Also, the holocaust happened because of religious issues? Well, if you count National Socialism as a religion I suppose, but still...

I'd even argue that things like the Crusades are just business as usual and happened for the usual reasons - political and economical, and religion just gave to soldiers something to shout when in battle, but we'll get way off topic...

So, if not an atheist, what is the term for someone who positively holds the belief that there is no God?

Depends on who you ask, as we've already seen in this thread.

Most dictionaries seem to use this as the definition for "atheist".

I'd even argue that things like the Crusades are just business as usual and happened for the usual reasons - political and economical, and religion just gave to soldiers something to shout when in battle, but we'll get way off topic...

I was going to say the same thing about the Crusades.

Oh, and it's too late for the off topic thing, as usual.

[quote name='ChaosEngine' timestamp='1311223736' post='4838298']
Because people use it as an excuse to tell others what they should do (condoms, abortion, gay marriage).
Because it has held back the advancement of the human race for millennia (Galileo, evolution, stem cell research).
Because there have been countless, needless deaths over it (the crusades, the holocaust, 9/11).

These things are not isolated to religion. People do stupid things for any number of reasons, or even no reason at all (insanity?).
[/quote]
It really scares me if religious people get voted to power. You really can't know how illogical decisions they made. Luckily I live in a country with not many religious voters.

What if the man in the power does something really stupid, by following the Revelation, or any other fairy tale book?

But I am a programmer, not a theologian so I accept my use of terms may well be incorrect. I'm quite happy to accept A Brain in a Vat's point.

So, if not an atheist, what is the term for someone who positively holds the belief that there is no God? I must have dozed off during RE at school.

If you believe there is no god then you are an atheist. If you don't believe either way you are an agnostic.

There's nothing 'irrational' about it, if nothing else, that creator is the very embodiment of the Rational Mind.

Sorry, but no.

The invention of a being in order to explain away something is pretty damned irrational. If I kept misplacing my keys, always finding them in a location I'm certain I never placed them in and decided that clearly a 'key fairy' was moving them around would you consider this rational?

It is no different to saying "I don't understand how the universe came about, therefore I will invent someone to do so", and ignoring the 'who brought them into existance?' question just puts you deeper in that irrational hole.

The burden of proof is on the one making a claim. So unless there's sufficient evidence that there is a creator being, there is not reason to believe there is one.

But which argument is being made? The argument for God is fine, but what about the other arguments such as belief in a higher being being stupid? I didn't really come into this thread for any reason related to there being or not being a God. I came because there were ridiculous inflammatory claims being made about people who believe in religion; many of which have less evidence than the argument for a higher being. Why should the latter not have to provide proof?

What the hell are you talking about?

That's exactly what he said. Can you not read? Are you trying to prove my point about the correlation between low IQ and religiosity?[/quote]
I missed that quote. That is my bad.

Since we're talking about definitions, I'll point out that yours is incorrect as well.
bigotry: stubborn and complete intolerance of any creed, belief, or opinion that differs from one's own.

I neither hate nor am intolerant of religious beliefs. Much the opposite, I fully support the right of every individual to believe in anything he chooses to believe in. In fact, I'd ardently defend for your right to do whatever weird rituals your religion prescribes, given that they don't infringe on the rights of others (which unfortunately is often not the case).

I am, however, entitled to my opinion that religion is dopey and stupid.

No it's bigotry using your definition. Being supportive of people being able to practice it has nothing to do with the fact that you have complete intolerance of it's belief structure being acceptable for intelligent beings. You are fully entitled to your opinion, but it doesn't make you less of a bigot.

The invention of a being in order to explain away something is pretty damned irrational. If I kept misplacing my keys, always finding them in a location I'm certain I never placed them in and decided that clearly a 'key fairy' was moving them around would you consider this rational?

That technically is rational. It's probably wrong, and upon further investigation would probably turn out to no longer be rational or correct, but with only the evidence that your keys go missing, that they turn up in the same spot, and that you believe you never put them there, it's totally rational to believe that some entity X has put them there and calling that entity a key fairy is as arbitrary to reason as saying it was your wife or roommate.

There is a fine difference here, but it exists, between what I scientifically know, and what I believe.

"Everything you think you know is actually composed entirely of varying levels of belief."