Atheism, etc.;
Vinnieosophy pontification 1•Oct•2019:
•
•
Are these words synonyms:
”Pets,
Animals,
Vertebrates,
Mammals, &
Rabbits”?
No?
Well neither are these:
1-Deism,
2-Atheism,
3-Agnosticism,
4-Humanism,
5-Free-Thought,
6-NonTheism,
7-Secularism,
8-Skepticism, nor
9-Cynicism.
Sadly,
uninformed people are
more & more frequently using them as synonyms, and even more sadly, dictionaries are beginning to reflect that miss-use & confusion.
Upon extensive word-study, one can see that these are not really synonyms for each other.
1-
Deism:
some divinity may have jumpstarted things (Intelligent-Design-Big-Bang theory) but has since moved on and is not currently involved.
2-
Atheism:
Anti-theism:
BELIEF-system (religion) that there definitely is no such thing as divinity, (which, BTW, is just as scientifically unprovable as theism; not being able to prove existence of something, does not prove its nonexistence;
e.g., City-of-Troy was just a myth & “nonexistent” until discovered & excavated in 1800s).
3-
Agnosticism:
Anti-gnosis:
Anti-knowing:
since neither Atheism nor theism can be scientifically proven,
it therefore cannot be known.
4-
Humanism:
focus ought to be on human self-reliance (regardless of any other beliefs).
For example, this also could be considered a humanist idea:
“god helps those who help themselves”.
5-
Free-Thought:
free to think, explore, & debate in ALL directions (not only Atheist direction).
6-
NonTheism:
non-issue; since neither Atheism nor theism can be scientifically proven,
it therefore ought be tabled as a non-issue.
7-
Secularism:
separation of
church & state,
religion & government,
mosque & state.
8-
Skepticism:
doubt as to truth of something, but open to be convinced w/evidence.
9-
Cynicism:
pessimistic inclination to question whether something is worthwhile; not open to be convinced w/evidence.
