Unbelievers versus Nonbelievers.

[enlightenment]

Maybe I'm just being a little cranky this morning, but is anyone else bothered by the word 'unbeliever'?

Petty, I know . . . and I'm not horribly, horribly bothered. Just enough to post the question . . .

[beam me up scottie]

1. Yep.

Begs the question

[prostock69]

2. No, I'm not upset by it. I'm just thrilled we got mentioned at all!

I can't remember a past president that ever admitted that we existed are deserved to be called "equal" with the believers. I was very happy.

[beac]

3. I heard "nonbeliever"... does the text of the speech say "un"?

As an atheist vegetarian, I'm pretty used to being outside the mainstream. Nice that Obama mentioned us. Took a TINY, TINY portion of the stink of Warren away. ;)

[Deep13]

4. I heard "nonbelievers" too. nt

[varkam]

8. Ditto. eom

[charlie]

9. Me too

Non-believers is what the AP transcript says:

Text of President Barack Obama's inaugural address

[immoderate]

5. I see no difference.

I am both.

--IMM

[laconicsax]

6. I'd prefer something non-negative.

Non-believer (or unbeliever) implies that you're supposed to believe and we're a subversive group that doesn't.

[Deep13]

10. Well, atheist means the same thing.

Anyway, I think the term was meant to include atheisits, agnostics, pantheists, realists and skeptics generally.

I know what you mean, of course. Like how did I become a "non-smoker" when I have nothing to do with smoking? Unfortunately, when something is a typical point of view, the easiest way to describe nonconformity is to define it by an absence of that point of view. I was glad to hear a national leader acknowledge that nonbelief is a legitimate point of view.

[varkam]

11. At least he didn't refer to us as "brights".

:scared:

[ihavenobias]

12. Well said. n/t

[enlightenment]

7. Okay - I'll go back to keeping my mouth shut now.

Listened to it again - it was non-, not un-

I apparently was having a moment . . . I could have sworn he said 'un-'

*now I'll wander around for the next few days convinced I have a brain tumor or something . . .*

Sorry about that.

*maybe I was warped from listening to Warren. That was icky.*


PS - I do think there is a BIG difference, which is why I got my panties in a bit of a wad.

[Warpy]

13. I don't really care

because he acknowledged we exist and we're part of the country, too.

It's high bloody time.

[beam me up scottie]

14. I didn't bother editing my post when I realized my mistake because it doesn't really matter.

I am a little bugged by either label but at least we got an honorable mention.

[pauliedangerously]

15. I wouldn't worry too much about it...

Most believers don't do nuance very well, hence the juxtaposition of words like "creation science," or "intelligent design theory."

I don't remember which word I heard, but I was glad to hear him say it.

This brings up a very interesting point that I make in my rare religious discussions with goddies: As a nonbeliever, I devote a considerable amount of time pondering cosmic issues and seeking truth. An unbeliever, on the other hand, doesn't even stop to consider how it got here or seek out meaning for its existence.

I have a reason for being godless: no-one can give me a clear definition of what it is. Moreover, religious texts don't answer my questions nor to the interpreters of these texts. I read the Bible when I was a teenager and I was appalled by it. After all the hype I heard about what a great and inspiring book it was I couldn't look at people the same way after I read it. It was like a waking dream. They don't really believe that stuff; they couldn't, COULD they? You've got to be phracking kidding.

And so, here I am. Welcome to the twilight zone.....do-do-do-do, do-do-do-do, do-do-do-do.

I never get mad at them; I just pretend that we are different species; that I share a common ancestor with the chimpanzee and believers are direct descendants of gorillas or neanderthals or lizards or whatever makes me laugh at the time.