Atheists argue that there is no god that is either good or evil
Depends on the flavor of atheist, in my experience. I'm an atheist, but I've never argued that there is no god, because how the hell would I know that?
Some use the term "agnostic atheist" to describe this kind of atheist, but I'm of the mind that it doesn't need the qualifier "agnostic" since atheism is simply lacking a faith in any god, in contrast to antitheism, which is the active belief that there is no god. Antitheism is, ironically, a belief system rather than the lack of one.
Agnostic is the opposite of gnostic. The terms have to do with whether you see evidence for the position or not.
Which is all not to be confused with capital-G Gnostic, which is a totally different thing. Unfortunately, the history of philosophy is messy that way.
Upon further reflection, I have known people who were both religious and agnostic at the same time; people who had belief/faith but admitted they couldn't possibly know the truth. I guess that does make a good argument for the additional qualification of 'agnostic atheist'. I guess I just too regularly encounter people who assume that all atheists actively believe there is no god, so I've become a bit defensive as to what the word actually means. I have acquaintances who are atheists who say "there's no god" with absolute metaphysical certainty, and erroneously consider me a like-minded person, which I have always found odd because atheism doesn't require an active belief in the absence of any higher power.
Pedantically, agnostic atheism means that you don’t assert you know there isn’t a god (“I don’t believe there’s a god”) vs gnostic atheism having a positive assertion there definitely isn’t one (“There is no god”, usually followed by some logical argument).
Antitheism is the position that theism should be opposed, not what you described and it’s a philosophical position (which could be argued is a type of belief but that’s straying from the topic).
Perhaps my understanding of the term "antitheism" is incorrect. Though I checked Wikipedia before making my comment. Wikipedia's first paragraph says:
Antitheism [...] is the philosophical position that theism should be opposed. The term has had a range of applications. In secular contexts, it typically refers to direct opposition to the belief in any deity.
Given the latter definition, I think I used it appropriately. Though it's apparently a spectrum, similar to atheism/agnosticism.
I stand by my assertion that the term "atheist" doesn't need the "agnostic" qualifier to specify that a given person isn't asserting that there is no god. In my experience, people incorrectly assume all atheists are de-facto antitheists and believe, actively, that there is no god, which just isn't the case. But the additional clarification by adding "agnostic" is certainly helpful in terms of clarity; I can't argue against that.
The qualifier isn’t terribly necessary most of the time. Most people don’t draw a distinction between ag/nosticism because it’s pretty personal generally. I consider myself agnostic given that I cannot know for sure, but ultimately, people that logic themselves into atheism (and thus are gnostic atheists) are no less valid.
That said, antitheism is distinct from the other terms and I contest the generalization that people assume atheists are antitheists, but that’s gonna vary a lot by how religious a region is (the more hardcore a person is, the more they see atheism as being an attack on them). It’s a bit of a bad subsetting issue. All antitheists (excluding the rare individual that believes in one or more gods and believes they should be broght down like an anime or a progression fantasy novel) are atheists, but not all atheists are antitheists.
I contest the generalization that people assume atheists are antitheists, but that’s gonna vary a lot by how religious a region is
I live in the southern USA; can't drive 5 minutes without seeing a church or two. I have on several occasions met individuals who, upon learning I was an atheist, either assumed I believed there was no god, or that I actively worshipped satan, lol. Most people around here are pretty religious so my experience is definitely skewed by that factor.
When it comes to the range of theistic possibilities, the popular and historic religions of humanity only occupy a tiny section. Far greater are the theistic suppositions considered in philosophy (or not yet considered) in which God is indifferent to or even opposed to the affairs on earth, whether the conflict between Palestine and Israel or the countless wars between and ant and termite hives.
Well if you think some sort of gods exist, then look at things like child cancer, it’s obvious they are evil. Luckily gods don’t exist so with the advancement of science such evil will no longer exist some day.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3koeHN-6mU apparently some early christians thought that’s what the god of the old testament was, and jesus came to save them from him
I was about to say “protest atheist” but that might be different in that it’s someone who acknowledges a higher power, but believes this “god” is either evil or incompetent so it doesn’t deserve the respect or acknowledgement of being a god.
Basically if they saw god they’d say “idk man I don’t see no god here I just see a lil’ bitch”
I mean, to be fair, if there was a god like the ones Christians claim to have, it most certainly would be evil. The funny thing is you can’t use the Problem of Evil argument on a dystheist so they’re one philosophical argument better than your run of the mill theist.
(Edit: my auto correct made the christian god plural and I’m keeping that phrasing out of spite, haha)
It really fucks me up how anyone with more than two brain cells can read the bible and not immediately see how fucked up it is. I’m certain people turn to religion out of social despair the same way people turn to drugs.
Dog that’s literally why they indoctrinate their kids so early. Private religious elementary with a church run youth group after school, “vacation bible school” over summer break, the whole nine yards. A healthy adult is a lot more likely to realize the inherent problems before they dedicate their entire lives to being delusional.
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