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Is there a name for me?

  • 12-05-2006 1:51am
    #1
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 60,104 Mod ✭✭✭✭Tar.Aldarion


    Now, I am confused as to what to actually call myself.
    I would usually go for agnostic but I fell more atheistic than the average agnostic, as it were, but not a true atheist.
    An agnostical atheist?
    Can that be applied to somebody who does not believe in a god but is open to there possibly being one?
    I do not believe in any god that anybody on earth would believe in, at all.
    That makes me atheistic towards them.

    How and ever, I believe that there possibly could be something that made our universe etc. At that, I don't even know if I would call it a god. Getting into the definition of what I would actually label a god is a very long and annoying train of thought. There could be something that would seem godlike to us, would that make it a god?

    I don't know. What makes a god a god is a very hard question for me.
    So anyway, i'm getting off my main point a bit.
    I am atheistic towards Earths gods as I have deemed them, but not to the possibility of a god existing(even if I don't know how to define what said god would be, and no matter how much I doubt it exists, I do not not dismiss it, especially as I cannot define a god).
    What would I call myself?
    An agnostical atheist, an atheistic agnostic, a simple agnostic? Other?

    Thanks.


«13

Comments

  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19,396 ✭✭✭✭Karoma


    As far as simple titles go: You are 'agnostic'.

    And no, Avril Lavigne is not a god(dess).


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 66 ✭✭HemmingSay


    how about you just call yourself Tar.Aldarion*, and not worry about pigeon-holing yourself into a religious/philosophical type?

    *that seems to be working out well for you so far


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19,396 ✭✭✭✭Karoma


    Damn those hard myspace.com questions.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,784 ✭✭✭Dirk Gently


    Why are you looking for a name?
    I call myself an atheist as I don't believe in a God and I don't believe anything can be defined as a God ( Robbie fowler excluded ) but I don't spend too much time trying to difine myself. Whats the point in reaching a conclusion on atheism / agnosticism / humanist?
    What have you actually achieved once you decide on what to call yourself?
    Are you more enlightened after you decide on your label?

    Just get on with your godless life and make sure your at mass on saturday to worship Robbie Fowler as he inspires Liverpool to victory in the cup final even though he wont actually be playing. ( Fowler works in mysterious ways )


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 60,104 Mod ✭✭✭✭Tar.Aldarion


    Karoma wrote:
    As far as simple titles go: You are 'agnostic'.

    And no, Avril Lavigne is not a god(dess).
    Yes she is, in my definition. :D
    Yeah, that was the simple answer but just wondering is there specific names for everybodies fanciful thoughts. :)


    how about you just call yourself Tar.Aldarion*, and not worry about pigeon-holing yourself into a religious/philosophical type?

    *that seems to be working out well for you so far

    Why are you looking for a name?
    I call myself an atheist as I don't believe in a God and I don't believe anything can be defined as a God ( Robbie fowler excluded ) but I don't spend too much time trying to difine myself. Whats the point in reaching a conclusion on atheism / agnosticism / humanist?
    What have you actually achieved once you decide on what to call yourself?
    Are you more enlightened after you decide on your label?

    Just get on with your godless life and make sure your at mass on saturday to worship Robbie Fowler as he inspires Liverpool to victory in the cup final even though he wont actually be playing. ( Fowler works in mysterious ways )
    I think yee miss the point, sorry.
    I do not *care* what somebody calls me and am not not worried about pigeon-holing yourself into a religious/philosophical type.
    I am just curious/interested for no particular reason.

    I will have achieved nothing clown bag, nothing but satisfaction for my weird thoughts. (:
    Man I'm tired, forgot I even wrote this thread.

    I suppose agnostic will have to do.
    Oh yes and avril is ordering a jihad on the fowler's.
    /Me unsheaths sword.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,737 ✭✭✭Asiaprod


    Now, I am confused as to what to actually call myself.

    Atheist: A person whose worldview embraces Atheism [noun] [OW]. The natural condition of all humans at birth and prior to indoctrination in or self-invention of Theism. Atheists claim there is no proof for God. "Strong" Atheists claim God does not exist. "Weak" Atheists do not deny the possibility of God, or that proof might eventually be discovered. Athiest and Athesit are Fundie synonyms of Atheist [SD]. *The word Atheism [CE] derives from the Greek atheos, a = without, theos = God.

    That probably makes you a weak Atheist.:). Have to see what others think. My own opinion is that WE define ourself.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 23,283 ✭✭✭✭Scofflaw


    I'd go for "atheistic agnostic". Mind you, I don't discount the possibility of God, just the possibility of a worshippable one, and I just call myself an atheist, since I don't believe in a God. I've never seen the point of denying the existence of something that either doesn't exist or ought to be ignored.

    Did you say you had a sword?


    cordially,
    Scofflaw


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 60,104 Mod ✭✭✭✭Tar.Aldarion


    The definition of atheist vs agnostic is another tricky thing for me. Most atheists
    fall into the agnostic column along the lines I believe.
    Bah.
    What would be the difference between a weak atheist and an agnostic?
    You can see I'm terribly desperate to label myself. ;)
    I do like the idea of Tar.Aldarion's...

    I'd go for "atheistic agnostic". Mind you, I don't discount the possibility of God, just the possibility of a worshippable one, and I just call myself an atheist, since I don't believe in a God. I've never seen the point of denying the existence of something that either doesn't exist or ought to be ignored.

    Did you say you had a sword?


    cordially,
    Scofflaw
    Yes, that is what I would describe myself as mostly.
    You would seem to believe a lot along the same lines as myself, but call yourself something else based on a different reasoning system.
    Yes, I do indeed have a sword. Tis a beauty too. :)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,784 ✭✭✭Dirk Gently


    Tartheist Aldariongnostic Maximus


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 23,283 ✭✭✭✭Scofflaw


    What would be the difference between a weak atheist and an agnostic?

    Never really went for the whole "weak atheist" thing. After all, I was calling myself an atheist for 25 years before Wikipedia came along!

    The sword's a bit of a giveaway, anyway.

    cordially,
    Scofflaw


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,737 ✭✭✭Asiaprod


    Scofflaw wrote:
    The sword's a bit of a giveaway, anyway.
    :D:D:D
    Based on other posts, its a done deal. Welcome Tartheist Aldarion Maximus


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 16,793 ✭✭✭✭Hagar


    I think there are many athesists who declare themselves such in the hope that someone will take the trouble to prove to them the existance of a god thus giving them the spiritual "hug" they really wanted in the first place.


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 25,558 Mod ✭✭✭✭Dades


    Tar - have you considered the possibility you are an "agnathiest"? :D

    Re what you are saying of "gods" - I have long contended that the distinctions between atheism and agnosticism have everything to do with the definition of "god", rather than the words themselves.

    If you consider a god to be simply anything that may have had an influence in the creation of life or matter than you are probably leaning toward agnosticism. On the other hand, if you apply more stringent tests as to what actually qualifies as a "god", then atheism is a more suitable shoe size.

    And as what constitutes a "god" is very subjective - so must your pigeonhole be.

    Either way we're all going to burn in hell. ;)


  • Posts: 0 CMod ✭✭✭✭ Felicity Sharp Headache


    I duno what I am either in that respect

    I mean I'm happy with the idea that the gods exist, I just have no intention of worshiping any of them
    Maybe they don't exist.

    Ah well :)

    tarry, you're just strange :D


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 25,848 ✭✭✭✭Zombrex


    Tar - have you considered the possibility you are an "agnathiest"? :D

    Re what you are saying of "gods" - I have long contended that the distinctions between atheism and agnosticism have everything to do with the definition of "god", rather than the words themselves.

    If you consider a god to be simply anything that may have had an influence in the creation of life or matter than you are probably leaning toward agnosticism. On the other hand, if you apply more stringent tests as to what actually qualifies as a "god", then atheism is a more suitable shoe size.

    And as what constitutes a "god" is very subjective - so must your pigeonhole be.

    Either way we're all going to burn in hell. ;)

    Damn it Athiest I was about to post exactly the same thing .. you always do that .. damn you! :D

    Anyway Tar, without repeating Atheist to much (damn you!), this thing that might have created the universe, why would that be a "god" to you as opposed to simply an alien, even if that alien exists outside of your universe?

    To me its like the distinction between a man and a king. A man is a man because of the way nature defined him. He is a man because of his natural make up, instead of a cow or a fox or a whale. A king on the other hand is a king only in the minds of the humans that follow him. There is nothing in nature that makes a man a king. It is simply a level of status invented by humans.

    What we do with the idea of God is a bit like assuming the "king" bit without knowing the "man" bit first.

    The concept of a god originated before humans understood science, so we imagined a supernatural being that can basically do anything it wants. But really this idea wasn't put through a lot of real world logic. A God was represented by something that is like a human but can do what ever he wants when ever he wants. And that was it. The idea of a "God" becomes harder to define when you start to look at it scientifically. A God might be able to control the laws of this universe, can he control things outside of this universe? What is he made of? Where did he come from? Where does he exist now? Slowly the concept of a "God" begins to paradox itself. To me its not really an idea that can actually exist, because it is cyclical and paradoxical, and it raises more questions that it can answer.

    This to me is why I can say for certain "God" doesn't exist, because the concept of a god is invalid in the first place.

    I am totally open to the posibility that some intelligence created the universe before the big bang. But why would I call that a "God"? What ever it is, it isn't a god, because the idea of a god doesn't make sense. The concept of a god is simply a human invention of the imagination, from a time long ago when humans didn't really think things through.

    If something created the universe he/it is what he/it is, and we certainly don't know what that is.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,437 ✭✭✭Crucifix


    I have a similarly 'inbetweeny' religious position.
    Generally I just start to explain in detail til people's eyes glaze over, then I make my escape.


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 25,558 Mod ✭✭✭✭Dades


    Wicknight wrote:
    Damn it Athiest I was about to post exactly the same thing .. you always do that .. damn you! :D
    LOL you'll need to be quicker to preempt me on a Friday afternoon in work!


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 60,104 Mod ✭✭✭✭Tar.Aldarion


    Scofflaw wrote:

    The sword's a bit of a giveaway, anyway.
    Mine smells quite nice. :)
    Tar - have you considered the possibility you are an "agnathiest"?
    I made my decision last night, see sig. We are currently recruiting. ;)
    Re what you are saying of "gods" - I have long contended that the distinctions between atheism and agnosticism have everything to do with the definition of "god", rather than the words themselves.

    If you consider a god to be simply anything that may have had an influence in the creation of life or matter than you are probably leaning toward agnosticism. On the other hand, if you apply more stringent tests as to what actually qualifies as a "god", then atheism is a more suitable shoe size.

    And as what constitutes a "god" is very subjective - so must your pigeonhole be.
    This is exactly the problem I have, spot on. I don't know what I would call a god, possibly nothing whatsoever, which would make me an atheist by default. Ah pidgeonholes...'Catch the Pidgeon' was a cartoon on tv years ago, it is much deeper to me now.
    My nature leans towards atheistic agnostic but my sword implies atheism. One day i will choose, maybe in a few decades. I'll pop on to drag up the thread.
    Either way we're all going to burn in hell.
    I plan to live forever, well actually, since I'm not sure if anything is actually alive. Depends on my definition of life. (:

    bluewolf wrote:
    tarry, you're just strange :D
    I know dear, I get told that every day, and a lot of the time it is by you.
    Wicknight wrote:
    Damn it Athiest I was about to post exactly the same thing .. you always do that .. damn you!

    Anyway Tar, without repeating Atheist to much (damn you!), this thing that might have created the universe, why would that be a "god" to you as opposed to simply an alien, even if that alien exists outside of your universe?

    To me its like the distinction between a man and a king. A man is a man because of the way nature defined him. He is a man because of his natural make up, instead of a cow or a fox or a whale. A king on the other hand is a king only in the minds of the humans that follow him. There is nothing in nature that makes a man a king. It is simply a level of status invented by humans.

    What we do with the idea of God is a bit like assuming the "king" bit without knowing the "man" bit first.

    The concept of a god originated before humans understood science, so we imagined a supernatural being that can basically do anything it wants. But really this idea wasn't put through a lot of real world logic. A God was represented by something that is like a human but can do what ever he wants when ever he wants. And that was it. The idea of a "God" becomes harder to define when you start to look at it scientifically. A God might be able to control the laws of this universe, can he control things outside of this universe? What is he made of? Where did he come from? Where does he exist now? Slowly the concept of a "God" begins to paradox itself. To me its not really an idea that can actually exist, because it is cyclical and paradoxical, and it raises more questions that it can answer.

    This to me is why I can say for certain "God" doesn't exist, because the concept of a god is invalid in the first place.

    I am totally open to the posibility that some intelligence created the universe before the big bang. But why would I call that a "God"? What ever it is, it isn't a god, because the idea of a god doesn't make sense. The concept of a god is simply a human invention of the imagination, from a time long ago when humans didn't really think things through.

    If something created the universe he/it is what he/it is, and we certainly don't know what that is.
    See my reply to The Atheist. :D

    I must do some sould searching to figure out if anything that could exist would be a labelled a godfor me.
    Is there anything that you would consider to be a god?
    Let's say something has existed forever, it is 'all powerful'(which doesn't really make sense) and created everything etc with otherly godly attributes like alchemy+5 and such, would that be a god or an alien to you?
    I'm not sure.
    It really does come down to elusive definition.
    For all I know, I am a god, well to me. Don't satanists believe that?
    Doesn't sound bad. :)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,784 ✭✭✭Dirk Gently


    Young Tartheist Aldariongnostic Maximus
    I want recognition for founding your new religion. As your infallible leader I expect regular cash donations for the upkeep of our non existent church. Also something similar to the pope mobile, my own country and my own army. As a group all members will worship Robbie Fowler as our collective God and individually we may also have one personal object of worship. I declare Avril Lavigne your personal goddess. My personal Goddess is Jolene Blalock (sub commander TPol) it is logical! Our personal gods are subservient to us however our communal God Robbie Fowler is all powerful and must be worship for at 90 minutes every week in two 45 minute sessions. There are four cakes.

    unfaithfully
    clownbagnostic maximus.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,737 ✭✭✭Asiaprod


    It really does come down to elusive definition.
    For all I know, I am a god, well to me.
    Doesn't sound bad. :)

    Excellent, dear Tartheist, you found a jewel.
    A God creates!
    Do you create?:rolleyes:


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  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 60,104 Mod ✭✭✭✭Tar.Aldarion


    clown bag wrote:
    Young Tartheist Aldariongnostic Maximus
    I want recognition for founding your new religion. As your infallible leader I expect regular cash donations for the upkeep of our non existent church. Also something similar to the pope mobile, my own country and my own army. As a group all members will worship Robbie Fowler as our collective God and individually we may also have one personal object of worship. I declare Avril Lavigne your personal goddess. My personal Goddess is Jolene Blalock (sub commander TPol) it is logical! Our personal gods are subservient to us however our communal God Robbie Fowler is all powerful and must be worship for at 90 minutes every week in two 45 minute sessions. There are four cakes.

    unfaithfully
    clownbagnostic maximus.
    What boons will my godess grant me?
    Maybe a special event?
    http://www.grabow.biz/Contemporaryh/AvrilLavigne.htm
    ;)
    Haha T'Pol, I should have known.


    [quot=Asiaprod]Excellent, dear Tartheist, you found a jewel.
    A God creates!
    Do you create?(horrendous smily removed for the benifit of the viewer)[/quote]
    I create now and again. Sometimes, when I am not concentrating enough on the task at hand, I nearly create a human by accident.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 27,857 ✭✭✭✭Dave!


    I'd consider myself "agnostic, with a leaning towards atheism"! I don't believe in any gods, but I accept that I cannot prove that none exist, so it'd be naive (for want of a better word) of me to just call myself an atheist. It's as arrogant to believe steadfastly that there isn't a god, as it is to believe that there is. Is agnosticism the only logical/rational 'belief', do ye think?

    *waits to be owned by the uber-atheists*

    :D


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 60,104 Mod ✭✭✭✭Tar.Aldarion


    Oh my, /steps back from the soon-to-be wreckage of DaveMcG. ;)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 25,848 ✭✭✭✭Zombrex


    DaveMcG wrote:
    Is agnosticism the only logical/rational 'belief', do ye think?

    *waits to be owned by the uber-atheists*

    :D

    If you accept that then you pretty much have to be "agnostic" about pretty much anything that humanity can possibly imagine, which to be honest is a bit silly in my view.

    Do small green dwarfs with spiders for ears that communicate through the songs of Robbie Willians live at the bottom of my garden?

    No, but how can you be sure for certain they don't?

    The answer is you can be certain they don't because you know I just made up the idea in my head.

    Likewise, you can be certain gods don't exists when you look at the origin of the concept and realise that it comes purely from the human imagination.


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 60,104 Mod ✭✭✭✭Tar.Aldarion


    Most annoying creatures ever in your garden. Your example is different, you are taking things we can know and saying they are not true. Hey, maybe it is true? ;) You can give many unlikely scenarios and eventually one will be true. That is what it means, you can't just dismiss everything, matter of fact, and people have different definitions of a god. If something is extremely unlikely it does not mean it is not the case.
    Anyway, depending on your definition of a god, then one could well exist. It does not matter that humans made up fake ones as an origin, that does not take away from the case that there may be 'a' god or gods ( that people would consider to be godly) in existance.

    I think it is a little arrogant to say a god somewhere does not definitely exist, however it is perfectly agreeable to believe that and err towards it.
    'Certainty' does not exist really, unless you believe nothing can be a god. This then comes back to what one defines a god to be.


  • Registered Users Posts: 380 ✭✭MeditationMom


    Funny thread- agnostics and atheists, strong ones and weak ones, definitely seem to be having more fun.

    God died laughing a long time ago and that's where you'll find him!

    Just in case you are not entirely at peace inside about not believing in... who again?.... here's a quote you may find interesting by Ramana Maharshi:

    " No one doubts that he exists, though you may doubt the existence of God. If you find out the truth about yourself and discover your own source, this is all that is required."
    ( I already posted this quote on another thread today - hope I am not boring anyone - oh well - am having fun)

    Let me know when you discover your own source - and may the force be with you while you're searching!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 23,283 ✭✭✭✭Scofflaw


    Wicknight wrote:
    If you accept that then you pretty much have to be "agnostic" about pretty much anything that humanity can possibly imagine, which to be honest is a bit silly in my view.

    Do small green dwarfs with spiders for ears that communicate through the songs of Robbie Willians live at the bottom of my garden?

    No, but how can you be sure for certain they don't?

    The answer is you can be certain they don't because you know I just made up the idea in my head.

    Likewise, you can be certain gods don't exists when you look at the origin of the concept and realise that it comes purely from the human imagination.

    Well, at least it wasn't a dragon falling on your head this time! I still think this analogy doesn't hold up. The comparison suggests that God is such a silly idea as not to merit serious consideration, whereas it is pretty clear that the majority of mankind, including some very serious thinkers, do not find it so.

    Why not use UFO's instead, or the JFK conspiracy theories? Equally silly, but far more widely believed.

    cordially,
    Scofflaw


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,106 ✭✭✭Pocari Sweat


    Actually UFO and JFK ain't so silly. As there are predicted to be at least one billion other similar planets able to support life similar to earth in universe and as america is dodgey and probably did schnaffle JFK then these theories aint so daft.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 23,283 ✭✭✭✭Scofflaw


    Exactly.

    cordially,
    Scofflaw


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  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 25,558 Mod ✭✭✭✭Dades


    Scofflaw wrote:
    Exactly.
    But using the analogy of something that has a possibility by virtue of any form of evidence, is contrary to the point. The point of the dragon analogy is that there is no basis in logic to believe it exists.

    The credentials of US politics or the Drake Equation could be viewed as evidence of sorts for JFK or aliens. :)


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