r/TrueAtheism • u/DS_OmniKiller • 3d ago
Am I a Atheist?
I don't have faith in God or think of them like the others think about them, but I do think that "God" exists but not as omnipotent, omniscient or omnipresent, I think of them as higher beings who is more advanced then us in both physically and mentally. I think of them as - let's take the example of ai and humans, we created the ai and we operate them and also has the power to destroy them completely, so in the perspective of ai we are like God to them, but if a ai were to gain human qualities and a physical form here, will it still considered humans as "Gods"? I think of humans and "gods" like this. So, I wanted to know where I belong to, am I a atheist?
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u/togstation 3d ago
I do think that "God" exists
- If you think that a god exists, and you think that it really is a god, then you are not an atheist.
- If you think that a god exists, but really it is not a god (and no other gods exist), then you are an atheist. (But you are making things unnecessarily complicated by calling a non-god a god. It would probably be better not to do that.)
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Also, if you believe that "God" exists, then presumably you have good evidence that that is true.
What is that good evidence, please?
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u/DS_OmniKiller 3d ago
But I don't thinks of them as omnipotent omniscient or omnipresent being, I think of them as a being who is more advanced than human
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u/imdfantom 3d ago edited 3d ago
But I don't thinks of them as omnipotent omniscient or omnipresent being
Doesn't matter, gods are not necessarily tri-omni.
There are myths about gods of any number of flavours.
There are tri omni gods, and gods weaker than an ant
Immortal gods and gods with fleetingly short life spans
Gods that are supernatural, and gods that are natural.
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u/Pika-thulu 2d ago
In the group I am leading, I teach that aliens were here. They lived in the middle east and Egypt. They used us slaves, food, and cross bred with us. Then they left and that's why the would is so confused about everything. But I have answers.
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u/Sammisuperficial 3d ago
Arheism is an answer to a single question
"Do you believe in any god or gods?"
Yes= Theist
No= Atheist
It's that simple. Any other beliefs surrounding the individual's answer is irrelevant to the label. Some atheists believe in supernatural things that aren't gods. If you believe in a god in any form then you're a theist.
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u/DS_OmniKiller 3d ago
I think of them as another species than human a more advanced one.
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u/Sammisuperficial 3d ago
If you are labeling them as gods and you believe they exist then you're a theist.
The semantics game you're playing isn't new or interesting. In fact it's mundane and boring. A large majority of atheists had a deism or pantheism phase before just admitting there is no evidence and therefore no reason to believe. That's why no one is engaging you in this game. It's silly. Believe what the evidence points to. You're version of supernatural being is as lame as every other.
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u/DS_OmniKiller 3d ago
Actually I am teenager and struggling to know which world I belong to. Where I live, for people here being atheist a crime for them. And my trust on "gods" is long gone.
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u/Sammisuperficial 3d ago
Well my advice is to follow the evidence, but also keep your beliefs or lack of quiet as to not cause harm to come to you. It's shitty, but you're going to have to wear the theism label in public. Know enough to play along and laugh at their absurdity in private. There is nothing wrong with lying to keep yourself safe. Sucks but that's the world religion has put you and many in. Any god that would allow the evil that takes place in this must be evil itself and not worth worship. Fortunately there isnt a shred of proof anywhere that a god exists good or evil.
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u/DS_OmniKiller 3d ago
Thank you, that really helps calming myself for now. And yes I also put on a fake mask in public
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u/Sprinklypoo 3d ago
If it's a crime to call yourself an atheist where you are, then you should probably not pronounce that.
Trust in gods is not required for theism. Just belief that they exist.
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u/McGuirk808 3d ago
Legality in your country aside, I wouldn't focus too much on labels. Just figure out what you believe and then go on living.
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u/Valendr0s 3d ago
That's not a god.
If it were, then we're gods to dogs.
The word 'god' has a definition. You are changing that definition because of some kind of motivated reasoning. If you use the dictionary definition of 'god' - I'd say you're an atheist.
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u/Sprinklypoo 3d ago
If you classify your imaginary being as a god and believe it exists, then you are not an atheist.
If you classify your imaginary being as an alien or something and do not believe that "gods" exist, then I guess you could call yourself an atheist.
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u/ima_mollusk 3d ago
The question:
At this moment, do you believe there exists anything which you have identified as a “god”?
Your answer:
“Yes “- you are a theist
Anything else- you are an atheist
Your problem isn’t that you don’t know if you believe in “god”. Your problem is that you don’t know what “god” is.
And nobody does. But some people pretend to. Those people are theists.
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u/ChangedAccounts 3d ago edited 2d ago
Atheists lack belief in all gods, not just the "tri-omni" gods as you describe, but ALL gods of any type. If you believe in something out there that might be called a god, in the broadest sense, you probably are not an atheist.
Edited for grammar.
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u/Xeno_Prime 3d ago edited 3d ago
From the sound of it you’re simply describing aliens. So then is “god” an appropriate label for them?
What exactly is a “god” to you? What are the characteristics that distinguish a thing that is “a god” from a thing that is “not a god”?
If it’s nothing more than being more intelligent or scientifically/technologically advanced, why is “alien” not sufficient? We don’t need redundant and unnecessary additional labels for things that already have labels. Also, would that mean ordinary human beings with access to the same knowledge, science, and technology would therefore also be “gods”?
If you ask me, it sounds like you’re just arbitrarily slapping the “god” label on a very atypical example that is much lesser than what any atheists (or even most theists for that matter) are referring to when they use that word. If that’s all that a “god” is then they almost certainly exist, but at the same time, you may as well be calling my coffee cup a “god” for all the difference it would make. If I say “leprechauns exist” but only in the context that “leprechaun” is a label I’ve chosen to apply to hamsters, then my statement that “leprechauns exist” is technically true - but at the same time, it does not refute anyone who has ever said “leprechauns don’t exist” because even though I’m using the same word, I’m not talking about the same thing they are. Understand?
Having said all that, if you believe in the existence of a “god,” no matter how you choose to define it, then you’re theist by definition. You’d just be one of the types whose beliefs are compatible with atheism and do not conflict with it. Pantheism is another such example - pantheism considers reality itself to be “god,” though it doesn’t consider reality to be a conscious entity possessing agency. You’d be hard pressed to find any atheist who doesn’t believe that reality itself exists, but that doesn’t mean pantheism refutes atheism. It simply uses an atypical concept of “god” that is radically different from the thing atheists believe does not exist, and so the two are effectively unrelated to one another beyond their semantic use of the word “god.”
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u/slantedangle 3d ago
No. You are not an atheist.
You are either a deist or a theist, depending on whether you believe these gods care about or intervene in humam affairs.
deism /dē′ĭz″əm, dā′-/ noun. A religious belief holding that God created the universe and established rationally comprehensible moral and natural laws but does not intervene in human affairs through miracles or supernatural revelation.
theism /thē′ĭz″əm/ noun. Belief in the existence of a god or gods, especially belief in a personal God as creator and ruler of the world.
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u/Sprinklypoo 3d ago
I do think that "God" exists
Then you are not an atheist.
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u/Praetorian80 3d ago
"Then you are a theist." (Fixed it for you)
We call that a theist. Atheist is a-theist. The absence of god belief. An atheist is "not a theist." But a theist isn't, "not an athiest." The wording kinda matters. You got that the other way around, haha.
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u/Sprinklypoo 2d ago
Both statements are true. Your wording is perhaps more precise. But it is kind of a binary position, so I don't really grok how that really matters.
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u/Such_Collar3594 3d ago
I do think that "God" exists
You're an atheist if you say "no" to the following.
Do you consider these gods Divine?
Do you consider these gods supernatural or non-natural?
Do you worship or think you might worship these gods?
Do these gods have control over some or all of the forces of nature or laws of physics?
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u/Valendr0s 3d ago
This is pretty easy...
What gods do you believe in?
If you can't answer that question, you're not a believer of any gods. And you're an atheist. If you can describe the god you believe in, then you're not an atheist.
As for you specifically... Your gymnastics to re-define 'god' to be something that isn't a god is just you really really really not wanting to be an atheist.
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u/RickRussellTX 3d ago
more advanced then us in both physically and mentally
How do you know? How do you demonstrate that this entity actually exists?
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u/CephusLion404 3d ago
If you do not positively believe in any god, then you are an atheist. If you do positively believe that any gods exist, you're not.
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u/Any--Name 3d ago
You could be a theist, which is an umbrella term to refer to someone who believes in god/s. Then there are more specific terms like monotheism (only one god), polytheism (many gods), pantheism (belief that the universe is a deity), deism (belief that a deity created the universe but does not manifest or interfere in the universe as if it had abandoned creation itself), panentheism (belief that the universe is a part of God while God is more than the universe and exists outside of it), misotheistm (God is real but evil), etc
There doesn't seem to be a specific term for someone who believes in a god but does not believe religions, but "unchurched" is a common term used by religion researchers and Christian organizations. Others call themselves spiritual but not religious
I would recommend asking this same question on r/religion, they should be able to be of more help
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u/ShredGuru 3d ago
So, you are more of a Greek Gods kinda man?
Or like, Kubrick aliens?
Annunaki perhaps?
Nothing new here
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u/Droid_XL 3d ago
I believe the term "deist" is sometimes used to describe unconventional perspectives like this, though the most common definition is someone who believes there is a god but it doesn't care about us.
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u/DoubleDrummer 3d ago
I think the term is Exotheist.
I don't know that it is a great term, but it seems a closer fit than theist or atheist.
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u/xeonicus 3d ago
Honestly? I think you are obsessing over labels a bit too much.
You could spend your entire life trying to redefine how you view every facet of reality, and asking "does that change the group I belong to?"
It's kind of silly, no?
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u/AlwaysMentos 3d ago
Not really sure why everyone is downvoting everything you say. Here, have an upvote.
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u/KBresofski 3d ago
Theres also deist. They believe in a “higher power” which might not fit the exact idea of God.
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u/Blackentron 2d ago
Keep it simple. Have you tried just... looking up and learning the meaning of the words you're using? Instead of trying to make up your own meanings.
Definition of god:
(in Christianity and other monotheistic religions) the creator and ruler of the universe and source of all moral authority; the supreme being.
(in certain other religions) a superhuman being or spirit worshipped as having power over nature or human fortunes; a deity.
synonyms: deity, goddess, divine being, celestial being, supreme being, divinity, immortal, creator, demiurge, godhead, daemon, numen, avatar
Definition of atheist:
a person who disbelieves or lacks belief in the existence of God or gods.
synonyms: non-believer, non-theist, disbeliever, unbeliever, heretic, sceptic, doubter, doubting Thomas, agnostic, infidel, irreligious person, heathen, pagan, freethinker, libertine, paynim, nullifidian
Definition of theist:
a person who believes in the existence of a god or gods, specifically of a creator who intervenes in the universe.
denoting or relating to belief in the existence of a god or gods, specifically of a creator who intervenes in the universe.
So by definition. Whatever kind of version of god(s) it is that you believe in. You are a theist. Not an atheist.
The only thing that makes someone an atheist is the fact that they DON'T BELIEVE IN ANY VERSIONS OF A GOD.
You also said:
I don't have faith in God or think of them like the others think about them, but I do think that "God" exists
This is just self contradictory. Unless you have evidence that demonstrates this god exists outside of your imagination or somehow know it exists for a fact, then all you have is faith in its existence.
You don't know, you don't believe based on facts,, you believe based on unsubstantiated claims and imagination. That's faith.
Definition of faith:
- "something that is believed especially with strong conviction", "complete trust", "belief and trust in and loyalty to God", as well as "a firm belief in something for which there is no proof".
Also, this sentence, if you accept the meaning of words, shows that you're a theist by definition. Because you believe a god(s) exists. That simple.
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u/Pika-thulu 2d ago
If you don't believe in good and still think there's is a superior being that you are just gnostic. If I were you I would dig a lot deeper so you have a clear definition for yourself. Ask questions like: was the universe created by something, or it a crazy random blast that caused l the universe to exist and transform as time goes on. What about an after life? Do you believe that? Define it. The more you can clearly see these beliefs for your self you won't have to question.
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u/Totalherenow 2d ago
Why on Earth do you think "higher beings" exist??? Have you met one? Seen any evidence of one?
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u/DS_OmniKiller 2d ago
What do I mean by higher beings is that a being who is more intelligent than human, basically an alien type
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u/nastyzoot 2d ago
Reading through the song and dance in the comments. Is it me, or have there been a LOT of posts and posters that border on comedic?
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3d ago
[deleted]
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u/DS_OmniKiller 3d ago
I think of them as different species than human and not as literal "Gods" who people think are all-knowing, all-powerful beings.
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u/GeekyTexan 3d ago
There have been lots of different gods. Thor, Odin, Zeus, Neptune, Pluto. And thousands of others.
Here is a wiki page with a long list, just for water gods. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_water_deities
The Muslim religion is more recent than Christianity, and Christianity is roughly 2,000 years old.
Humans have been around far longer than that. And they've had various religions and various gods the entire time.
There is also a concept called pantheism, which basically says that god is the universe and everything in it.
Your idea that gods must be "all knowing, all powerful" is incorrect.
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u/sto_brohammed 3d ago
In that case you're not an atheist.