The semantics used in the religion forum.

[divagreen]

There are some terms that are used in the religious forum that I think need clarification in order to facilitate better communication.

 

Theism, ...believes in a supernatural moral agent/creator.

Atheism, ...does not believe in a supernatural moral agent/creator.

Pantheism, ...does not believe in a supernatural moral agent/creator but rather believes that "god" is in everything and composites the Universe.

 

Gnosticism, ...claims we can know whether god exists or not.

Agnosticism, ...claims we can not know whether god exists or not.

 

So when we use these terms what do we mean? And what do we mean by "god"?

 

If the term "god" is defined by what we revere, is there not a fluidity in the conceptional view?

[Mr Skeptic]

Well, Gnosticism means a totally different thing than you said; it is definitely not the opposite of agnosticism. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnosticism

 

A clarification of atheism: most atheists while not believing in god(s), also do not believe there is no god; this position is called weak atheism or agnostic atheism. The atheists who believe there is no god are called strong atheists, and make most of the noise among the atheists despite being a small proportion. Much time is lost in religious discussions when theists assume their opponent is a strong atheist despite the unlikeliness of that.

[divagreen]

Well, Gnosticism means a totally different thing than you said; it is definitely not the opposite of agnosticism. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnosticism

 

First, if you look up the antonym for gnostic, you will find the counter "agnostic". So I think I used the term correctly within the context (please do note the small "g").

 

link

 

I find it interesting that a word ("agnostic") that has only been coined in the last 150 years has been conflated with a Christian sect (Gnostic) of a couple of thousand of years ago. The wiki site that you sourced was an assignment of a philosophy not a definition.

 

A clarification of atheism: most atheists while not believing in god(s), also do not believe there is no god; this position is called weak atheism or agnostic atheism. The atheists who believe there is no god are called strong atheists, and make most of the noise among the atheists despite being a small proportion. Much time is lost in religious discussions when theists assume their opponent is a strong atheist despite the unlikeliness of that.

 

Let's have a chart:

 

 

This is why I request that this thread be genuinely considered as an epistemological inquiry into the terms that we use but do not necessarily agree upon.

 

I think that atheism can be consistent with pantheism.

 

(Thank you, Mr. Skeptic for responding. )

Edited September 15, 2010 by divagreen

[mississippichem]

This is why I request that this thread be genuinely considered as an epistemological inquiry into the terms that we use but do not necessarily agree upon.

 

I think that atheism can be consistent with pantheism.

 

I agree. Pantheism ~ Atheism in my opinion. Saying that god is inherently in everything is the same as saying that there is no god, in net effect. I have a friend who could be said to be a pantheist, every time we discuss/debate it ends in a semantics argument. I've tried to convince him he's just an atheist in disguise, where as I'm an atheist with a t-shirt. If god is everything, then he has the same effect as a non-existent god. It's like thermodynamics, the true amount of energy doesn't matter as much as the change between two measured values. God being everything equates to no "change in God" from object to object, or place to place.

[lemur]

what is the term for believing that God exists through faith? Would that be constructivist-theism?

[Moontanman]

what is the term for believing that God exists through faith? Would that be constructivist-theism?

 

 

I'm not sure what you mean lemur, do you mean that faith requires a god, that god requires faith, or that faith creates god?

[lemur]

I'm not sure what you mean lemur, do you mean that faith requires a god, that god requires faith, or that faith creates god?

 

I mean that faith creates God and the belief that God's existence through faith is indeed existence, albeit in a non-material (i.e. spiritual) sense.