On Oct 11, 9:48 am, Midjis <midwinte...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> On 11 Oct, 01:32, Al Klein <ruk...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>
> > Or both. One has nothing to do with the other.
>
> Hmm. Hold that thought...
>
> > The answer to the question "Do you believe in any god" is either yes
> > or no. Unless the questionee doesn't understand his own thoughts.
>
> You missed out "I don't know" - which, though both atheist and
> believer may scoff at it for their own reason, is the answer you're
> likely to get from a lot of people. And, to my mind, it's a good,
> honest answer, too; and to suggest that it's because the person
> "doesn't understand his own thoughts" is to deny the credit that's due
> to those people who spend significant amounts of time thinking over
> and analysing the various arguments in an attempt to find their own
> resolution.
>
> For myself, I can't see how one can be both atheist ('without a god')
> and agnostic ('not known'), since atheism represents a specific
> position whereas agnosticism represents an unwillingness or inability
> (whether short- or long-term) to commit firmly one way or the other.
Well until you believe that there is a deity, you are an atheist.
'maybe' doesn't count to make you a theist. if you 'don't know' then
you are not a theist and are therefor an atheist.
I used to understand that an agnostic believed that there is a deity
(and is therefor a theist) but that it is unknown and unknowable,
somehow that seems to have changed.
If you swear that you know that there is a god, you are just talking
out your ass.
L.Roberts
aa # 2258
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