An atheist is someone who does not believe or disbelieves in the existence of a deity. That’s it. Many such living people exist. No matter how you attempt to distort the meaning of the word (and you must, since no definition supports the idea that an atheist believes in a god) it does not make atheists any less of a real thing.
Maybe you'd like to say that people replace god in their lives with false idols like money or sex or pride. Sure, fine. Whatever. But those people still [i][b]do not believe that those things are deities [/b][/i]and so they remain atheists. Simple as that.
If you believe otherwise, then I invite you to describe the ways in which money or sex can be said to have the attributes of a god.
@Pikachu [quote]An atheist is someone who does not believe or disbelieves in the existence of a deity. That’s it.[/quote]
Yes, and they're dead in the ground underneath their headstone. I told you, as long as you're alive you have the ability to believe in some type of idol and have faith which is against the atheistic code if I understand it correctly.
[quote]If you believe otherwise, then I invite you to describe the ways in which money or sex can be said to have the attributes of a god.[/quote]
Addictions can attribute to worshiping money or sex. If you're addicted to money, then money becomes an idol in your life and you have faith in it. The same goes for sex. Both can give pleasure for a short period of time, then, in the end, they fail you.
Ah there it is. You do NOT understand it correctly. An atheist may have faith. Faith simply means belief without evidence or powerful trust. Anyone can have that about any number of things. [i][b]The only, ONLY thing which makes an atheist an atheist is not believing that a god or gods exist.[/b][/i]
End of story.
Something can become the most important motivation in your life and you can call it an idol if you like...but the atheist still does not believe it is a being.
That makes them an atheist. Many such living people exist. If you can't make the argument that the atheist believes in money or sex as an [i][b]actual entity[/b][/i] whom they worship...then you have no argument.
@Pikachu [quote]The only, ONLY thing which makes an atheist an atheist is not believing that a god or gods exist.[/quote]
An idol is anything that takes the place of the one true God, Yahweh, in his or her heart. Atheists can't do that being that they're dead in the ground. End of story.
....and since the atheist does not believe that these "idols" are a being, a god....they don't believe in a god and a person who doesn't believe in a god is an atheist. Many such living people exist.
