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Every person's phylosopy and world view is based on one of the two positions.  Without exception.  For anyone to say they are not BELIEVERS is intellctually dishonest.

This misconception is a primary reason that many non-theists avoid identifying with terms like "atheist", which is confused when it is defined alternately (and incompatibly) as "no belief in a god" or "a belief that there is no god".  Substituting terms like "agnostic" seems to just prolong the agony of the ensuing debate: "oh, well if you don't know if there's a God, let me convince you that there is!"  Many of us instead use terms like "humanist" or "apatheist", which could be defined as "I find more important uses for my time/resources than betting on the existence of a god, or ruminating over whether there's a god or not".  (By some definitions of God, this "lack of fear" could only come from believe God does not exist, but by others, it could embody the very essence of using the "gifts God gave us".  We don't really don't care how believers might explain our motives, actions, or beliefs.)

Really, you do NOT have to pretend you know the answer to the god question to have a very workable, positive, productive philosophy based on the very concrete things around us, one which does NOT rely on having faith that there are hidden and unknowable forces which may help or harm us, either by some big guy's whimsy or as the result of being "naughty or nice".  Regarding a rough economy or any other hardship, it shouldn't be too amazing that being able to sense our environment clearly and react to it rationally might be the very good way to get through, with as much confidence as is warranted by the situation.

  -Dave

posted 3 years, 5 months ago
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