@Pikachu You're claiming to be "convinced" of two mutually exclusive beliefs at the same time. IF you say you can't know for certain, than you can't be an atheist which means by definition you are certain there is no god/goddess.
Yup. There's no contradiction there. For example, you could be convinced that your wife hasn't cheated on you but you could not be 100% certain that she never has.
Can you not think of any beliefs about which you are convinced but about which you cannot be 100% certain? Could you be convinced that your team is going to win the game but not be certain that they will? Could you be convinced that your dog won't bite you but not be certain that it never would? Could you be convinced that no one you know is a pedophile without being 100% certain about it?
Are you confusing being convinced that something is true with being able to know that something is true?
I'd be happier if you could thoughtfully explain where you think i'm am in error. I've challenged you to make the case that being convinced of something but not knowing something are mutually exclusive propositions. You have yet to meet that challenged.
You didn't have to enter this thread, bud. But you're in it now and i'm going to make you think😉
... if you did then i honestly don't know where. I think all you've done is declare that there is a contradiction. So please, explain the contradiction or simply copy and past it if you feel you already have.
What is mutually exclusive about being convinced that no god exists and being convinced that it is impossible to [i]know [/i]that no god exists?
@ChipmunkErnie I'm am agnostic atheist as well. Maybe this will make sense. I have not been presented with any evidence that a god exists therefore I cannot believe in a god. However, if real evidence were presented, I could be convinced. It's the uncertainty as to whether or not that evidence will ever be presented to me that makes me agnostic. It's my non-belief in a god that makes me an atheist. I think @Pikachu explained it well, it just seems confusing to others at times.
I think that's a good way of explaining it too. There are reasons that cause me to disbelieve the claim that god exists but that doesn't mean that no reasons could arise that would cause me to believe the claim that god exists.
@Pikachu you are mixing up different situations and treating them as analogous when they are not. A team winning or a dog biting has an element of probability. You run the event multiple times and you can get either result. The result with a very high probability can be convincing to someone though he is not certain. Same does not apply to belief in God. There is no game of probability. If you are not certain, you are agnostic. The moment you are convinced, you are certain and cease to be agnostic.
@TheFlippantSide your non belief in God if it be true, makes you an atheist. The moment you say that if proof is provided you are willing to believe, you cease to be an atheist. You become agnostic. As an atheist you say that you do not believe that God exists. It is unconditional. The moment you put a condition that you are willing to reconsider if you get proof, it is not unconditional any more. That is agnostic. You are unsure and waiting for proof.
[quote]your non belief in God if it be true, makes you an atheist. The moment you say that if proof is provided you are willing to believe, you cease to be an atheist[/quote]
So if being an atheist means you do not hold a belief that a god exists...how does a potential future condition under which you might change your mind change the fact of your non belief in the present?
I might tomorrow become a vegan. That doesn't make me a vegan today, right?
@ChipmunkErnie Yup, says there is no god. Pretty simple, all the other definitions are simply examples of fuzzy thinking and the inability to accept the actual definition of "atheist". Like being a vegan omnivore.
@Pikachu that is the definition. Non belief. It gets complicated if you keep looking for analogies. Most analogies you pick are not analogouea as per me. When you say you become vegan, you mean practicing a vegan diet. When you are open to other diet provided it is available, but practising veganism because it is not, i dont think you are vegan.
