What is an atheist?

What is an atheist?

     So a common issue I have with people that find out I am an atheist is they don't know what I mean.  I will try my best to explain a few terms that I hope will clear things up. One thing I would like to point out before we get going is that the labels we give ourselves are our own. Just because you may fit into a definition is not a requirement that you self identify with that label.

Theist: A person who has a belief in the existence of a god or gods.

From the Greek "Theos" meaning god

     A theist is a person who holds a belief in a god or multiple gods. It is important to remember that this speaks only of their belief and not of their knowledge, one can believe in god without being able to prove he/she/it exists. Many world religions fit into this category Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Mormonism, Scientology, some forms of Buddhism, and many tribal religions. 

 Atheist: A person who does not have a belief in the existence of a god or gods.

From the Greek "A" + "Theos" meaning without/not god

     An atheist is a person who is not a theist. A common misconception is that being an atheist is professing a claim to knowledge. Just like theism speaks only to that persons belief, not any proof, atheism speaks only of that person not having that belief. Some forms of Buddhism and Jainism fall in this category.

     The first two terms on this list deal with having or not having a belief. The next two deal with having or not having knowledge.

Gnostic: A person who claims to poses knowledge.

From the Greek "Gnosis" meaning knowledge

     A gnostic person is someone who has or claims to have knowledge. The word is usually used for a kind of mystical knowledge. It is also the name of a Christian heretical group that branched off the Orthodox Christian church. Someone can be a Gnostic and a Theist this would mean that they have a belief in a god and that they claim to know that the belief is true. On the other hand someone can be a Gnostic and an Atheist this would mean that they do not have a belief in any god and that they claim to know that such a belief is false. Atheists that fall into this category are called Antitheists or Strong-Atheists. Please take note that all antitheists are atheists, but not all atheists are antitheists.

Agnostic: A person who does not claim to posses knowledge.

From the Greek "A" + "Gnosis" meaning without/not knowledge

     An agnostic person is someone who does not claim to have knowledge. The word is more widely used than it's counterpart but both are not strictly limited to mystical or supernatural knowledge. Someone can be both an Agnostic and a Theist this would mean that they have a belief in god but do not claim to know that the belief is true. Also one can be an Agnostic and an Atheist this would mean that they do not have a belief in any god but that they do not claim to know that such a belief is false. Atheists that fall into this category are sometimes called Weak-Atheists.

     I feel I need to add that there are basically two kinds of Agnosticism. Temporary Agnosticism in Practice (TA) and Permanent Agnosticism in Principle (PA).

     Temporary agnosticism in practice is a state of temporary ignorance, where a definitive answer is out there to be found but is out of reach for the time being. An example of this would be the answer to the question, "Do aliens exist?". There really is a definite answer to that question but until we find alien life or search and rule out every planet in the universe, the only honest answer is, "We don't know right now".

     Permanent agnosticism in principle is a state of permanent ignorance, where no matter how hard we try, in principal there is no way to come to a definite answer either way. An example of this would be the question, "Do you see colors the same way I see colors?". No matter how much new information is put forth we cannot know the answer. The most honest answer is, "We may never know".

I hope this has been informative and I would appreciate any comments or corrections.

Thanks as always,

Adam

Ps. Here is a great video on what atheism is, watch it!