What do you think of the term "Brights" to describe skeptics/atheists?
413422
Brights is good. Like brighter than brainwashed morons who believe in god.
73014
Consider yourself blessed that you are able to perceive such signs and find compassion for those who have yet to learn to do so. If you could prove something scientifically it would be a state of fact or otherwise it would be an opinion. The definition of a belief is that it cannot be proven. I propose you let those know about your religious experiances who want to listen to you about them. The others are not ready to do so and thus just let them be.
465793
My opinion of Atheism is each to their own. Why should you care about it? That's a tough one for me to answer. I could say that most people who would describe themselves as atheists are weak willed and too lazy to have the courage of a conviction. But then some smart cheeks will say that that can describe 90% of the believers. So in the end its important to know your options I guess.
1054094
You called?  ;-)  :-)    I am a spiritual atheist.   I am one who does not believe in "god" or "goddess" or in the divinity of Jesus, but I do still practice a form of spirituality that helps me with my life.  I like some of Jesus' teachings, I glean some wisdom from various religions and apply them to my life.  That is spirituality, in my personal definition.  \n\nSOME, not all, atheists ARE spiritual to various degrees.\n\nEDIT:  In re: confusio; don't worry, that happens.  We all learn something new everyday.  :-)
324226
they probably have atheist and agnostic mixed up
227474
Yes, people whose world-view is free from supernatural deities are under-represented because they don't tend to form big groups to lobby and influence government. \n\nAlso theres the herd of sheep thing (religious) and then there's the herd of cats thing ("non-believers"). They just don't tend to belong to groups whereas religious have church groups etc.\n\nYou could check out the brights, they are an online constituency for people who are not deists, including agnostics, atheists, humanists, and anybody with a naturalistic world-view free from things supernatural and mystical, The brights are a first step to more representation for "non-believers".
171517
You were obviously being sarcastic when you said you would pray for them. Of course,religious people don't appreciate\nthe irony of such statements and you obviously confused a lot of them.\n\n That being said,as an agnostic who tends toward atheism I\ncan appreciate your viewpoint. The only reason I'm not simply an atheist is that there's not any more evidence to support your theory than that of a Christian. As well,I do\nbelieve the world and the universe are far more complex than\nany of us can guess at this time.\n In a world where there IS evidence pointing to the possibility of reincarnation, as well as paranormal experts\nusing scientific methods to investigate reported hauntings,\ncan the existence of God really be ruled out so definately?\nMaybe your inner conscious is just your personal belief system at work. Who can really say for sure what the Reality\nreally is?\n\n Still,I can't bring myself to believe in a Biblical God who\ncreated the universe,is all-powerful yet knows all our names\nas well as where the smallest sparrow has fallen. It does sound like a fairy tale.
461642
Agnostic is not a religion.\n\nAgnostic means: One who believes that it is impossible to know whether there is a God. \nOne who is skeptical about the existence of God but does not profess true atheism. \nOne who is doubtful or noncommittal about something.
60284
I wrote the following in a blog on God's coherence (source below):\n------------\nBefore I begin, I’m going to define some terms for the purpose of this discussion. These are by no means concrete and we can define them further if need be.\n\nAtheist: Someone without the belief in God. It is not necessarily a position where the person says affirmatively that God does not exist. Atheist is a general statement about a non belief in any God concept.\n\nHard Atheist: This is the person who says that God does not exist, affirmatively.\n\nWeak Atheist: This is a person who does not feel that there is any quality evidence for the existence of God. They do not rule the concept of God out definitely, but they see no reason to believe in any of the Gods they know of.\n\nAgnostic: Agnosticism is not a position on whether one believes in God or not, it is a position on whether one believes that it is possible to know positively whether God exists or not. Additionally it’s a position on whether God can be known through experience.
301563
An atheist can very well have a belief system.  Being an atheist just means that you lack belief in a god or gods.  An atheist could believe in UFOs, alien abductions, Santa Claus, etc.  \n\nI, however, am a skeptic, an Objectivist, a Bright (depending on the nomenclature you are using).\n\nI try to have as few belief as possible.  I try to hold a scientific worldview.  I take in data/information and try to understand what I am learning.  I make guesses/theories about how the data relate.  When I make up a guess, I then test it to make sure it's correct.  If it fails, then I continue to use that theory until a better one comes along.  If a better one comes along, then I reject the old one.\n\nA good example of this is the sunrise.  Do you believe that the sun rises in the East?  I don't.  I have a scientific theory that the earth rotates and revolves around the sun.  I test my theory every day because my theory PREDICTS the sun will appear on the eastern horizon.  \n\nYou might say that a scientific worldview cannot account for everything in reality.  Really?  Like what?  A soul?  I don't believe that exists either.\n\nI could be wrong.  Before bacteria were seen under a microscope, people believed that disease was  caused by disruptions of the 4 humours.  If I was a skeptic back then, I would have denied the existence of bacteria... until a scientific theory could come about and explain and predict their existence.  So if someone were to present to me concrete evidence of a god... then I would admit that I am wrong and become a believer.\n\n-------------------------------\nAgnosticism and atheism are kissing cousins.  Still, does a agnostic believe in Santa Claus?  Why or why not?  There is no evidence for Santa to exist... but there is always the possibility.  I deny Santa's existence, while a true agnostic could never say yes or no.\n\nBasically, there is a ton of bullhsit out there.  There are hundreds, if not thousands, of religions in the world.  This doesn't include ones that have died out or ones that have yet to be created.  I withhold belief until I find evidence for one that is correct.  Sure I could sometimes be wrong with my worldview/philosophy... but science/logic/rational thought has a far better track record in only a few hundred years than all of the history of religions.\n---------\nAlso, I think you have a misunderstanding on what a "freethinker" is.  A freethinker is someone who looks at life/reality without superstition... someone who uses rational thought.  There is no evidence for a supernatural being... so that falls outside of "freethinker".
132811
The ones who fight to disprove God are anti-thiests.  In my liftime, I have only met a handful of actual athiests, but an enormous amount of anti-thiests who call themselves athiests.\n\nThe operating word in the definition is belief.  If you truly believe something, you act on it accordingly.  If you truly believe the roof you are sitting under is about to fall down, then you'll move.  Genuine athiests truly don't believe that there is a God, and won't waste much time talking for or againt Him.\n\nOn the other hand, anti-thiests don't want anybody to believe in any kind of higher being, and work fervently to achieve that goal.  In my experience, most anti-thiests once believed in God, but something happened in their lives which they blame God for, and thus the fervor.\n\nto zilker: Technically, anyone who does not have a belief in God is an AGNOSTIC. An atheist believes that there is no God.\nEveryone is actually AGNOSTIC by default until they develope or reject a belief in a God. \n\nto My Big Bear Ron: Maybe there are no athiests 'knocking on doors', but I guarantee there are no Christians in court rooms trying to suppress the athiests' (or more accurately, anti-thiests') right to believe what he wants to believe.
306766
Agnosticism is the philosophical view that the truth or falsity of certain claims—particularly theological claims regarding the existence of God or gods—is unknown, unknowable, or incoherent. Some agnostics infer from this that these claims are irrelevant to the meaning of life.\n\nMyself on the other hand, I am a Christian and a firm believer that God dictates everything that happens around me. Everything happens for a reason. I do NOT believe I evolved from prime-apes.\nPeople who are Agnostic obviously have not put enough faith into God, even though the small miracles in their lives everyday like waking up, seeing the beauty outside their own door and being provided with abundance of blessings each day should be enough proof for them that a kind and caring God DOES exist.
776091
atheist means that you don't believe in G-d. thats all.
41363
"Atheism, in its broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of any deities."\n=> Wikipedia\n\nI suppose it's because atheists disbelieve in the concept of a god in any sense, so people think they are deluding themselves or something.\n\nAlso, as atheists do not have a comprehensive value system like Christianity or Buddhism, they are automatically deemed by some to be immoral - although this is an unfair accusation.
320657
I've been on the other side where I thought that people who didn't believe in god must feel lost.  (I was raised to think they are evil.)  So, I can kinda understand why some religious individuals think that non-believers feel some sort of void or are immoral.  However, I also view that stance as an immature belief.  It doesn't take a lot of looking around to realize that agnostics and atheists are very content with their worldviews and live ethical lives.
705218
Unfortunately, a lot of people use the word "God" to describe things that are entirely natural, and then assume that when the atheist says "I don't believe," he is including all these things.  Let's clear that up...\n\nI believe in hope, honesty and trust.  I believe in the goodness of mankind, the promise of a better tomorrow, and the continual progression towards something greater than we are now.  I believe in love and compassion.  I believe in taking responsibility for one's actions and acting with integrity 100% of the time.  I believe we've come a long way, but I believe we have a long ways yet to go.  I believe in Justice and Truth that is binding and eternal, but is enforced by us alone.  I believe in morality, in treating people with respect and expecting that respect in return.  I believe in certain inalienable rights, and I believe in protecting those rights.  Above all else, I believe the Sun will rise, the rainclouds will fade, and the cancer will remit...\n\nI believe all these things without believing in God.\n\n\nIf you're confused, it's your prejudices showing.  Explore atheism some more...it is more than meets the eye.
546799
Example:\n\n"Do you believe in a Supreme Being?"\n\nAtheist: "No"\n\nAgnostic: "There is no evidence either way, so I don't know what I believe." (translation into English: "No.")\n\nAgnostics are wimpy atheists more concerned about what others think than expressing their real opinions.\n\nAdditional comment:\n\nThe "why" is irrelevant; agnostics do not believe in a Supreme Being and are atheists.