wide variety of conflicting beliefs about deities, the individual has not accepted any of them as true.
	A belief that the existence of a deity is unlikely, but not impossible. No certainty exists. However, if the person had to make a decision based on the existence or non-existence of a deity, they would probably assume that no deity existed.
	The inability to reach a conclusion about deity. The person may have investigated proofs about the existence and non-existence of a deity and has not accepted any of them. They remain undecided, at least for the present, because of insufficient data.
	A belief that we cannot know anything about a deity, including whether one exists or not. The person may have concluded that there is no possibility that we can ever know whether a deity exists.
	A person may never have ever considered whether one or more supreme intelligences exist.

	A person who believes in a specific God, Goddess or combination of deities is a Theist.
	A person who actively denies the existence of any and all deities is at least one form of Atheist.
	A person who feels that we have no method by which we can conclude whether a deity exists is an Agnostic.

	"Strong Atheist," or "Positive Atheist," or "Hard Atheist" to refer to a person who asserts that no deity exists.
	"Weak Atheist," "Negative Atheist," "Soft Atheist," "Skeptical Atheist" to refer to a person who simply has no belief in a deity because there are no rational grounds that support his/her/their existence.
	Peter Berger suggested that the term "methodological atheism" be used to describe theologians and historians who study religion as a human creation without declaring whether individual religious beliefs are actually true.
	The terms "Noncoherent Atheist" or "Noncoherentism" have been suggested to cover the belief that one cannot have any meaningful discussions about deities, because there exist no coherent definitions of "god."
	"Apathetic Atheism," or "Apatheism" have been suggested to cover the individual who doesn't really care whether Gods or Goddesses exist. They probably live with the assumption that no deity exists.

	Webster's New World Dictionary®, Third College Edition defines an Atheist as "a person who believes that there is no God." 1 This definition implies that Atheists have investigated proofs and for the existence and non-existence of God, and have decided that no God exists or that the probability of one existing is phenomenally small. It seems to include a "closet" Atheist: one who believes that there is no God but does not assert this belief to others. This definition would seem to imply that a person who believes in the existence of a Goddess, but not a God, is also an Atheist. This definition will probably not satisfy many Goddess worshipers. Webster Dictionary, 1913 had a more inclusive definition that includes non-male deities: "One who disbelieves or denies the existence of a God, or supreme intelligent Being."  So did Webster's 1828 Dictionary:  "One who disbelieves the existence of a God, or Supreme intelligent Being."
	Websters Collegiate® Dictionary defines an Atheist as "one who denies the existence of God." This is a particularly vague definition, because it does not define which God is being referred to. If Websters means the Christian God, then it would seem to imply that anyone who does not believe in the Trinity is an Atheist -- including Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Wiccans, Sikhs, and Atheists. The word "denies" would seem to imply that the individual actively promotes their belief.
	Other definitions:  The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition: "One who disbelieves or denies the existence of God or gods." The Cambridge International dictionary of English: "someone who believes that god or gods do not exist." The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition: "Disbelief in, or denial of, the existence of a god." The Masonic Dictionary: "One who does not believe in God."

The Barnes & Noble Encyclopedia defines Atheism as "The denial of the existence of God or gods." The Encyclopedia goes further and includes within Atheism both: "The rejection of any specific belief in God or gods." "skepticism" towards "claims about divine existence..." The term "God" and "god" usually imply male deities. Whether a Goddess worshiper is also an Atheist is not clear. This definition covers a lot of ground: The primary definition includes a person who actively denies the existence of all Gods. Some might find the secondary definition confusing. One "specific belief in God" is promoted by Christians who believe that God is a Trinity. That is rejected by Muslims who believe that God/Allah is a unity. If one is to literally interpret the secondary definition, this would seem to imply that Muslims can be considered Atheists -- a charge that Muslims would strongly reject. Similarly, Christians reject the pure monotheistic concept of God as taught in Islam; so Christians could be considered Atheists by this definition. This would anger them as well. One wonders if the writers of this definition intended to use the word "all" in place of "any." If so, then this definition would include only persons who reject all Gods. The third definition would include those who have reached no conclusion about the existence of a deity, and remain skeptical -- i.e. undecided -- about whether a God exists.

The World Almanac and Book of Facts lists "adherents of all religions" in six continental areas of the world. The list includes adherents of 15 specific religions, New-Religionists, Other Religionists, Nonreligions and Atheists. They define Atheists as a catchall group, including: "Persons professing atheism, skepticism, disbelief or irreligion, including antireligious (opposed to all religions)."