Hey, I'm Paulino. I'm not an atheist

So as the thread reads, I'm Paulino and I'm not an atheist. Before you jump and slap a lifetime ban on me, I am not a theist either. I am an agnostic, and i actually didn't notice the little 'atheist' above the word 'nexus'. The TOS wasn't really clear about agnostics, so I'm not sure if I'm welcome or not. If anyone can clear that up for me, it'd be appreciated.

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Permalink Reply by JayBarti on July 14, 2010 at 9:42am
True but most people do not realize that.
Permalink Reply by Matthew Paulino on July 14, 2010 at 8:48am
It was an honest mistake, I didn't notice it until after I had started the sign up process. I have nothing against atheists, I don't see anything wrong with it, nor have I stated such. I have taken the easy route and simply refer to myself as an agnostic. It may not be as accurate or as precise as "agnostic atheist" or "atheist atheist", but it is what I understood myself to be. Please excuse my ignorance, as I am unlearned in such things. Thanks for the welcome, though
Permalink Reply by Matthew Paulino on July 15, 2010 at 10:47am
Forgive me, I try limiting my time on in front of the laptop to pursue the other things this life has to offer. I wish I had the time you apparently have, so that I could satisfy your need to know about me. Again, my apologies.

The question I answered when I signed up was 'Are you a non-theist?' To me, a layman, I took that to mean someone who did not take part in religion or have faith in a god. I understood myself to be an agnostic, which may or may not be the proper term, though at the time I felt it was included as a 'non-theist'. Though I may not be as educated on the matter as you, I answered honestly.

As for do I believe in God? The answer, simply is a no. Religion and theists have not proven there to be a God to believe in, though for their shortcomings I am not convinced that there isn't some creator is some form out there. The question of how the universe came to be has not been answered, so I feel it could go either way. I'm not a physicist, so that is all I'll say on the matter.

Again, I'm sorry I had to keep you waiting for one whole day. I'll try not to let it happen again.

Cheers.
Permalink Reply by Jennifer Rice on July 15, 2010 at 11:16am
Sounds to me like you are an agnostic atheist. You don't believe but also don't claim to know and have all the answers. That is also how I feel and consider myself an agnostic atheist. Welcome to AtheistNexus.
Permalink Reply by §kürrý on July 14, 2010 at 7:43am
^ Thank you for this.
Permalink Reply by Jennifer Rice on July 14, 2010 at 8:38am
I have been reading godless by author Dan Barker. He seems to have a good understanding of being an agnostic and atheist. Agnosticism is the refusal to take as fact any statement for which there is insufficient evidence. An agnostic would say,"I don't have a knowledge that god exists". Atheists simply do not believe in any god. They would say,"I don't have a belief that god exists". One can be either an atheist or theist and be agnostic. The word agnostic was coined by Thomas Huxley,who attached the prefix a-(not,without) to gnostic,which is from the Greek gnosis (knowledge). If you answer "yes" to the question,"Do you BELIEVE in god?" than you are a theist. If you answer "no" you are an atheist.
Permalink Reply by §kürrý on July 14, 2010 at 8:42am
Dawkins basically says to pick a side though.
Permalink Reply by Jennifer Rice on July 14, 2010 at 8:49am
Right,I agree. I have heard of agnostic christians/jews. I think they are doubting their faith and leaning towards atheism. I don't believe that theists become atheists over-night,especially strong ones.
Permalink Reply by JayBarti on July 14, 2010 at 9:55am
That poster is ripe for my favorite Pratchett quote.

I think perhaps the most important problem is that we are trying to understand the fundamental workings of the universe via a language devised for telling one another where the best fruit is. -- (Terry Pratchett, alt.fan.pratchett)
Permalink Reply by Little Name Atheist on July 14, 2010 at 10:05am
Ha! A most excellent application of this most excellent Pratchett utterance.
Permalink Reply by Little Name Atheist on July 14, 2010 at 9:02am
Hi. I'm a moderator. This site is for non-theists. Welcome.
Permalink Reply by Richard Healy on July 14, 2010 at 9:06am
I do not believe atheists have provide adequate proof in proving god to be false.

A question of burden of proof.

Although in shorthand you might catch an atheist saying Religion / Gods (is/are) false, a properly considered position is that agnosticism is implicit, no-one can know for certain that gods do not exist, but that for those of us who doubt and find no evidence to support it, we live our lives in the conclusion that there is no god.

On the matter of evidence, the burden of proof false not on those denying a claim to be false but on those making a positive claim to truth.

The godly and the faithful have the burdne of proof on them to make the case for god. In my experience they fail at every hurdle.

I know of no evidence, good reason or sound argument for why I should believe in other people's gods.

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