Atheism and Agnosticism — Definitions

We’ve first need to define terms — what defines an agnostic, and what defines an atheist?

From Websters New World College Dictionary, Fourth Edition 2007:

  • athe-ist (n.) A person who believes that there is no God.
  • ag-nos-tic (n.) A person who believes that the human mind cannot know whether there is a God or an ultimate cause, or anything beyond material phenomena.

An atheist rejects religious belief and denies the existence of God; an agnostic questions the existence of God, heaven, etc in the absence of material proof and an unwillingness to accept supernatural revelation.

Other dictionaries express similar definitions — “One who believes that there is no deity” (Merriam-Webster), “One who disbelieves or denies the existence of God or gods.” (American Heritage) and “a person who denies or disbelieves the existence of a supreme being or beings.” (Random House).

Filed Under: Atheism

Recommended Citation:
Yeager, Darrin "Atheism and Agnosticism — Definitions" (2023-11-23 14:45),
https://www.dyeager.org/post/atheism-agnosticism-series-part1-definitions.html
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