{"id":158,"date":"2023-03-09T19:11:22","date_gmt":"2023-03-09T19:11:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loonregistrar.com\/loon\/index.php\/2023\/03\/09\/what-is-an-atheist\/"},"modified":"2023-03-09T19:11:22","modified_gmt":"2023-03-09T19:11:22","slug":"what-is-an-atheist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loonregistrar.com\/loon\/index.php\/2023\/03\/09\/what-is-an-atheist\/","title":{"rendered":"What is an Atheist?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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If all the definitions of atheist I\u2019ve heard over the years were true, it would be a considerable challenge for me to write this in between sacrifices to the dark lord, all the sex parties, my unending need to commit every sin imagined by religious folks and all those hours spent slow-roasting babies and baking the cornbread to serve alongside them. Alas, my life is not quite that exciting. Don\u2019t get me wrong, there is a lot of sinning going on, but it\u2019s less about general debauchery and more about cheese worship and premarital sex. With my common-law husband. Who I\u2019ve been with for 15 years. I know. Any more vanilla, and we\u2019d be Tahitian orchids. <\/p>\n

Despite the fact that I have been one since the day I was born, I didn\u2019t know what atheist meant myself until I was well into my twenties. It\u2019s not so much that I wasn\u2019t educated or that I was sheltered, and more about the fact that religion didn\u2019t play any role in my life whatsoever. I never thought about it either way. When I encountered a religious person, I often shrugged it off or told them I wasn\u2019t religious, and nine times out of ten, they respected that. It was a blip, a nanosecond amongst years of my life. It was a non-thing, something I never had to think about long enough to understand that I was an atheist. <\/p>\n

When the internet came along, however, I was suddenly exposed to many new people. My comfortable Canadian secular bubble was being breached by people carrying all kinds of scripture, trying to shove it down my throat, no less. I could no longer get away with a gentle, \u201cI\u2019m not religious,\u201d and have them respect it. No, these fuckers were persistent. They were on a mission to win my soul for the Big Guy. But it was okay because I\u2019d discovered Reddit, and back then, the Atheism subreddit was a default subreddit which means it would show up in everyone\u2019s feed unless they specifically unsubscribed. I\u2019d scroll endlessly through Reddit and see quotes and memes from Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris, and Richard Dawkins and find myself nodding in agreement. I soon stopped saying I was not religious and began describing myself as an atheist because, as I understood it, an atheist was simply someone who didn\u2019t believe in god and that was precisely me. <\/p>\n

In the time since then, however, I\u2019ve been told by so many people that I am entirely wrong about what atheist means and that their unique definition not matched by any dictionary known to man is the one true definition of atheist. <\/p>\n

Do you want to know how many different definitions of atheist I\u2019ve heard in my time writing this blog? Well, too bad, I can\u2019t tell you. <\/p>\n

Because that number is astronomical. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s fucking colossal. <\/p>\n

I could give one definition of atheist to each of you and still have enough left over to fill a book longer than the Bible. I have heard so many definitions of atheist, at times it feels like I\u2019m having an identity crisis. Am I just a bad person who denies god so I can do crimes? Could I really be longing for so much debauchery that god is just cramping my style? Is it possible that, despite not knowing what the fuck church meant until I was ten, I was somehow traumatized by it? But, then sense grabs ahold of me again, and I am reminded that being an atheist is far less complicated than any of that. <\/p>\n

So, what in God\u2019s name is an atheist, then? <\/p>\n

I\u2019ll tell you. <\/p>\n

And half of you won\u2019t like it. <\/p>\n

What is an Atheist? The Definition<\/h2>\n

So, what is an atheist? Are you sure you\u2019re ready to find out? I promise you that it\u2019s going to be so anti-climactic it\u2019ll make The Sopranos jealous. It\u2019s so simple it makes the recipe for toast look like it was written for the French Laundry tasting menu. It\u2019s so uncomplicated it makes breathing look like rocket surgery. The definition of atheist is so short, and to the point it makes Penn\u2019s buddy Teller look long-winded. <\/p>\n

An atheist is\u2026<\/p>\n

An atheist is someone who does not believe in a god. <\/p>\n

That is it. That\u2019s the whole shebang. The full monty. The whole nine yards. That is the alpha and the omega of atheism. There is nothing more to it, nothing less to it. It\u2019s one tenet, one statement, and one simple answer to an absurd question. When someone asks, \u201cDo you believe in god?\u201d it is simply the answer, \u201cno.\u201d<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t take my word for it, though. I\u2019m just a lifer atheist. Here are some people far smarter than me giving their definition of atheist: <\/p>\n

David G. McAfee says, in his book (must-read), Hi, I’m an Atheist!: What That Means and How to Talk About It with Others<\/a>,<\/p>\n

\u201cMisunderstandings about atheism also contribute to the \u201ccontroversial\u201d aspects of coming out. It is not uncommon that a religious person sees your disbelief in their particular Creator as an affront to said Creator. I can\u2019t count the number of times I\u2019ve been accused of \u201chating God\u201d for simply not believing in any deities \u2014 a rather contradictory concept if you think about it. But that does not stop some people from taking another person\u2019s atheism as a personal attack on their ideas and their God. This type of cultural stigma is common and can generally be counteracted by education on the basics, starting with the definition of atheist\u2026: a lack of a belief in a god or gods.\u201d<\/p>\n

Matt Dillahunty says<\/a>, <\/p>\n

\u201cTheir immediate presumption is an atheist is someone who believes there are no Gods, which isn\u2019t actually true. An atheist is just someone who does not believe that there are Gods.\u2019<\/p>\n

In my nine years of experience as an outspoken atheist on the internet, I\u2019ve not encountered many self-identified atheists who disagreed with this definition.<\/p>\n

Alternate Definitions of Atheist<\/h2>\n

Now, you\u2019re going to come across people in your time on this earth who swear that an atheist is someone who claims there is no god. You\u2019ll also find folks who truly believe that an atheist is someone who worships Satan. You might hear that an atheist is someone who denies god or hates god, or is angry at god, and some might even claim that atheists are Christians or Muslims, or Jews in denial because acceptance of God\u2019s existence means they can\u2019t do all the debauched things they want to. <\/p>\n

These, of course, are all wrong. There is only one thing that every single last atheist on this planet shares with one another, and that is a complete lack of any belief in a deity or deities, whether they be the protagonist or antagonist in the various myths people have chosen to live by.<\/p>\n

Correct Alternative Definitions of Atheist<\/h3>\n

Atheism is a lack of belief in gods
\n An atheist is someone who is not a theist<\/p>\n

Incorrect Alternative Definitions of Atheist<\/h3>\n

Atheism is the assertion that zero gods exist
\n Atheism is the denial of god
\n An atheist is someone who is angry at god
\n An atheist is someone who hates god
\n An atheist is someone who worships Satan
\n An atheist is someone who worships themself<\/p>\n

Interestingly, atheists also do not eat babies. At least not as a part of their atheism. While I\u2019m sure that if you search really hard, you can find an atheist out there somewhere with cannibalistic desires but that would be more to do with mental illness or trauma than it would be related to their atheism. I have yet to meet one, though. Not gonna lie; rather glad about that. <\/p>\n

How I Came To Define Atheist<\/h2>\n

As I mentioned earlier, I\u2019ve been an atheist all my life, but I didn\u2019t really know it until I was in my twenties. Before that, I had just described myself as \u201cnot religious.\u201d What helped me accept the definition of atheist I use today is truly groundbreaking. It\u2019s a long-forgotten method of intellectual charitability, and in this polarized world we live in today, it will sound like extremism to you, but here goes. I learned what it meant to be an atheist by listening to people who identified as atheists.<\/p>\n

I know. Flipping shock and awe.<\/p>\n

I just figured that if anyone knew what an atheist is, it\u2019d be the vast majority of atheists, right? <\/p>\n

Before you cry about me dismissing the Oxford English dictionary or silencing Miriam Webster\u2019s freeze peach, you must understand that language changes and ancient institutions don\u2019t always keep up with the speed at which that happens. It\u2019s okay if we leave older understandings of what atheism meant in the past. We will all come out of it just as fine as we did when we had to start using \u201cfriend\u201d as a verb, thanks to Facebook. <\/p>\n

The bottom line is that atheists<\/em> define atheism as the lack of belief in gods, and when we describe ourselves as atheists, that\u2019s what the vast majority of us mean. <\/p>\n

Misconceptions About What Atheist Means<\/h2>\n

If I had a piece of Gruyere for every time someone tried to tell me that atheist means something absurd, I\u2019d think I was in cheese Heaven, and that would be alright with me, but I digress. The point is that a lof of people, mostly people who carry around the burden of a God, like to make atheism out to be something it\u2019s not. They say: <\/p>\n

Atheism is a belief system
\n Atheism is a religion
\n Atheism is a worldview
\n All atheists believe the same things<\/p>\n

So, let’s tackle these misconceptions.<\/p>\n

Atheism is not a belief system<\/h3>\n

Atheism is not a belief system. You see, simple logic will lay it out for you here. A lack of belief cannot be a belief any more than nudity is black-tie formal. You\u2019re not building the Millennium Falcon Lego set without any Legos. You cannot have a sibling rivalry if you are an only child. Similarly, you can\u2019t build a belief system without beliefs. <\/p>\n

Atheism is not a religion<\/h3>\n

Let\u2019s look at the definition of religion, <\/p>\n

\u201cthe belief in and worship of a superhuman power or powers, especially a God or gods.\u201d<\/p>\n

Atheism\u2019s only requirement is a lack of belief in gods, so it doesn\u2019t fit that definition of religion. How about, <\/p>\n

\u201cparticular system of faith and worship\u201d<\/p>\n

As atheism is merely the lack of belief in gods, there is no worship or faith required. That\u2019s not to say that some atheists don\u2019t worship something or have faith in something, but if they do, it has nothing to do with their atheism. So, it doesn\u2019t fit that definition of religion, either. <\/p>\n

I\u2019m sure you can find more definitions of religion, but if you\u2019re using my definition of atheist, it will be challenging to find a way to twist it to fit the meaning of religion. <\/p>\n

Atheism is only part of a worldview<\/h3>\n

While atheism may help provide the basis for a worldview, it\u2019s not a worldview in and of itself. A worldview is far more complex than just a lack of belief in gods. An atheist\u2019s worldview can be shaped by anything, and you\u2019ll find that no two atheists have the same worldview. Again, the only thing that every single one of us shares is a lack of belief in gods. <\/p>\n

All atheists are different<\/h3>\n

While religion exhausts itself arguing about which beliefs are the correct beliefs, atheists are free to incorporate anything into their worldview. An atheist can believe in ghosts. An atheist can be spiritual. We can believe in psychics, superstition and deep-state reptilian overlords. An atheist can be a nihilist, a stoic, a humanist or even a Satanist (the type that doesn\u2019t believe in a literal Satan). You can find science-denying atheists, homophobic atheists and atheists who dream of traveling the astral plane. None of us share a complete belief system. Say it with me this time: the only thing we all have in common is a lack of belief in a god or gods<\/em>. <\/p>\n

Is Atheist The Same As Having No Religion?<\/h2>\n

No. Some atheists are Pastafarians<\/a>. Some atheists are Satanists. Alternatively, some people who believe in a god don\u2019t follow a particular religion. So, no, atheism is not the same as not being religious, but most atheists are not religious. <\/p>\n

Why Are So Many People Confused About What Atheist Means? <\/h2>\n

Here\u2019s the thing: I don\u2019t think they are. I think there are probably some people out there who are genuinely confused about what atheist means, but once you provide them with the answer, they\u2019ll accept it and go about life with this new knowledge. <\/p>\n

However, we are all aware of the fact that the overwhelming majority of people who appear to be confused about atheism have been given this definition repeatedly and reject it. Why would someone reject a definition of a label that came directly from the group that uses that label? Because they don\u2019t like atheists. We scare them. We are the personification of their own deeply buried doubts that a god exists, and that is terrifying. Arguing with us is how they try to convince themselves that their own doubts are unfounded. But it\u2019s not easy to argue with the definition of atheist we have laid out here today. It\u2019s far less challenging to go up against a strawman. Some people cling to older definitions of atheism because they find them easier to confront and tear down. They don\u2019t like our definition because there is no way to fight it, and that\u2019s really it. It\u2019s not that they\u2019re confused. They assert incorrect definitions of atheist knowingly. Some even refuse to accept the definition of atheist we go by because they\u2019re afraid it might make them an atheist, and they don\u2019t want to be one of us. <\/p>\n

I don\u2019t really know why they wouldn’t want to be like us, what with all the orgies, cheese and baby feasts, but to each their own, right?<\/p>\n

If you liked this post and you want to see more, support me on Patreon<\/a>! Thank you<\/a> to all my existing patrons. I couldn’t do this without you. Let me know in the comments what is the weirdest definition of atheist you have heard. <\/p>\n

Read More<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>

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