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July 15th, 2013
02:50 PM ET
Behold, the six types of atheistsBy Dan Merica, CNN (CNN) - How many ways are there to disbelieve in God? At least six, according to a new study. Two researchers at University of Tennessee at Chattanooga found that atheists and agnostics run the range from vocally anti-religious activists to nonbelievers who still observe some religious traditions. “The main observation is that nonbelief is an ontologically diverse community,” write doctoral student Christopher Silver and undergraduate student Thomas Coleman. “These categories are a first stab at this," Silver told the website Raw Story. "In 30 years, we may be looking at a typology of 32 types.” Silver and Coleman derived their six types of nonbelievers from 59 interviews. We're pretty sure we've spotted all six in our comments section. 1) Intellectual atheist/agnostic This type of nonbeliever seeks information and intellectual stimulation about atheism. They like debating and arguing, particularly on popular Internet sites. (Ahem.) They're also well-versed in books and articles about religion and atheism, and prone to citing those works frequently. 2) Activist These kinds of atheists and agnostics are not content with just disbelieving in God; they want to tell others why they reject religion and why society would be better off if we all did likewise. They tend to be vocal about political causes like gay rights, feminism, the environment and the care of animals. 3) Seeker-agnostic This group is made up of people who are unsure about the existence of a God but keep an open mind and recognize the limits of human knowledge and experience. Silver and Coleman describe this group as people who regularly question their own beliefs and “do not hold a firm ideological position.” That doesn't mean this group is confused, the researchers say. They just embrace uncertainty. 4) Anti-theist This group regularly speaks out against religion and religious beliefs, usually by positioning themselves as “diametrically opposed to religious ideology,” Silver and Coleman wrote. “Anti-theists view religion as ignorance and see any individual or institution associated with it as backward and socially detrimental,” the researchers wrote. “The Anti-Theist has a clear and – in their view, superior – understanding of the limitations and danger of religions.” Anti-theists are outspoken, devoted and – at times – confrontational about their disbelief. They believe that "obvious fallacies in religion and belief should be aggressively addressed in some form or another.” 5) Non-theist The smallest group among the six are the non-theists, people who do not involve themselves with either religion or anti-religion. In many cases, this comes across as apathy or disinterest. “A Non-Theist simply does not concern him or herself with religion,” Silver and Coleman wrote. “Religion plays no role or issue in one’s consciousness or worldview; nor does a Non- Theist have concern for the atheist or agnostic movement.” They continue: “They simply do not believe, and in the same right, their absence of faith means the absence of anything religion in any form from their mental space.” 6) Ritual atheist They don't believe in God, they don’t associate with religion, and they tend to believe there is no afterlife, but the sixth type of nonbeliever still finds useful the teachings of some religious traditions. “They see these as more or less philosophical teachings of how to live life and achieve happiness than a path to transcendental liberation,” Silver and Coleman wrote. “For example, these individuals may participate in specific rituals, ceremonies, musical opportunities, meditation, yoga classes, or holiday traditions.” For many of these nonbelievers, their adherence to ritual may stem from family traditions. For others, its a personal connection to, or respect for, the "profound symbolism" inherent within religious rituals, beliefs and ceremonies, according the researchers. - The authors of this study have graciously agreed to field questions from our commenters. If you're interested, please post your question below or tweet it to us at @CNNBelief. We'll take the best questions to the authors and the Q&A will be posted in a follow-up article. Please try to keep your questions related to the study itself. Thanks, soundoff (9,518 Responses)« Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 Next »
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The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.  |
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we should watch what we say...
The sights of sounds...
This statement was meant for someone who used f words...
It's too late! They're hellbound!! God gets so mad about words.
most unlearned fishermen authors i no write fiction and die defending themselves, pretending it was non-fiction. kinda the trend among the avant guarde since profits dropped out of publishing.
did u hear what happened to the chick who wrote harry's not a potter, no way, hosea! messy (u don't wanna no)
The profit is in being an established religion: tithing and a symbiotic relationship with monarchy do wonders for your net wealth.
Did J.K. Rowling ever posit that Harry Potter was anything other than a fictional character? No? What, then, is your point?
It takes a certain amount of courage that I don't have to be an atheist. I know there is no evidence for God. But believe me if I were to have a heart murmur or something I'd feel compelled to pray. And I don't know why it's not as though I'd feel compelled to burn a candle in the name of Zeus. I'm not really sure why. I can't say I'm religious but I can understand the compulsion.
Were you brought up with religion? Did friends influence you?
That was refreshingly honest.
Are you suggesting that people with stronger atheist positions are not being honest?
That wasn't my initial intent, but by way of inference I guess, yes. I don't necessarily believe this is always a conscious dishonesty however.
I will assume you think the same kind of unconscious dishonesty occurs in believers.
I would imagine in some, yes.
"...it's not as though I'd feel compelled to burn a candle in the name of Zeus."
If you lived in Rome 2000 years ago, you'd probably feel otherwise, or Ireland, or Norway, or Ja.pan, etc.
Why not burn a candle in the name of Zeus – there's as much evidence for Zeus as there is for the christian god. And Pascal's Wager has been discredited so many times.
I'm sure me doing it is culturally based. But to date there remains a human pile of ash in Pompeii frozen in a state of prayer. We don't know what was going through his mind but he assumed the position. He was probably praying to Zeus.
merv
i scan thru all these so called famous people, i did not see other color , only white race has this disease .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRDbPTkdutI
I'm surprised that Morgan Freeman is an atheist, in most movies he plays the part of God
every soul shall taste death, then it will be too late white famous people
"taste death"??? Really? What is that supposed to mean?
I heard it tastes like limburger cheese.
Here's MY question:
I used to be a born again Christian. I lived the life of faith. I believed that everything in the Bible,was the true word of God. I prayed with a sincere heart and would "be still and know that He was God".
After many years, my "being still" showed me that it all was in vain. There really IS now god. The whole concept of god is incorrect.. Those that profess that the love god and believe in him "have deceived themselves and the truth is not in them". The bible says that you shall judge a tree by its fruits. since the fruits of religion are rotten (wars, murder, judgementalism, bigotry, robbery, lies, racism, ect.), then religion must be rotten. The very nature of the universe around us shows that it was not "created" but evolved.
Once I came to realize these truths, I could not "believe" any longer, just as a child eventually cannot believe in Santa any longer. And once that child doesn't believe, he/she can never go back and believe again. Now for my question:
What category will you make up to fit ME into?
i scan thru all these so called famous people, i did not see other color , only white race has this disease .
Unfortunately, you fall into the category of condemned like all the other atheists.
In your evidence-free opinion.
My evidence is not valid in your way of thinking so why bother.
JDV, What evidence do you have that atheists are condemned? None. Which is why you won't tell. Out of interest – do you include believers in other religions as condemned?
But that raises another question: condemned by who? God?
Well, actually, you have condemned yourself by denying Jesus as Savior/redeemer of your soul and the forgiver of sins who wishes not you be condemned.
I'm sure we atheists would recognize valid evidence if it were presented. None has ever been presented.
Well JDV, as I stated in my OP, I once was where you are. In fact, in times past, I would have answered a post like that in EXACTLY the same way you have. Now, I know better.
Your quick condemnation, and lack of a loving response more than proves my point. It's rather sad that you can't see how "unloving" your reply was. Remember "WWJD"? Well........should he have done that? Smells like rotten fruit to me.
condemned yourself by denying Jesus as Savior
-----
And, if you've never heard of Jesus? Then what? You must not think God is very powerful, if you believe christianity is the only way. It's not available to all, even today there are humans on earth that have never heard of it. If God truly cared that all his equal human creations had access to this message, wouldn't he make it available to all? He is that powerful, he created the universe and all life within.
Well, you see, my answer was not 'unloving', it spoke to you the truth of your current situation and it actually provides a way for you to try and change it by turning to Jesus through repentance. If anything, it was more loving than you will ever have anyone else tell you. And, I only mirrored Jesus' words when he said that anyone who truely loves him finds life, and anyone who does not condemns himself.
Condemned by a non-existent being to a non-existent place of torture? I'll be sure to non-believe, now.
condemned to rational thought in this madhouse of childish religious believers, welcome to adulthood!!!!!
i am a born again atheist
(it is wednesday. i convert every other week or so.)
onst i became a free mason on a friday. never again!
I'm a born again pagan, yeah for being "born again"
You'll be with the group on the left.
Bill Deacon will be in the group of idiots as a core member.
#7, the honest realist.
merv
i scan thru all these so called famous people, i did not see other color , only white race has this disease .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRDbPTkdutI
Morgan Freeman is an atheist? I thought he WAS God?
7, the honest realist.
merv
i scan thru all these so called famous people, i did not see other color , only white race has this disease .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRDbPTkdutI
I applaud you Greg S. There isn't much to say or add, I believe you took the words right out of my mouth.
Thank you mary!
Your response was much more loving and inclusive than JDV. I applaud YOU,
Personally, I find it foolish that so many of us think that God's existence and purpose is too complex for humanity to possibly understand. It isn't hard to argue that as a species, we have grown exponentially smarter throughout our history. Scientists are now capable of capturing antimatter and grow ever closer to proving dark matter's existence as well. Yet we ignore the fact that with alternate forms of matter comes the very real possibility of alternate realms of material existence. What could these realms be? Some kind of alternate dimensions like we see in the movies? Maybe. But why can't these realms be the very same we were told about so many years ago through our various religions? Why can't it be that humanity has grown so much that we are on the verge of proving God's existence, even if we don't yet understand his purpose for us?
You would fall into either the "activist" or "anti-theist" categories, you've already been described.
This was all created by Aliens!!
Its always nice when someone tries to put another person in a box. Wait isn't that what religion does. Stop trying to put people in boxes and the walls between everyone could fall down as well. Don't be afraid the we can all see the unknown together.
I thought that was what undertakers and morticians did.
Why do we need to categorize disbelief at all past Agnostic and Atheist? You believe, you don't believe, or you aren't sure what to believe. I don't think we need more labels in this world.
I agree, these "scientists" have conflated states of belief with behaviors.
I recognize 3 states of belief; 1. Believe in god(s), 2. Believe there is no god, 3) Don't believe either way. Behaviors range from passive to aggressive. Presto, multiple categories.
I agree that they refer to bevahiours, not belief, but I disagree that there are three states of belief vis-a-vis god. There are only two: belief in god (theism) or no belief in god (atheism). If you believe in god then your a theist; everything else is atheism (albeit it might come in different flavours, e.g. negative/positive atheism, etc).
People tend to place agnosticism in between theism and atheism, but that is a mistake. Theism and atheism pertain to your belief status. Agnosticism is an epistemological position; it is about knowledge of god(s) and is the contrary position to gnosticism. Agnosticism is therefore not mutually exclusive with either theism or atheism.
So there really are two distinct questions: (1) do you know if a god exists, and (2) do you believe in a god. For the first question you either claim to know (gnostic) or you don't (agnostic). For the second question you either believe (theist) or you don't (atheist). With this appropriate and correct distinction in mind, you can get agnostic theists (people who do not claim to know if a god exists but believes anyway, on faith), and you can get people like myself, agnostic atheists (those who do not know of any god exists, and therefore do not believe in such a being).
It gives unemployed religion majors something to think about.
My parent's gave me very good advice in life from the time I was able to understand what religion and politics meant.They said don't ever bring up religion or politics into a discussion or get involved with either one of these subjects because it brings out the worst in people,best to avoid it if you can.They plainly said there would be no clear winner's just one side of people angry at the other side of people.Truer words were never spoken
Winners, not winner's.
Quit micro-analyzing. We understand what the message was.
"Dippy sounds like a good name for you".You must be an obsessive compulsive frustrated person that majored in English grammar.Excusssse me for the tiniest oversights.I am sure you have never made a mistake while typing your comments on a blog of all places.SAD REALLY
Angel, using an apostrophe to form a plural is more than just a mistake. It's fundamental lack of knowledge. It negatively impacts the believability of your statement. If you want to be taken seriously, write more intelligently.
Also it's parents, not parent's.
lol
Also, motor oil. Never get into a discussion about motor oil. Things can get out of hand.
That's true. It can be a "slippery slope."
I can tell you the arguments I've had about the benefits of synthetic vs. petroleum based have gotten very heated. 'Tis true.
Categorizing people based upon nonbelief in a nonexistent god is ridiculous. Might as well invent categories for people who don't believe in Santa Claus.
So atheism is about as important as those who don't believe in santa?
Ok, I figured it wasn't.
bill deacon, did u hear that? i gots faith and knowledge simultaneously!
i'm ruined!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You should become a Catholic
i was.
became an indentured servant, then a monk, twice i converted to judaism (didn't like the hats) tried buddhism but they said i drank too much
I consider myself an Atheist, but after reading the 6 categories, I'm not sure which, if any, I belong in. I do not belief in God, heaven, hell, Satan, or basically, anything in the Bible; however, I can't decide as to whether I believe in some other form of afterlife such as reincarnation, spirits, etc. I think that I mostly don't, but I'm not sure. I basically keep my religious (or non-religious) views to myself, but I admit that I do enjoy occasionally bantering on Internet forums with the ultra-religious who feel they must jam their beliefs down everyone's throats. I celebrate religious holidays (i.e. Christmas, Easter), but only from a traditional standpoint, not a religious one. I am not at all offended or upset when I see a public Nativity scene or other religious symbol of Christmas. In fact, I rather enjoy them because to me they represent a traditional Christmas even if I don't believe in the meanings behind them.
So what category do I fall in?
These categories are essentially bunk, there are as many types of atheists as there are atheists.
By your description you are an atheist
All atheism is a a lack of a belief in god(s) that's it....Yes that makes Buddhists atheists, and they still believe in an afterlife. other atheists believe in ghosts, fairies, santa, ridiculous conspiracy theories.....
The
Atheists believe in Santa and fairies? Where are you getting that from?
Agnostic, not atheist.
not mutually exclusive, i am an agnostic atheist "I don't believe god exists, but i can't know for sure"
I'm also an agnostic atheist, but I would describe it as "I don't know if a god exists, and for that reason I do not believe".
it's kind of hard to understand why you celebrate the holidays. since I lost my faith I do it grudgingly just to appease the family. if it were not for that I wouldn't celebrate them at all. I lost my faith after getting sick six years ago but a religious jewish doctor who poisoned me with a combination of pain killers that caused a stroke. wouldn't admit wrong or even offer an apology, so much for being a religious man..
me too.
dr. howard jerome fafoofniyke jr
on 5th ave between broadway and times square
dated his daughter fifi
You fall in the category of people who have been blessed to be born into a liberal democracy built on the foundations of Judeo-Christian morals and Greco-Roman governance fueled by the prosperity of capitalism and the easy credit of fiat monetary systems. You are probably so intoxicated with the distractions of modern life coupled with the pressures of maintaining it that you've forgotten the basic structure that allowed it all to emerge from the slave and serf economies your ancestors struggled against.
A structure maintained for centuries by the collaboration of church and monarchy. Clearly christianity has played a big part in Western society, but that does not mean that christianity directly led to the society we now have or that this society could not have gotten to this point without christianity.
My God Bill (pun intended), you really hit the heart of the matter. This explains politicians and occupy and Wall Street and labor unions and Walmart and even Michelle Obama. Hope you didn't steal this from somewhere since I plan to quote you liberally.
You sound like you are in a similar boat as I am. I would have to say you are most similar to #6. For me, I would consider myself agnostic (still catagory 6). My problem is probably a lot less with faith and probably a lot more to do with the human element of religion. I have a hard time with a pastor that is wearing $1,000 shoes, Brooks Brother suits and driving Bentley's asking parishioners to give 10% of their income to the "cause". On one the other hand I am not offended at all by a Christmas tree or seeing the word "God" on our currency. I don't why if you don't "believe" you feel the need to force the removal of belief from others.
Atheists and agnostics are not exactly mutually exclusive... One can be formally agnostic in that they recognize that we cannot logically prove that God does not exist, and yet identify as an atheist based on the evidence at hand. I do not believe there is a God. In fact I believe there are no gods, ghosts, fairies, etc. I could always be convinced otherwise if there were compelling evidence to the contrary, although I have very little expectation that will ever happen...
Hello Chuck...
It takes intellectual adversarial-isms to promote either Godliness or godlessness in today's riddled ranks of markedly emotionalized and loosely qualified intellectual societies. Your stance upon saying the Gods don't exist is based on...?
Most atheists don't say "God does not exist" they say "I don't believe god exits"
For the most part it can be summed up as "The burden of proof of gods existence has not yet been met, and until it is, we remain in the default position or null hypothesis of non-existence. "
illusive...
The burden of proofs for Gods' (yes plural) existences lays squarely upon our first and foremost in seeking out the kingdom domains of the Godly and not bickering and bantering about the Gods' existences for it is literally written that even the Gods are themselves mortal and in their being of flesh and bone they die off just as we do. Our Astrophysics and genetic deconstructionists are doing exactly that which is seeking the whereabouts of Gods' kingdom domains.
For instance, "If our embodied atomically constructed cellular essences need a source of sustenance to sustain their molecular environments than just exactly how far downward does the supposed food chains entail this trans-migratory involvements of food source separations and by what means does any atom need to be fed"? Even an evolved atom needs a food source to remain as an occupying force within any and all confinements of the cellular variations within all celestial life forms and formations.
Hi gang,
The authors of this study have graciously agreed to field questions from our commenters. If you're interested, please post your question below and we'll select 5-7 to take to the authors. The Q&A will be posted in a follow-up article.
Please try to keep your questions related to the study itself.
Thanks,
Daniel Burke
What is the margin of error on 59 subjects?
Before you were conceived there was nothing, after you die there will be nothing, humans cannot wrap their thoughts around nothing because it is something. Believing in a religion, being agnostic or atheist means that you are acknowledging that there is something to believe in or to not believe in. I was nothing before my conception and I will be nothing after the body I live in dies, one cannot imagine nothing because then you are imagining something...Put that in your peace pipe and smoke it
It must be nice to have everything all figured out.
"I do not fear death. I had been dead for billions and billions of years before I was born, and had not suffered the slightest inconvenience from it." – Mark Twain
"I do not fear death. I had been dead for billions and billions of years before I was born, and had not suffered the slightest inconv-enience from it." – Mark Twain
"I do not fear death. I had been dead for billions and billions of years before I was born, and had not suffered the slightest inco-nvenience from it." – Mark Twain
Sorry about the triple post, thought the word police machine kicked it out.
It usually does, but it's been acting kinda goofy the last couple of days.
Which death was he talkin' about?? Being evil and divided there has to be 2.
This study seems to be identifying more the types of behavior as "Nones" than the types of "Nones". Wouldn't, as someone else asked earlier, similar categories apply to believers as well.
Intellectual Baptist
Seeker Protestants
Ritual Catholics
etc.
How did you select the 59 interviewees? Did they volunteer? If so, I suspect that group five would be much bigger if the sample size wasn't inherently skewed by self selection.
Did the authors make an effort to determine what respondents meant by God, or did they assume that the object of everyone's belief or disbelief was somehow the same?
All I know is that the right wing religious nutjobs have been with us forever. Fear and judgement are great tools on controlling the weak and making yourself richer. Human nature is to be weak and follow. How else do you explain Hitler, Christianity, Islam, the GOP or Fox News?
There IS no excuse for Fox News.
Fox is a natural product of capitalism. You've got to take the good with the bad.
Sur I do, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.
that's what happened to president carter when he was a nuclear engineer and went to 3 mile island to be a big shot
and the great atheists like Lenin, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot and the Kim's of North Korea.
As opposed to great believers (theists) like child-abusing priests, Dick Cheney, Rev. Jim Baker, ... It's easy to find examples of bad people on any side of any issue. What's your point?
There must be a number of atheist categories; just on this blog, different atheists/agnostics define atheism and agnosticism differently. If you have a different definition, you are likely to be a different category.
I am sick and only 45 and don't believe in god because I prayed like crazy while I was getting sick to get better and I didn't. now I am faced with the horrifying prospect of suffering for a number of years before I finally fade into oblivion. terrifying. I wish there was a god.
me too
I'm sorry you are sick. It's understandable that you're questioning your beliefs.
I don't believe we really die, I believe we go on, don't be scared. I know it's hard. I'll be thinking of you.
I'm sorry for your illness but I think what you wish is not that there was a god (who, given your current state would have obviously forsaken you) but you wish there was a solution to your condition. It is something completely different.
Prayer does nothing, and people who offer to pray for you are doing absolutely nothing to help you. But I hope science can.
i prayed and got a headache!
some gaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwd
I also hope medical science can find you some help.
Hi, Mark - I am sorry you are sick. A friend of mine about your age recently died from brain cancer. Do not give up hope for a medical miracle; find the BEST doctor who specializes in your illness. Death is inevitable for all of us. Our characters are measured by how we live. Make the most of the time you have left and find solace where you may. The best to you!
Is it bury the difference, or vive la difference??
Vive for me.
@bostonola,
I was surprised by the number of people who equated deism with agnosticsim.
I agree, very different, deism is full on belief in god.
i kinda believe in horus, to be honest. i been in the mood 4 love
c, christ ain't no thang. most people did what he did.
c, the thang is, he was rich and didn't die until he was 87. he got a bunch a dudes to write this big fairy tale with him as the star. sort a like the producers. it was intended to be a flop. he just wanted to keep his homies employed and the thing was a smash hit. plus, u could make a cross with two sticks. big improvement over the six point star
i think Bernie was kinda cute
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29o6ITf5iTo
The coincidences to allow this universe to happen are incomprehensible. Where did matter come from? (The big bang? Maybe, but before that it was a singular point of infinite density plasma or matter, where did that come from?) If gravity was just a little bit stronger, how different would the universe look? If the weak and strong nuclear forces were just a little skewed in either direction, how different would matter react? Its just mind boggling.
"Its just mind boggling."
So, just because you don't understand, God must have done it?
Never mentioned god in that statement at all
@Tom,
I assumed that God as creator was implied, my apologies.
So, your questions were just rhetorical expressions of awe at the complexity and vastness of nature – a commentary on how little we truly know about the universe and how much science has yet to discover.
Cool, I agree.
it don't matter cause i have faith god don't matter!
You need a course on Chaos Theory, and Probability. Highly improbably events happen all the time. Given an infinite time scale, a universe such as this is MORE probable than not. Intelligent Design is totally debunked. Just because you happen to be too uneducated, and uncreative to cook up other answers, does not mean you get to make up an answer that fits. The universe has been proven to NOT operate in a way that is logical to human brains, (Relativity, Uncertainty, matrices of Dirac).
therealbigbuckyballbaby
Just because you happen to be too uneducated, and uncreative to cook up other answers, does not mean you get to make up an answer that fits.
r u going to arrest us in the am?
Atheists don't have Faith. They have Assumption. For all they know, there is an infinite amount of information out there that is not available to them. But they ASSUME that all reality is available to them through their five senses. THey further ASSUME that their brains can infallibly interpret whatever information they can acquire.