Wednesday, June 07, 2006

The Different Atheists

It seems that there are a few types of atheists in the world. I am personally not well-versed in the canon of atheism, but I have come by a few of these "types" in my lifetime thus far. If you are an atheist and I am mispresenting this classification, or am making the mistake altogther that there IS a classification, please do not hesitate to comment.

One type of atheist is agnostic about his atheism; he might also be categorized as an agnostic, but it would be more accurate to say that he simply doesn't care to believe or finds the notion of belief impossible to conceptualize. The difference between he and an agnostic is that the latter most likely believes in something but believes that he might (or might not) possess the capabilities in experiencing or understanding belief or faith; the agnostic atheist doesn't believe in the Divine or in G-d but doesn't really believe that he has the capability to show that G-d doesn't exist, so like a blind believer, he blindly disbelieves. It seems that disbelief is a common occurence for the agnostic atheist; not only does he not believe in G-d, but he does not believe that he has the ability to show that G-d does not exist. He has exemplary faith, in nothing.

There is another type of atheist whom believes strongly in his ability to show that G-d does not exist. He is not agnostic in any sense of the word; he is sure that G-d does not exist. He is the strong willed atheist and usually they are very intelligent people, and it seems that much of the time, like the agnostic atheist, have genuine good and moral designs for the world. Much of the time it seems that simple and childlike dreams of peace reign in their minds and have a thoroughly difficult time in seeing how religion, or the belief in G-d at all, could bear any positive effects on the world and humanity.

Right now I am reading the book "Contact," written by Carl Sagan, a scientifically brilliant astronomer and Pulitzer Prize winner. The book was made into a movie by the same name, and he is the "Carl" referred to in the opening shot of the sky, which reads, "For Carl."

"I've always thought an agnostic is an atheist without the courage of his convictions," Sagan has Palmer Joss, a reverend, say.

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