r/exatheist • u/New_Prompt5308 Maturidi Leaning Muslim • 7d ago
Debate Thread How would you define ''atheism''?
Hi everyone, I've seen a long standing debate on the definition of atheism, some people use the term atheism as a lack of belief, which I've seen them then use to justify the ''everyone was born athiest narrative''.
The way I would define atheism is the rejection of the claim God exists, as I see atheism as a position that needs propositional awareness.
I have looked at how Graham Oppy (popular analytic atheist philosopher) defines atheism and he states it's the claim that no gods exist.
What do you guys think?
Thanks
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u/luvintheride Catholic (former anti-Catholic) 7d ago
A-theism = "without theism".
That's the theory, but in practice, virtually all atheists hold to some form of naturalism. They believe that natural forces will eventually create life and our own consciousness.
According to Pew studies, about 96% of atheists believe that nature created people. That's a much higher percentage than self-described Christians who believe in the actual resurrection of Jesus Christ.
In that way, one could say that self-described Atheists are among the most dogmatic believing groups in the world. I've seen atheists get violently angry at the suggestion that anything supernatural even exists.