Hello! I just joined and wanted to say ‘hey’. 
My title says it all, I’m confused as to what I should label myself. I was fortunate enough to be raised in a free thought environment where I was allowed explore and ask questions. This led me to Buddhism, and while Buddhists don’t really believe in a god per se, I kind of did. In the last few years I have slowly been moving away from belief in anything supernatural. So I guess if I had to label myself, I would have to say agnostic, maybe? But leaning more towards atheist…
Anyhoo, I enjoy reading about humanism, atheism and the like and since I don’t have anyone to talk with, I would love to discuss here with some like minded folks.
Howdy Venatrix. Welcome.
Welcome.
Don’t get hung up on labels.
Welcome Venatrix,
Looking forward to your participation. I believe we have several members who adhere to Eastern philosophies.
Welcome Venatrix. this forum is a good place for inquisitive skeptics or even proto-skeptics. Do you consider yourself a humanist as well?
Cap’t Jack
Hello Venatrix! … And welcome!
Like Darron said, don’t get hung up on labels. Definitions are helpful but very limiting at times.
I’m a socialist libertarian agnostic mystical daoist humanist 
lacking thought of other labels right now and peeling them off or putting them on as the day goes by. That’s what thinking does, at least to me. No labels, just human.
Buddhism is an interesting religion. Atheistic, in a sense, as I understand it. Reminds me of Hermann Hesse’s book “Siddhartha”. Need to look at that again today. Thanks for bringing that up!
Looking forward to you input.
Peace.
I’m very attracted to some Buddhist ideas myself, mainly to always be mindful of what’s going on in and around you, and not worry about what happens after you die. I like that.
Hello! I just joined and wanted to say 'hey'. :cheese: My title says it all, I'm confused as to what I should label myself. I was fortunate enough to be raised in a free thought environment where I was allowed explore and ask questions. This led me to Buddhism, and while Buddhists don't really believe in a god per se, I kind of did. In the last few years I have slowly been moving away from belief in anything supernatural. So I guess if I had to label myself, I would have to say agnostic, maybe? But leaning more towards atheist... Anyhoo, I enjoy reading about humanism, atheism and the like and since I don't have anyone to talk with, I would love to discuss here with some like minded folks.Venatrix, if you cannot say you have a positive belief that a god exists you are an atheist. It has nothing to do with being confused or not being sure. No positive god belief=atheist. Agnostic is a weasel word. There can be agnostic theists as well as agnostic atheists. Nobody can prove that a god (or many) exists and nobody can prove that one (or many) does not exist. You are either a god believer or you are an atheist. There is no middle ground. Being uncomfortable with the word atheist does not mean you are not one. Being confused about whether a god can exist does not mean you are not an atheist. It's up to you to decide whether you have a positive belief in a god or not. Your belief or lack of belief has no bearing on whether a god exists. Lois
Hello! I just joined and wanted to say 'hey'. :cheese: My title says it all, I'm confused as to what I should label myself. I was fortunate enough to be raised in a free thought environment where I was allowed explore and ask questions. This led me to Buddhism, and while Buddhists don't really believe in a god per se, I kind of did. In the last few years I have slowly been moving away from belief in anything supernatural. So I guess if I had to label myself, I would have to say agnostic, maybe? But leaning more towards atheist... Anyhoo, I enjoy reading about humanism, atheism and the like and since I don't have anyone to talk with, I would love to discuss here with some like minded folks.Venatrix, if you cannot say you have a positive belief that a god exists you are an atheist. It has nothing to do with being confused or not being sure. No positive god belief=atheist. Agnostic is a weasel word. There can be agnostic theists as well as agnostic atheists. Nobody can prove that a god (or many) exists and nobody can prove that one (or many) does not exist. You are either a god believer or you are an atheist. There is no middle ground. Being uncomfortable with the word atheist does not mean you are not one. Being confused about whether a god can exist does not mean you are not an atheist. It's up to you to decide whether you have a positive belief in a god or not. Your belief or lack of belief has no bearing on whether a god exists. Lois Hey Lois... you make me laugh. Agnostic is a "weasel word". :) That's hilarious! I love it! ... I said I'm an agnostic to a buddy once, and he called me a "pussy atheist". ... Honestly, I don't think it's a weasel word. I think it's more realistic than either theism or atheism. To be skeptical is not a principle, it's a mind in motion. - True, the question of God, considered plainly, is rather way out there. Any metaphysical speculations, at least to me, are plain silly. Nonetheless, there is "something", which I call "mystical", and although it has been mis-defined as "God" forever, I'm still trying to make sense of it. (Maybe it's just a short circuit in our electrical wiring up there in that thing called brain, but that "something" does exist, whatever you call it.) - Oh my, shit. Did I just make myself a "believer"? Hey, whatever, and no. - It's a human thing to want your mother around, your "protector", (how we got to patriarchy is still a mystery to me), so being all alone in the woods, or a war zone, or at the brink of death, or so fucked and shivering you have no clue whether you're dreaming or in reality... it's not that hard to return to the idea of God. Someone, at last, who loves you, despite all the shit. Whether God is real as in "scientific reality" or not makes no difference. I call that whatever GOD, never God. What it is, or if it's real, I have no idea. Maybe I'm just deluded... but that's a fact anyway. - I don't think lines can be drawn that clearly, not yet. (At least not in my mind anyway. You might be ahead of me there.) Love you. Peace, my sister.
Hi Venetrix. As you can see from just your initial post, members here certainly like to discuss these areas so you should get input to help you think about the ideas. (But not necessarily help clear anything up.) As you can probably tell, some here are uncertain, then there are others, like Lois, who is VERY certain. :lol:
While I go along with calling myself an atheist to simplify discussions, I’m not really that. Rather, I’m a nontheist.
Now comes the problem. Many of the members here are excellent thinkers, but nitpickers about word definitions. I see the difference as:
Atheist = declaring the non-existence of any god.
Strong atheist = anti-theist.
Nontheist = The whole concept is a waste of time not even worth thinking about because it has no effect on my behavior. (That’s not to say I don’t discuss the existence or non-existence of a god, but that’s just for the fun of argument.)
Anyway, welcome Ve. Stick around. There’s a chance you can clarify your ideas.
Occam
Now comes the problem. Many of the members here are excellent thinkers, but nitpickers about word definitions. I see the difference as: Atheist = declaring the non-existence of any god. Strong atheist = anti-theist. Nontheist = The whole concept is a waste of time not even worth thinking about because it has no effect on my behavior. (That’s not to say I don’t discuss the existence or non-existence of a god, but that’s just for the fun of argument.)Well, if we have to label ourselves for the benefit of the newbies then I'm a strong non-theist atheist, secular humanist, optimist, skeptic with cynical tendencies who likes the style of Lenny Bruce and H.L. Mencken. Cap't Jack
Well, if we have to label ourselves for the benefit of the newbies then I'm a strong non-theist atheist, secular humanist, optimist, skeptic with cynical tendencies who likes the style of Lenny Bruce and H.L. Mencken. Cap't Jack+1
My favorite Lenny quote:
“If Jesus had been killed twenty years ago, Catholic schoolchildren would be wearing little electric chairs around their necks instead of crosses”. :lol:
Cap’t Jack
Good one. If Jesus had been executed in the Dark Ages they’d wear little axes (or guillotines), in the 19th Century hangman nooses, and in the late 20th Century needles for the injections. Now that I think about it the cross is the most gruesome of all.
Welcome Venatrix. this forum is a good place for inquisitive skeptics or even proto-skeptics. Do you consider yourself a humanist as well? Cap't JackFrom what I have read, I would say yes! :-)
My favorite Lenny quote: "If Jesus had been killed twenty years ago, Catholic schoolchildren would be wearing little electric chairs around their necks instead of crosses". :lol: Cap't JackThat's hilarious! I always thought that was so morbid. Why would you celebrate human sacrifice as something compassionate?
My favorite Lenny quote: "If Jesus had been killed twenty years ago, Catholic schoolchildren would be wearing little electric chairs around their necks instead of crosses". :lol: Cap't JackThat's hilarious! I always thought that was so morbid. Why would you celebrate human sacrifice as something compassionate? 'Cause you ain't the one on the cross.
I always thought that was so morbid. Why would you celebrate human sacrifice as something compassionate?It's an analogy of the Old Testament "scapegoat" idea. And no, it wasn't originally meant to be compassionate. Just ask the thousands of rebellious slaves of the Spartican Revolt who were crucified along the Appian Way. it was meant as a capital punishment for crimes against the State. Cap't Jack
Hello! I just joined and wanted to say 'hey'. :cheese: My title says it all, I'm confused as to what I should label myself. I was fortunate enough to be raised in a free thought environment where I was allowed explore and ask questions. This led me to Buddhism, and while Buddhists don't really believe in a god per se, I kind of did. In the last few years I have slowly been moving away from belief in anything supernatural. So I guess if I had to label myself, I would have to say agnostic, maybe? But leaning more towards atheist... Anyhoo, I enjoy reading about humanism, atheism and the like and since I don't have anyone to talk with, I would love to discuss here with some like minded folks.Venatrix, if you cannot say you have a positive belief that a god exists you are an atheist. It has nothing to do with being confused or not being sure. No positive god belief=atheist. Agnostic is a weasel word. There can be agnostic theists as well as agnostic atheists. Nobody can prove that a god (or many) exists and nobody can prove that one (or many) does not exist. You are either a god believer or you are an atheist. There is no middle ground. Being uncomfortable with the word atheist does not mean you are not one. Being confused about whether a god can exist does not mean you are not an atheist. It's up to you to decide whether you have a positive belief in a god or not. Your belief or lack of belief has no bearing on whether a god exists. Lois Hey Lois... you make me laugh. Agnostic is a "weasel word". :) That's hilarious! I love it! ... I said I'm an agnostic to a buddy once, and he called me a "pussy atheist". ... Honestly, I don't think it's a weasel word. I think it's more realistic than either theism or atheism. To be skeptical is not a principle, it's a mind in motion. - True, the question of God, considered plainly, is rather way out there. Any metaphysical speculations, at least to me, are plain silly. Nonetheless, there is "something", which I call "mystical", and although it has been mis-defined as "God" forever, I'm still trying to make sense of it. (Maybe it's just a short circuit in our electrical wiring up there in that thing called brain, but that "something" does exist, whatever you call it.) - Oh my, shit. Did I just make myself a "believer"? Hey, whatever, and no. - It's a human thing to want your mother around, your "protector", (how we got to patriarchy is still a mystery to me), so being all alone in the woods, or a war zone, or at the brink of death, or so fucked and shivering you have no clue whether you're dreaming or in reality... it's not that hard to return to the idea of God. Someone, at last, who loves you, despite all the shit. Whether God is real as in "scientific reality" or not makes no difference. I call that whatever GOD, never God. What it is, or if it's real, I have no idea. Maybe I'm just deluded... but that's a fact anyway. - I don't think lines can be drawn that clearly, not yet. (At least not in my mind anyway. You might be ahead of me there.) Love you. Peace, my sister. Atheism is a position on belief. Agnosticism is a position on knowledge. Never the twain shall meet. Agnosticism is not a third choice between atheism and theism. Agnosticism is like claiming you are a little bit pregnant. You either are or you are not. Peace to you, my sister.
Atheism is a position on belief. Agnosticism is a position on knowledge. Never the twain shall meet. Agnosticism is not a third choice between atheism and theism. Agnosticism is like claiming you are a little bit pregnant. You either are or you are not.Agnosticism was simply Huxley's fall back position that, based on what was known at the time (1869) no one can say with certainty that there is no god, hence the term agnostic. That was a century and a half ago when scientists and philosophers were wrestling with the concept using all the accumulated knowledge the Victorians could draw on including Darwin's just published findings. It's getting more difficult today to use that term simply because we know more about the origins of religious belief via neuroscience, historical research, and anthropological studies of extant primative societies. As a result, the term "agnostic" is a bit anachronistic today. Cap't Jack