Why should the word "atheist" even exist? After all, there are no special terms for people who don't believe in Santa Clause, or Bigfoot, or the Tooth Fairy. 
19
Enjoy being online again!
Welcome to the community of good people who base their values on evidence and appreciate civil discourse - the social network you will enjoy.Create your free account
23 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.
Yes, however the word "theist" exists, and those theists and religious people are pushy about being recognized as special. Yes, Atheist should be the norm, but sadly we're a minority.
HippieChick58
Level 9
June 21, 2021
6
This is a really good point. If there were trillions of people talking about how they believed in Bigfoot and how they needed to change laws that affect you because of said belief, there might be a word for people who don't believe in them...
@JeffMurray The prefix a indicates "no/not/without". So not believing in Bigfoot would be Abigfoot. Gnosis means knowledge, so Agnosis means without knowledge, and if you don't have that knowledge you are Agnostic. It is Latin and medical terms are Latin and Greek. I used to be very fluent in Med Terms.
@HippieChick58 Not for ever!
Why did you do a double posting? You need to delete on of them.
xenoview
Level 8
June 21, 2021
5
Yup, my bad. I would have deleted one but I was not aware that it was there. I will try to be more careful in the future.
It is the name for the rite of passage from the magical to the reality of existence. It has no more to say than that about you, but it is a notable achievement because you reached that thinking milestone by yourself.
Mcflewster
Level 8
June 22, 2021
4
All natural languages evolve to meet the needs of their speakers. If English speakers wish to create suitable neologisms, then such words will exist.
anglophone
Level 9
June 21, 2021
4
Well, there's "Grinch" for non-believer in Santa... and child for a believer in Santa, the Tooth Fairy, etc. We don't need names for non-belief in fanciful characters, simply "non-believer" or realist, truth seeker, etc., Difference in your examples is that most adults recognize they are mythological creatures, but sadly a large percentage of people don't recognize God as a mythological character, yet anyway. Number of "nones" is getting bigger ever day!
Julie808
Level 8
June 22, 2021
3
"sadly a large percentage of people don't recognize God as a mythological character, yet anyway. Number of "nones" is getting bigger ever day!"
Well said! 
"realist, truth seeker, etc." GREAT!
It's because religion is so prevalent that to be rational is rare. In my part of the US it's considered strange to not have an imaginary friend in the sky. If religion ever goes away, so will the atheist label.
Eazyduzzit
Level 7
June 23, 2021
2
Why do you call yourself an atheist then?
xenoview
Level 8
June 22, 2021
2
I don't call myself an atheist. I call myself an agnostic. Outwardly, I may appear atheistic, but I cannot prove God's non-existence. I can only try to assess the probability of that existence. And to me it seems vanishingly small, but not zero. Except in cases where I explicitly explain my position, as I am doing here, I think most people observing my words and actions would assume I am an atheist. I don't attend religious services, and I openly ridicule many religious beliefs. Pascal said the safe bet is to believe, because that way if you're wrong, there is no down side, but if you're right, you pass Go and collect 200 dollars in Heaven. I'm going the other way. I am betting there is only this one life, corporeal and terrestrial, and I insist on living it my way, without bowing down to dictators or swallowing institutional dogmas. I may be wrong, (I don't think I am, but I'm not 100% sure) and if I am, well, I will see all my old friends in Hell.
@Flyingsaucesir Your Problem shouldn't be Our Shame! So... Git!!!
@GipsyOfNewSpain
Ooooo, looks like I touched a nerve. What's the matter bunkie? Afraid of the dark? Can't handle a little uncertainty?
@Flyingsaucesir You make a great case for belonging to this site . Well done. Getting rid of religion is a journey which is difficult to believe that you have finished once you gain the freedom of passing the marker post called atheism into reality . I WISH YOU A LONG LIFE AS A REWARD.
because it often is true on this site. One can be multiple users of the banners we use .
@Mcflewster
Thank you! Right back at you bra! 
it should exist because it lets others know ur particular non belief in a diety
i get where ur goin tho, Dawkins had a fun take on it
why it would exist is because it proudly says 'god is not real
HeAdAkE
Level 6
June 21, 2021
2
Word:
Funny how Dawkins gives the best modern understanding for the biological nature of the Jesus style God
I'm a big fan of Dawkins
Word:
@Flyingsaucesir I don't understand how people question the existence of Jesus character when Dawkin's mind virus organism gives for such a good explanation for the biological nature of Jesus character.
Santa brings me stuff every year!
Secretguy
Level 7
June 21, 2021
2
@secretguy Sorry but it is usually amazon that delivers.
Santa brought me coal! 
@p-nullifidian Surely Santa hates coal - the effects of which he meets on his travels - as much as the rest of the world is trying to get global warming fixed?
It is a very badly used word in many cases, since most, so called, atheists, are actually what you could call asupernaturalists or anti-suprernaturalists, since they do not believe in any thing supernatural, nor any, none theist religions, like Buddhism, Spiritualism or Animism either. So that it could well be that we a conceding to theist imperialism, since they are trying to pretend that only theist religion, (god belief ) matters.
Fernapple
Level 9
June 22, 2021
1
Maybe a better word is realist.
Asupernaturalist - that works for me too. Funny thing though, when I am conversing with theists, and I explain that I don't believe in supernatural deities, they are really taken aback, since they don't consider their god to be supernatural. Pretty sure the nuns in my childhood catechism taught that God was supernatural - and that word stuck with me.
Join the non-golfer club
Word
Level 8
June 21, 2021
1
@Word I wish the Non-golfers had a club-house. I suppose in the UK we CALL THEM PUBS.
@Mcflewster The 19th hole is my favorite!
If that is the case when they get to adulthood there are lots of names for these people.
JackPedigo
Level 9
June 22, 2021
0
For people who don't believe in Santa, or Bigfoot ie the Tooth Fairy?
Should it not be Anti Christ, anti religious, anti Santa clause, anti tooth fairy, or anti Bigfoot!!!
LOL!!!
of-the-mountain
Level 9
June 21, 2021
0
How about "realist"?
While I di not believe in Santa, et al, I am not against them either. For one thing, that would, in a way, give them a modicum of credence they don't deserve.
Enjoy being online again!
Welcome to the community of good people who base their values on evidence and appreciate civil discourse - the social network you will enjoy.Create your free account
Share this post
Related Groups More
Christopher Hitchens Fans
80 members
Categories
Agnostic does not evaluate or guarantee the accuracy of any content. Read full disclaimer.