Originally Posted by
T. A. Gardner
In the most concise manner, there are four positions you can have on religion. You can be a"
Theist. You believe there is something greater than yourself in the universe-- a God or Gods, or something equivalent to that. You have no absolute proof but point to evidence that you see makes it believable.
Agnostic. You're not sure whether there is a god, gods, or not. You're on the fence and need more convincing.
Secular: You're position on religion is Don't know, don't care. For you the existence or nonexistence of some higher deity or being is irrelevant.
Then there's Atheist: This is the reverse of theist. You believe there is nothing greater than you in the universe. God (little g) doesn't exist. You know that with equal religious fervor to the position of a theist and offer evidence you are correct.
The problem with Atheism is the same one with much of science. It doesn't leave room to be wrong or accept that there might be alternatives. For the Atheist there can't be anything more to the universe than what is observable. This makes Atheism the position of denial and kind of crazy. It argues that billions upon billions of humans over countless societies and millennia all got theism wrong. But, since you can't prove a negative, being unable to accept there could be something greater than yourself leaves you painted into a corner.
The other three positions are rational. Atheism is irrational.
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