Letters the week of 12/06/01

Iım afraid that Wayne Laugesen has succumbed to a common misunderstanding of Atheism. He refers to the atheistsı "belief in no god" and the atheist agenda that "no god exists". However, to be an atheist, one need only lack "theistic" beliefs. As atheist scholar George H. Smith notes, an atheist does not assert that there is no god; he simply does not believe there is a god.

Iım often surprised how easily people miss this distinction. The prefix "a" means "without," so an atheistıs belief system is simply without god, not anti god. Perhaps "anti-theist" is a good term for someone who denies the existence of god. Some will dispute my point because of what a dictionary says. But a dictionary, by its own definition, reflects what people commonly mean when they use a word. Hence, it would be misleading if a modern dictionary listed only my definition of atheism, as unfortunately thatıs not how people use the term.

What all atheists have in common, as Mr. Laugesen even cited, is their "non-belief." Since atheism is fundamentally about lacking any theistic beliefs, the atheist does not have to justify his position. The burden of proof is on the person who actually holds a belief about the existence (or non-existence) of god.

Some people may claim that my notion of atheism is really agnosticism, but they are wrong. The term comes from the Greek, agnostos, meaning unknown or unknowable. Hence, saying that youıre an agnostic does not get you off the hook: Many people believe god(s) exist, but also claim that knowledge of such a fact is unknowable. They are both agnostics and theists, and base their belief on faith. As Mr. Laugesen points out, the anti-theist can deny the belief in god(s) and hold that position on faith.

So Mr. Laugesen is incorrect in characterizing "atheists" as intolerant folks who want to enforce on others their assertion that there is no god. It would be like accusing all vegetarians of eating tofu.

True atheists do not assert that there is no god; they simply do not believe in god. But even those who hold anti-theistic beliefs should not be condemned unless they seek to forcibly impose their beliefs upon others.

Brian T. Schwartz/Boulder

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