On Sun, 18 Jul 1999 15:53:26 -0600, Ace Ventura <aceventura at goober.net>
wrote:
>Malcolm McMahon wrote:
>>>> On Sun, 18 Jul 1999 17:24:14 -0300, "M. McLeod" <mycloud at chebucto.ns.ca>
>> wrote:
>>>> >This amounts to just playing with words.
>>>> No, it's an important distinction. Atheism and agnosticism are two very
>> different things. Atheism is a faith (since it's no more possible to
>> prove the non-existance of god than the existence). There's a _lot_ more
>> agnostics out there than atheists which is why some atheists try to
>> "recruit" the agnostics by blurring the distinction.
>>I don't agree. First, is it a "faith" to lack belief in unicorns? We can't
>prove unicorns don't exist, but is it an act of faith to believe they don't?
It's not an act of faith not to believe in unicorns but it _is_ an act
of faith to be absolutely positive they don't exist anywhere in the
universe. Maybe there are unicorns on Alpha Proxima (or a residential
suburb thereof). And unicorns would have to leave more evidence than God
has to. (Incidentally they _made_ a unicorn a few years back by
manipulating the horn buds on a calf)
>Second, the notion that atheists are out to recruit agnostics is silly, IMO.
>What purpose would be served in increasing their numbers by "converting"
>agnostics to their side?
>
There's always strength in numbers.
>The point that's been lost here is atheism and agnosticism are two different
>types of terms. The former is concerned with belief, while the latter is
>concerned with knowledge, or more accurately, a lack of knowledge.
>
I think that's what I said.
