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The Meaning Of The Word 'Atheist':
- A (without) + theist (belief in a god) = without belief in a god. An atheist is one who does not believe in the existence of a god(s).
It is not a word that only applies to those who do not believe in any gods but also people who believe in the god(s) of their religion but do not believe in the god(s) of others religions are, in that respect, atheists, as well. By definition, atheism does not exclude agnosticism, because atheism is anything but theism, the expressed belief in a god or gods. Agnosticism and atheism are not separate categories, because atheism is not even a category. It is the exclusion of a single category, theism.
- Whereas an agnostic does not think people can know whether there is a god or gods, an atheist either says there is no reason to believe there is a god, or that there is positive evidence that there is no god. Thus, there are really two types of 'true atheists'. A 'strong' atheist is one who positively asserts that god is not real. Whereas a 'weak' atheist is one who doesnt believe that gods exist, but is open to debate on the issue.
First answer by ID1388771914. Last edit by Chewd. Contributor trust: 26 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 54 [recommend question]
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