Quetzal writes:
Since we're playing semantics here, I suppose I'll punt my two cents in.
And I would like to add mine as well.
Surfing the net earlier I came across the following quote. I am still busy considering it's implications but I thought I would post it here, maybe it will spark some good discussion.
In his book "Why Atheism?" (chapter 2), George H. Smith writes the following with regards to "positive" or "strong" atheism in relation to "negative" or "weak" atheism:
quote:
A good deal of the confusion about this issue is owing to the fact that positive atheism and negative atheism are answers to two different questions, namely, "Does God exist?" and "Do you believe in the existence of God?" The positive atheist says no to former question, whereas the negative atheist says no to the latter. And since Christians typically stress the need for belief as a precondition of salvation, most atheists within Christian cultures have defined themselves in negative terms, as people who do not believe in God. Properly considered, therefore, positive atheism is simply a possible justification for the nonbelief of negative atheism rather than a competing definition.
I obtained this quote from a
secondary source and have not yet had the time to confirm its accuracy.
Any comments?
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He hoped and prayed that there wasn't an afterlife. Then he realized there was a contradiction involved here and merely hoped that there wasn't an afterlife.
- Douglas Adams, The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy
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