NationStates Jolt Archive

No, really, why?
I'm pretty sure they believe in "the"...

(wait, isn't that "tea" in some foreign language?)

I'm not sure if this is a joke and that I can't see the humour... c_c

But in any case it's a-theist. The a- prefix meaning opposite. And a theist being someone who believes in Theism.

Theism: belief in the existence of a god or gods; specifically : belief in the existence of one God viewed as the creative source of man and the world who transcends yet is immanent in the world

Theism: belief in the existence of a god or gods; specifically : belief in the existence of one God viewed as the creative source of man and the world who transcends yet is immanent in the world
:confused:
So where'd "theism" come from?

'the' god... like, one god? i dunno :confused:

Theology.

From the Latin 'theo', which from the greek 'the'. I do not know the translation, but I assume it means god/divine/similar, because Theology is the study of God, and the -ology means study so the 'the' means god.

the -ism means it's a doctrine/theory/cult.

So basically theism is the Doctrine of God. Atheism meaning the doctrine of no God...

uh... yeah...

Ah, I had no idea "the" had anything to do with anything.
Okay, I get it now.
YAY!!

:confused:
So where'd "theism" come from?

If the question is serious... we got it from Latin, who stole it from the Greeks... theos, meaning 'god'.

If the question is serious... we got it from Latin, who stole it from the Greeks... theos, meaning 'god'.
Yeah, it was serious.
It was one of my "look like an uneducated moron" moments, which seem to be outweighing all my other moments.

So where does Agnostic come from, i assume it follows the same greeko-latin pattern with a being the anti prefix, but as being an Agnostic mean as im sure most people here know to be unsure of a god, a gnostic is something quite diffrent,the gnostics being a early 1st-2nd cent christian sect that belived jesus was an immortal super being. Or am i just getting confused.

Linguistics time

Yeah, it was serious.
It was one of my "look like an uneducated moron" moments, which seem to be outweighing all my other moments.

That, my friend, is far from true.

I DO have a list of NS posters who appear to have problems typing-and-breathing at the same time...

And you are not on that list.

There is no shame in asking a question - the only shame that should be felt is willful ignorance. A trait which you haven't exhibited.

<Sorry, I have to go back to being 'haughty' to people now... otherwise people might think I've 'gone nice'...>

Wikipedia defines Theism as:

Theism is the belief in one or more gods or goddesses. More specifically, it may also mean the belief in God, a god, or gods, who is/are actively involved in maintaining the Universe.

The most common item I've found between various philosophical views on theism is that God is immanent in the universe, but transcends the universe, so he actually exists in the universe, but is unaffected by it.

So atheism would be that God is not immanent, and therefore cannot transcend the universe.

Wikipedia defines Theism as:

Theism is the belief in one or more gods or goddesses. More specifically, it may also mean the belief in God, a god, or gods, who is/are actively involved in maintaining the Universe.

The most common item I've found between various philosophical views on theism is that God is immanent in the universe, but transcends the universe, so he actually exists in the universe, but is unaffected by it.

So atheism would be that God is not immanent, and therefore cannot transcend the universe.
Immanent is within. A belief that god is immanent is a belief that god exists in every form of energy of the universe. Such is what deists and pantheists believe. Placing god somehow outside the universe defies (as opposed to deifies) immanence.

(Sorry; I'm not good with play-on-word jokes.)

EDIT: Also that view that god a singular "being" in the universe is not immanence.

Both parts are derived from Greek.

A - no, or none
Theos - god

So, you get the word which means "no god" - in the literal sense. It basically means that there is a belief that there is no god (however, this does not mean that the person who believes this lacks any other beliefs; they just don't believe in god).

bah ill reiterate my point,
Whats Agnostic mean then smarty parts, (in a linguistic sence)

So basically theism is the Doctrine of God. Atheism meaning the doctrine of no God...I've always maintained that there's always a bit of a problem deciding if Athiesm is:
(No God) Doctrine = A doctirine that says there is no God, or
No (God Doctrine) = Lack of a doctrine that says there is a God.


And depending on which meaning is meant, it subtly affects the boundary between atheists and agnostics (without the knowledge of...)

So where does Agnostic come from, i assume it follows the same greeko-latin pattern with a being the anti prefix, but as being an Agnostic mean as im sure most people here know to be unsure of a god, a gnostic is something quite diffrent,the gnostics being a early 1st-2nd cent christian sect that belived jesus was an immortal super being. Or am i just getting confused.

Linguistics time
It comes from the Greek "A" (no) and "gnosis" (knowledge).
Which makes sense.

bah ill reiterate my point,
Whats Agnostic mean then smarty parts, (in a linguistic sence)
a = no or none
gnosos = knowledge

An agnostic admits he has insufficent knowledge on which to form a firm opinion.

a = no or none
gnostos = knowledge

An agnostic admits he has insufficent knowledge on which to form a firm opinion.
I beat you to it!
Haha!
...
Or something like that, I think.

:cool:

I beat you to it!
Haha!
...
Or something like that, I think.

:cool:
Well done!

It comes to english through (most likely) the french "athéiste" which is itself based in the greek Atheos άθεος. a ά - without, theos θεος - god)

The first known printed use of "atheist" (approximating how we spell it today) was in 1571. (1571 Golding: Calvin on Ps. Ep. Ded. 3 "The Atheistes which say..there is no God")



-OED.

Maybe in order to understand mankind, we have to look at the word itself: "Mankind". Basically, it's made up of two separate words - "mank" and "ind". What do these words mean ? It's a mystery, and that's why so is mankind.
-Jack Handey

ahh more than a few chaps around here know there acient greek, or just good at serching the net, good show strange though so gnostic has something to do with gnostos (well pretty bloody alike) as gnosticism has little to do with knowledge really.

Maybe in order to understand mankind, we have to look at the word itself: "Mankind". Basically, it's made up of two separate words - "mank" and "ind". What do these words mean ? It's a mystery, and that's why so is mankind.
-Jack Handey
Haha!! Gotta love Jack Handey.

...as gnosticism has little to do with knowledge really.
Oh, but it does! Gnostics believe they have knowledge that the other religions ignore.

Strictly speaking, atheism means "without belief in god"
and agnosticism means (the nuance here can be trouble):

"believing that humans can never know anything about god"

*unknowable* is the key point in agnosticism, and is why the word breaks down to "without knowledge"


Oxford's defintion is:
One who holds that the existence of anything beyond and behind material phenomena is unknown and (so far as can be judged) unknowable, and especially that a First Cause and an unseen world are subjects of which we know nothing.

bah ill reiterate my point,
Whats Agnostic mean then smarty parts, (in a linguistic sence)

Well, Gnostic comes from Greek... from 'gnostos', derived from 'gignoskein', meaning "to know".

So, a Gnostic is someone who 'knows' - the implication being one who 'has knowledge' (especially secret, or special knowledge).

An Agnostic - is someone who, therefore, 'doesn't know'. Thus - Agnostics are those who claim it is impossible to know if there is a god, or not.

Sorry, very random this: Neo Anarchists, you have my undying respect for quoting Elliott Smith in your sig.

Ahem, on with your discussion...

Sorry, very random this: Neo Anarchists, you have my undying respect for quoting Elliott Smith in your sig.

Ahem, on with your discussion...
:fluffle:
Yay!

I beat you to it!
Haha!
...
Or something like that, I think.

:cool:Would it be useful to point out that I (inadvertantly) beat you to it in post... erm... 16?

Thought not... ;)

Would it be useful to point out that I (inadvertantly) beat you to it in post... erm... 16?

Thought not... ;)
I've always maintained that there's always a bit of a problem deciding if Athiesm is:

* (No God) Doctrine = A doctirine that says there is no God, or
* No (God Doctrine) = Lack of a doctrine that says there is a God.


And depending on which meaning is meant, it subtly affects the boundary between atheists and agnostics (without the knowledge of...)

It comes from the Greek "A" (no) and "gnosis" (knowledge).
Which makes sense.
You answered a different question than I.

You answered a different question than I.

It was a bit hidden away at the end...

[...]And depending on which meaning is meant, it subtly affects the boundary between atheists and agnostics (without the knowledge of...)(But I didn't even know the question had been asked, so you can keep the brownie-points for your answer... :))

It was a bit hidden away at the end...
Hee, I didn't even notice it!
Whoops!

I'm not sure if this is a joke and that I can't see the humour... c_c

But in any case it's a-theist. The a- prefix meaning opposite.
No, a- means "not".

And a theist being someone who believes in Theism.
No again. A theist is someone who believes in god(s).