Is there such a thing as an atheist worldview?

[lelinator]

lelinator:

And where exactly did you find this definition of “ Christian ”?

Christian
noun

1. a person who has received Christian baptism or is a believer in Christianity.

Christianity
noun

1. the religion based on the person and teachings of Jesus Christ, or its beliefs and practices

So you’re referencing a dictionary as the authority on defining a Christian?

Colossians 1:15-17​

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Hebrews 1:3​

He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high

John 14:9​

Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

The question wasn’t…who is Christ…the question was, who is a Christian? You seem to have defined it rather more narrowly than I would. I would define it as follows:

Matt. 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Come to think of it, I’m not really sure who’s definition is narrower.

 

[Raxus]

It’s not watered down, you quoted the actual definition. If you don’t believe God exists then you lack a believe in God, it doesn’t matter if you don’t claim he doesn’t or can’t. Agnostic and atheist aren’t mutually exclusive, for that matter agnostic and theist aren’t mutually exclusive. Knowledge and believe are not the same thing.

There are other self-proclaimed atheists who would disagree with you. Lacking an official structure like the Church has, you can’t really say “this is how a Real Atheist do”. It’s a lot like Protestantism, really.

 

[Dan123]

There are other self-proclaimed atheists who would disagree with you. Lacking an official structure like the Church has, you can’t really say “this is how a Real Atheist do”. It’s a lot like Protestantism, really.

Good thing I didn’t say anything of the sort. I pointed out by the definition provided one doesn’t need to affirm certainty in the non-existance of God to be considered an atheist. It’s not membership to a special club, it’s a definition.

 

[Raxus]

It’s not membership to a special club, it’s a definition.

The definition itself seems to vary from atheist to atheist.

 

[Dan123]

The definition itself seems to vary from atheist to atheist.

I used the one from the dictionary that Raxus provided, but what you’re saying is pretty much true of any word. Even though the church precscribes certain beliefs, the definition of Catholic changes from person to person unless you want to ‘no true Scotsman’ them away, at which point I’m not sure how many actual Catholics there are. Lots of things in life are like that, ever had a song you thought was country that someone else thought was rock?

 

[Pattylt]

It seems to me that just being atheist doesn’t develop into a world view by itself. I’d think it’s better to look at what the secularist develops as a world view as that seems to inform our beliefs about the world more that just not believing in God.

For me, not believing in God says nothing about my views on how societies laws should come about nor what’s best for child rearing or multiculturalism. Those that do believe in God may have God centered answers to these issues but not the non believers…ours are more shaped by evidences of what works and the reasoning behind them…which might also apply to some people that also believe in God but don’t use Gods word to make these kinds of decisions.

 

[Raxus]

Even though the church precscribes certain beliefs, the definition of Catholic changes from person to person unless you want to ‘no true Scotsman’ them away, at which point I’m not sure how many actual Catholics there are.

Thing is, for Catholics, you’ve got the rules in the CCC for how to live. Anyone who’s skipping or otherwise ignoring those rules isn’t acting Catholic. It has nothing to do with the No True Scotsman fallacy, because there aren’t authoritative rules for how to live like a Scotsman; there are for the Catholic Church and its members.

 

[Vico]

Logically the term atheist seems to describe a negative position which is the absence of a belief in God/gods.
…

Atheism can be disbelief or lack of belief. Certainly this has a bearing on worldview. Pantheism is the heart of New Age.

Merriam-Webster,

atheism, noun:
1a a lack of belief or a strong disbelief in the existence of a god or any gods
1b a philosophical or religious position characterized by disbelief in the existence of a god or any gods

Modern Catholic Dictionary

• Pantheism: Any of a variety of views that claim that all things are divine, or that God and the universe are really identical, or that there is ultimately no real distinction between God and what believers in creation call the world.
• Monism: … Monism is pantheism looked at from the viewpoint of being.
• Emanationism: (Emanation) … As a form of pantheism, emanationism was condemned by the Second Vatican Council, since God, who is absolutely simple and unchangeable, cannot pour out of his being.
• Dualism: Any view of reality that holds there are two fundamentally and irreducibly different types of being or operations. Thus God and the world, spirit and matter, intellect and will, truth and error, virtue and sin are typical expressions of dualism.
• Deism: The theory that accepts the existence of God on purely rational grounds but denies … or rejects … Christianity as a supernatural religion. … Yet deism differs from rationalism in stressing its acceptance of a personal God and adherence to what is called natural religion, but with no recognition of a supernatural order.
• Materialism: The theory that all reality is only matter, or a function of matter, or ultimately derived from matter. There is no real distinction between matter and spirit; even man’s soul is essentially material and not uniquely created by God. …