Perhaps my understanding of the term “antitheism” is incorrect. Though I checked Wikipedia before making my comment. Wikipedia’s first paragraph says:
Antitheism […] is the philosophical position that theism should be opposed. The term has had a range of applications. In secular contexts, it typically refers to direct opposition to the belief in any deity.
Given the latter definition, I think I used it appropriately. Though it’s apparently a spectrum, similar to atheism/agnosticism.
I stand by my assertion that the term “atheist” doesn’t need the “agnostic” qualifier to specify that a given person isn’t asserting that there is no god. In my experience, people incorrectly assume all atheists are de-facto antitheists and believe, actively, that there is no god, which just isn’t the case. But the additional clarification by adding “agnostic” is certainly helpful in terms of clarity; I can’t argue against that.
The qualifier isn’t terribly necessary most of the time. Most people don’t draw a distinction between ag/nosticism because it’s pretty personal generally. I consider myself agnostic given that I cannot know for sure, but ultimately, people that logic themselves into atheism (and thus are gnostic atheists) are no less valid.
That said, antitheism is distinct from the other terms and I contest the generalization that people assume atheists are antitheists, but that’s gonna vary a lot by how religious a region is (the more hardcore a person is, the more they see atheism as being an attack on them). It’s a bit of a bad subsetting issue. All antitheists (excluding the rare individual that believes in one or more gods and believes they should be broght down like an anime or a progression fantasy novel) are atheists, but not all atheists are antitheists.
I contest the generalization that people assume atheists are antitheists, but that’s gonna vary a lot by how religious a region is
I live in the southern USA; can’t drive 5 minutes without seeing a church or two. I have on several occasions met individuals who, upon learning I was an atheist, either assumed I believed there was no god, or that I actively worshipped satan, lol. Most people around here are pretty religious so my experience is definitely skewed by that factor.
Perhaps my understanding of the term “antitheism” is incorrect. Though I checked Wikipedia before making my comment. Wikipedia’s first paragraph says:
Given the latter definition, I think I used it appropriately. Though it’s apparently a spectrum, similar to atheism/agnosticism.
I stand by my assertion that the term “atheist” doesn’t need the “agnostic” qualifier to specify that a given person isn’t asserting that there is no god. In my experience, people incorrectly assume all atheists are de-facto antitheists and believe, actively, that there is no god, which just isn’t the case. But the additional clarification by adding “agnostic” is certainly helpful in terms of clarity; I can’t argue against that.
The qualifier isn’t terribly necessary most of the time. Most people don’t draw a distinction between ag/nosticism because it’s pretty personal generally. I consider myself agnostic given that I cannot know for sure, but ultimately, people that logic themselves into atheism (and thus are gnostic atheists) are no less valid.
That said, antitheism is distinct from the other terms and I contest the generalization that people assume atheists are antitheists, but that’s gonna vary a lot by how religious a region is (the more hardcore a person is, the more they see atheism as being an attack on them). It’s a bit of a bad subsetting issue. All antitheists (excluding the rare individual that believes in one or more gods and believes they should be broght down like an anime or a progression fantasy novel) are atheists, but not all atheists are antitheists.
I live in the southern USA; can’t drive 5 minutes without seeing a church or two. I have on several occasions met individuals who, upon learning I was an atheist, either assumed I believed there was no god, or that I actively worshipped satan, lol. Most people around here are pretty religious so my experience is definitely skewed by that factor.
Fair. I’m in the midwest and we have our crazy, but nothing like that. I’ve found that, outside the nutters, it’s more live and let live.