Atheist say there is no God (which is a belief because they they don't really know that). Agnostic says they just don't know (which is the correct choice). Spiritual means increasing one's feeling of self awareness while we are here on a search for meaning in our lives. Trying to be spiritual is a noble undertaking.
However we should be careful not to equate spiritual with "soul" because more than likely the is no such thing as a soul.
I like Matt Dillhanty (spelling?) definition. Atheist is a lack of belief in a god as there as never been any proof of the existence of a god.
Agnostic is much the same. The word gnostic means knowledge and agnostic means the lack of knowledge of a god or gods.
Spiritual is harder to define as that is a personal experience. For me it is wonder, awe, joy I feel when I contemplate the Cosmos.
Atheism and agnosticism are pretty straight forward but spirituality is far more ambiguous. I believe I'm spiritual because I can be so emotionally moved by things (real things that is) For example, I can be brought to tears when I hear a choir sing Handel's messiah. I'm certainly not religious but it is an amazing piece of work. The exuberance of standing on a precipice, looking down on the vast valley bellow. The thrill of riding my motorbike far too fast, weaving in out of city traffic. THe awe of looking at the vastness of stars as I reflect on how insignificant I am in comparison to the universe. When I create something beautiful and original, it is like an extension of me. When I connect with someone who is a stranger and we realise we are so like-minded. I believe in the interconnectedness of humans and all living things and that no one should be alone because we need each other to thrive. I see the beauty and the pain and this to me is a spiritual experience.
Theist/Atheist: Those that are convinced or unconvinced in the existence of a God(s)
Agnostic: Those who are uncertain to the existence/nonexistence of a God
(Non)Spiritual: Someone who has some sort of innately spiritual belief such as the existence of a Soul.
You can be one, or all of the above, but you can't be a Theist and an Atheist at the same time, naturally. You can be an Agnostic Theist, someone who is unsure as the the existence of a God but still believes there is despite this uncertainty. An Agnostic Atheist, someone who is unsure to the existence of a God and, usually due to that, does not believe there is one. A Spiritual Agnostic Atheist, someone who fulfills the above criteria but is also convinced to the existence of Angels and Demons, just as an example. This is not a comprehensive list of examples and more variables exist, such as what could be referred to as a Gnostic (not the Christian denomination) someone who is convinced of the existence or at least the possibility or probability of the existence of a God(s).
Atheist - not believing in any god(s)
Agnostic - Uncertain of the existence of a god/higher power
Spiritual - probably leans agnostic but believes in an ethereal soul/aura/energy in living things. Some will include plants and animals aside from humans...some will include humans only
Atheist: does not believe in god(s).
Agnostic: undecided about existence of god(s).
Spiritual: senses a connection to all things living and nonliving.
Someone who rejects the claims of the existence of a god or gods because they haven’t met their burden of proof and is eagerly willing to change their mind.
Someone who holds the position of “we don’t know whether a god exists or not.”
I have no clue. I know atheists/ agnostics that saythey are spiritual. But I don’t get it....like meditation and yoga? I don’t think they actually believe in spirits or souls.
Atheist - are sure there is no God
Agnostic - it's not possible to know if there is a God or not
Spiritual - don't necessarily believe in the traditional sense of a God (although some do), but believe in a supernatural energy or essence in humans. An intangible like a soul.
You’re misrepresenting and strawmanning a lot of people of you stick to those definitions.
@Lancinator How so? Besides, the OP asked for our definitions of 3 specific words.
@Piece2YourPuzzle yeah sorry, I took your definition out of context. My bad. Or I responded to wrong person. Lol
Don't believe in god(s) as there is no proof
Don't care
Don't care
Good answer lol
Atheist - Nothing supernatural at all.
Agnostic - Will believe in supernatural beings or "power" if evidence is provided.
Spiritual - A belief in a connection between other people an/or other living things. The connection can be super natural or instinctual. So, if instinctually based belief, even an atheist can be spiritual.
I do not see instincts as "supernatural" but rather are hard wired into (most of) us for better survival, and often use unconscious cues, which may or can appear to be supernatural at times, but can be logically explained once they are understood.
@icolan yup
Atheist - Positive that gods and religions are bullshit made up by humans
Agnostic - Not sure if gods and religion are bullshit made up by humans
Spiritual - Leaning that gods and religion are bullshit, but want "something" to be there.
Atheist - Do not believe in any gods whatsoever.
Agnostic - Don't know one way or the other.
Spiritual - Need some woo to hang onto, but don't want religion.
It's funny how words work. For me it's:
Atheist: One who lacks a belief in God(s),
Agnostic: One who lacks knowledge of God(s)
Spiritual: Belief in something ethereal within life.
@icolan The reason for that is Etherial means nothing in any universal way. It can express the mental connection one feels for the universe. It could mean, one's sense of consciousness. It could mean a supernatural realm that exists outside the natural realm. I won't bore you with the endless lists of possible meanings, but my point is theirs no agreement that allows for a definition to develop, so people use synonyms as a definition. So yes you're correct to say it's circular, but if I'm not vague, I'll get 50 people saying I'm wrong instead of just one saying it's circular.
1 lack of theism
2 lack of absolute knowledge
(Important to remember 1 and 2 are not mutually exclusive. Both apply to most rational people)
3 lack of critical thinking, or a nebulous offramp for religion until you realize you're an agnostic atheist.
Asked and answered a hundred times on here.
The great thing about words is that they have concrete definitions.
Therefore, it doesn't matter what someone's "personal definition" is because there is, and always will be, a real definition.
Google is your friend if you are looking for definitions.
Atheist: I do not believe there is a god. This can also mean I do not believe in god.
Agnostic: without Knowledge, depending on very loose definitions on can not say that a god that by definition can not be perceived can not exist by definition.
Spiritual: anything and everything. The important thing here is if you say spiritual it will be misunderstood by the person hearing. This is believing that the metaphysical exist. By definition if it does not exist in the physical world it does not exist. the metaphysical is defined as that which exist outside of the physical and thus, by definition does not exist.