I give up, what the H is an atheist?

[ojc02]

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Is there a difference between -
a) I don't believe god exists.
b) I believe god doesn't exist.

In any case, would anybody with either of those belief states be classified as an atheist?
Seems that way to me.

luckyme

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It's funny, I was thinking about exactly this distinction a few days ago.

If you think (b) you are an atheist.

I think the difference is that saying (a) rather than (b) leaves open the possibility that either:

1. You have no opinion on the matter because you've never considered a gods existence.
or
2. You have no opinion because you think it's not possible to ever find evidence one way or another. This is what Dawkins referred to as "Permanent Agnostic in Principle (PAP)".
or
3. You have no evidence either way but think you might be able to get some and answer the question eventually. This is what Dawkins referred to as "Temporary Agnostic in Practice (TAP)".

Incidently, with either 2 or 3 you can still have a circumstancial opinion of the probability of a god's existence.