Anonymous
07/18/2025 08:55
Subject: Areligious, agnostic, atheist all mean not believing in God
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:May God bless you and protect you and show you the way back to Him. Amen.
Amen 🙏
platitudes are easy.
Agree. I think people say stuff like this out of fear. I pity them; what a difficult way to live. And I believe God is real. But saying a platitude prayer for a stranger accomplishes nothing except navel gazing, which I'm not sure God would look favorably on - but who am I to say? She talks to me in my deepest moments. I assume she does this with others too, so it's up to them to believe or not. It's not up to me to have a relationship for them.
Anonymous
07/18/2025 08:53
Subject: Areligious, agnostic, atheist all mean not believing in God
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Gnosticism refers to knowing. The opposite of knowing is not knowing. As an agnostic I don’t know if there is a higher power, and if there is I don’t know how it manifests. Some agnostics, like me, also believe that it is impossible to know.
That not knowing is different from atheism. Theism is the belief in God or gods. The opposite of that is the belief that there are no gods. That is completely different from agnosticism.
Someone who is areligious is someone who doesn’t follow an organized religious tradition. You can believe in a higher power and be areligious. You can also be like me and participate in an organized religion even though you are agnostic or even atheist.
This is great. Thank you PP.
Except pp is not quite right. Atheism is simply not believing in god or gods and not celebrating God in any way. No one knows for sure that there are no Gods. Some atheists - and agnostics too - might sincerely think that there are no gods, but they don't know because God - like Santa Claus - is invisible. We now know that God, if there is one, does not live in heaven, because we've been to heaven, in space ships, and we know there's no air up there.
Atheism is not "completely different" from agnosticism, as said above. They do have different meanings, though. Agnosticism means not knowing and atheism means not being a theist (not believing in God) Atheists, if they think about it, will identify as agnostic atheists, because they neither know nor believe. No one knows - some people believe, though.
Anonymous
07/18/2025 08:48
Subject: Re:Areligious, agnostic, atheist all mean not believing in God
Anonymous wrote:no, well some offshoots of Buddhism do.Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Areligious means not believing in religion, which is different than God.
What religion does not have a God? Can you name any?
Buddhism
Unitarian-Universalism
Jainism
Taoism
Some forms of Hinduism
Do any of them believe in supernatural forces?
Souls & reincarnation = supernatural
Anonymous
07/18/2025 08:45
Subject: Re:Areligious, agnostic, atheist all mean not believing in God
no, well some offshoots of Buddhism do.Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Areligious means not believing in religion, which is different than God.
What religion does not have a God? Can you name any?
Buddhism
Unitarian-Universalism
Jainism
Taoism
Some forms of Hinduism
Do any of them believe in supernatural forces?
Anonymous
07/18/2025 07:56
Subject: Re:Areligious, agnostic, atheist all mean not believing in God
Anonymous wrote:Agnostic is A - gnostic = Not Known
AReligion = Not Religion , religion, and God are our synonymous. Religion are all the ridiculous ceremonies around honoring God so you can honor our God or believing God, but not believe in all the stupid rules.
Atheist = The word "atheist" itself comes from the Greek "atheos," meaning "godless" or "without god". Disbelief in God.
This. Op's premise is based on a poor understanding of linguistics and word origin.
Anonymous
07/18/2025 07:54
Subject: Areligious, agnostic, atheist all mean not believing in God
Anonymous wrote:Gnosticism refers to knowing. The opposite of knowing is not knowing. As an agnostic I don’t know if there is a higher power, and if there is I don’t know how it manifests. Some agnostics, like me, also believe that it is impossible to know.
That not knowing is different from atheism. Theism is the belief in God or gods. The opposite of that is the belief that there are no gods. That is completely different from agnosticism.
Someone who is areligious is someone who doesn’t follow an organized religious tradition. You can believe in a higher power and be areligious. You can also be like me and participate in an organized religion even though you are agnostic or even atheist.
This is great. Thank you PP.
Anonymous
07/18/2025 07:52
Subject: Re:Areligious, agnostic, atheist all mean not believing in God
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Areligious means not believing in religion, which is different than God.
What religion does not have a God? Can you name any?
Buddhism
Unitarian-Universalism
Jainism
Taoism
Some forms of Hinduism
Do any of them believe in supernatural forces?
Anonymous
07/18/2025 07:51
Subject: Areligious, agnostic, atheist all mean not believing in God
Anonymous wrote:DPAnonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Putting an “a” at the beginning of any word makes it negative. E.g., symptomatic means having symptoms and asymptomatic means not having symptoms. Thus areligious means not being religious, agnostic means not knowing and atheist means not being a theist (a person who believes in God).
In common usage, they may seem distinct from each other, or seem like a progression towards non-belief, but they’re really not. Think about it: If you’re areligious (not religious) or agnostic (not knowing – no one knows, really), then you don’t believe in God – in other words, you’re an atheist.
There can be a progression to non-belief, with atheism as the end point. Still, it seems to me that people are born as potential believers or non-believers – just as some people are born musically talented and others aren’t.
In some cases,
1. Religion didn’t make any sense to people, even when they were children;
2. Other people are open to believing in the supernatural and to accepting religion;
3. Others reject religion as they get older and think about it and/or study it more.
I’m #3. What about you?
None of the above.
What are you, then?
Define God and define religion. Then I can tell you what I am.
Not really -- you're just being demanding. Please tell us what you think you are from a religious point of view.
Anonymous
07/18/2025 07:48
Subject: Areligious, agnostic, atheist all mean not believing in God
DPAnonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Putting an “a” at the beginning of any word makes it negative. E.g., symptomatic means having symptoms and asymptomatic means not having symptoms. Thus areligious means not being religious, agnostic means not knowing and atheist means not being a theist (a person who believes in God).
In common usage, they may seem distinct from each other, or seem like a progression towards non-belief, but they’re really not. Think about it: If you’re areligious (not religious) or agnostic (not knowing – no one knows, really), then you don’t believe in God – in other words, you’re an atheist.
There can be a progression to non-belief, with atheism as the end point. Still, it seems to me that people are born as potential believers or non-believers – just as some people are born musically talented and others aren’t.
In some cases,
1. Religion didn’t make any sense to people, even when they were children;
2. Other people are open to believing in the supernatural and to accepting religion;
3. Others reject religion as they get older and think about it and/or study it more.
I’m #3. What about you?
None of the above.
What are you, then?
Define God and define religion. Then I can tell you what I am.
Anonymous
07/17/2025 21:23
Subject: Areligious, agnostic, atheist all mean not believing in God
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Putting an “a” at the beginning of any word makes it negative. E.g., symptomatic means having symptoms and asymptomatic means not having symptoms. Thus areligious means not being religious, agnostic means not knowing and atheist means not being a theist (a person who believes in God).
In common usage, they may seem distinct from each other, or seem like a progression towards non-belief, but they’re really not. Think about it: If you’re areligious (not religious) or agnostic (not knowing – no one knows, really), then you don’t believe in God – in other words, you’re an atheist.
There can be a progression to non-belief, with atheism as the end point. Still, it seems to me that people are born as potential believers or non-believers – just as some people are born musically talented and others aren’t.
In some cases,
1. Religion didn’t make any sense to people, even when they were children;
2. Other people are open to believing in the supernatural and to accepting religion;
3. Others reject religion as they get older and think about it and/or study it more.
I’m #3. What about you?
None of the above.
What are you, then?
Anonymous
07/17/2025 20:59
Subject: Areligious, agnostic, atheist all mean not believing in God
Anonymous wrote:Putting an “a” at the beginning of any word makes it negative. E.g., symptomatic means having symptoms and asymptomatic means not having symptoms. Thus areligious means not being religious, agnostic means not knowing and atheist means not being a theist (a person who believes in God).
In common usage, they may seem distinct from each other, or seem like a progression towards non-belief, but they’re really not. Think about it: If you’re areligious (not religious) or agnostic (not knowing – no one knows, really), then you don’t believe in God – in other words, you’re an atheist.
There can be a progression to non-belief, with atheism as the end point. Still, it seems to me that people are born as potential believers or non-believers – just as some people are born musically talented and others aren’t.
In some cases,
1. Religion didn’t make any sense to people, even when they were children;
2. Other people are open to believing in the supernatural and to accepting religion;
3. Others reject religion as they get older and think about it and/or study it more.
I’m #3. What about you?
None of the above.
Anonymous
07/17/2025 20:26
Subject: Re:Areligious, agnostic, atheist all mean not believing in God
Agnostic is A - gnostic = Not Known
AReligion = Not Religion , religion, and God are our synonymous. Religion are all the ridiculous ceremonies around honoring God so you can honor our God or believing God, but not believe in all the stupid rules.
Atheist = The word "atheist" itself comes from the Greek "atheos," meaning "godless" or "without god". Disbelief in God.
AReligion = Not Religion , religion, and God are our synonymous. Religion are all the ridiculous ceremonies around honoring God so you can honor our God or believing God, but not believe in all the stupid rules.
Atheist = The word "atheist" itself comes from the Greek "atheos," meaning "godless" or "without god". Disbelief in God.
Anonymous
07/17/2025 20:17
Subject: Areligious, agnostic, atheist all mean not believing in God
Anonymous wrote:May God bless you and protect you and show you the way back to Him. Amen.
Not the point of the post.
Anonymous
06/20/2025 07:20
Subject: Re:Areligious, agnostic, atheist all mean not believing in God
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Areligious means not believing in religion, which is different than God.
What religion does not have a God? Can you name any?
Buddhism
Unitarian-Universalism
Jainism
Taoism
Some forms of Hinduism
Don't know about the others, but Unitarians are pretty loosy-goosey. You can believe in God or not in Unitarianism, which technically means one god - instead of the Triune God - father, son and Holy Spirit (or Ghost) that Christians believe in.
Anonymous
06/19/2025 20:59
Subject: Re:Areligious, agnostic, atheist all mean not believing in God
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Areligious means not believing in religion, which is different than God.
What religion does not have a God? Can you name any?
Buddhism
Unitarian-Universalism
Jainism
Taoism
Some forms of Hinduism