Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Unseen on April 25, 2012 at 8:24am

The Buddha and those who adopted his tenets as their religion (Buddhism in its pure, original form) are religious people without a personal (theistic) god. They don't claim there is no deity. Their religion simply doesn't address the matter. So, no, theists and non-theists may or may not be the same thing, depending on the particular case.

Most atheists are best characterized as simply not believing that there is a deity. Only the few make the affirmative statement that there is no deity, because such a statement would require entering into the quagmire of proof. Their argument is mostly based on the absence of evidence or the seeming impossibility of a being having the ascribed attributes.

By contrast, many non-theists simply don't spend much time thinking about it.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Chris Spurrier on April 25, 2012 at 3:30pm

Interesting question. 

I think there is still room for mysticism in "non-theism". Like, there are no gods, but maybe some ghosts. 

I think Atheism, and realism are synonymous. non-theist is another cop-out like agnostic. 

• ▶ Reply

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• Next ›
• Page