Defining Atheism: Belief in No God or No Belief in God
Is Atheism the absence of God-belief or the present belief that there is no God? Traditionally, “atheism” refers to the belief that there is no God. But in the last 20-30 years, it’s become popular to treat the term as a kind of agnosticism, “having no belief in God” or simply, “lacking God-belief.” Who’s right? And what does it matter? Atheos Let’s go back to the Greek word from which we get our word “atheism.” “Atheist” is a translation of the Greek: atheos using the alpha privative “a” – which translates as “un-/non-/dis-/not/no,“ and the term “theos” (God). It literally translates as “No God”. Note, it’s not a merger between the alpha privative and the english term “theist” or “theism.” Rather “atheist” as a whole word is a translation of the whole word…