January 30, 2007

I agree w/most of your statements on atheism, But there is one I do not agree with that would be that there are atheists who simply choose no religion if you choose no religion but do not deny one then you are agnostic and subconsiously searching for a religion to follow. I'd also like to say that this is one of the greatest atheistical informative sites I've ever seen I praise your work to help people understand what atheism means.

There are a number of different types of atheists and agnostics, and the definitions of those terms overlap in some instances. In any case, I prefer "without religion" as the primary definition of atheism, in that this is what the word literally means if you look at its roots.

Defining another term, I do not "choose" no religion any more than I choose to believe that the Civil War took place. My stance on religion is based on evidence, not on my personal preference.

You say that someone who does not deny a religion is not an atheist. The vast majority of people very many religions, so I'm assuming you mean that an atheist must deny religion in general. I don't believe that it is possible to logically rule out all possible religions (e.g., deism), so by your definition an atheist would be making a statement of faith. No thanks on that .

You say that if I do not deny religion than I am "agnostic and subconsciously searching for a religion to follow." To me, the term agnostic implies either indecision about religion or a belief that the religious truth cannot be found. I do not feel indecisive in my beliefs, I can not say that there is no possible proof for religious truth, and I am not looking for a religion. I do not deny anyone the right to be convinced that there is a deity based on his or her own level of required proof, but this does not imply that I'm any less confident in my own position. I don't see how that makes me an agnostic. Also, I'm sure you didn't intend it this way but saying that I'm subconsciously searching for a religion to follow is incredibly insulting and is the type of thing I hear from religious people all the time. I think it's best to stay away from making statements about how other people feel inside, or this type of discussion can get real ugly real fast.

Finally, thank you very much for the kind words about the site. I do what I can and am glad to hear that my work is helpful.