Do you think atheism is a faith-based position? If so, why? [Spirituality & Religion]
36-40, M
This page is a permanent link to the reply below and its nested replies. See all post replies »
SW-User
It can be. Atheism is interpreted in one of two main ways: 1) the belief that there is no god or 2) the lack of belief in one.
Belief concerns matters of truth. Something currently unprovable is either true or it is not. There is no in between, and that's where faith is required. To believe that there is no god is saying that there truly is no god despite us being able to definitively prove it. To lack belief in a god is not speaking to the veracity of either position, but rather abstaining from making a statement on it.
So it can be a matter of faith, but it depends on the interpretation
Belief concerns matters of truth. Something currently unprovable is either true or it is not. There is no in between, and that's where faith is required. To believe that there is no god is saying that there truly is no god despite us being able to definitively prove it. To lack belief in a god is not speaking to the veracity of either position, but rather abstaining from making a statement on it.
So it can be a matter of faith, but it depends on the interpretation
katielass · F
Wouldn't your second example, the can't say yea or nay, be considered agnostic?
SW-User
@Shattered: It's more nuanced than that. Agnosticism states that we cannot know or prove whether a god exists or not. It's not a matter of belief, but a matter of knowledge.
You can not know whether god exists, but have faith that one exists despite the lack of evidence. You can also not know whether god exists, but believe that one doesn't.
The second position under agnosticism would be that we cannot know whether god exists, but live as if one didn't because we can't prove it.
I liken it to the existence of aliens. Some believe they exist, others don't, and others don't make a decision one way or the other because to do so would be pure conjecture.
You can not know whether god exists, but have faith that one exists despite the lack of evidence. You can also not know whether god exists, but believe that one doesn't.
The second position under agnosticism would be that we cannot know whether god exists, but live as if one didn't because we can't prove it.
I liken it to the existence of aliens. Some believe they exist, others don't, and others don't make a decision one way or the other because to do so would be pure conjecture.