I'd like to have a short discussion of vocabulary that people use when discussing religion and Godly issues.
Theism - A belief that God exists. From the Greek word Theos, meaning deity, god or gods. This is where I am. I put it on top because it's the right answer. Thanks for reading. :)
Atheism - A combination of Greek words a- (without) -theism (belief in God). People who fall in this camp are annoyed by religion, but it doesn't "offend" them; it just wastes their time. I understand atheists, I get their point of view; it's an intellectual position that is not challenging to reach.
Anti-theism - A combination of Greek words anti- (against) -theism (belief in God). In a way, this is in-your-face confrontational atheism, also called "new atheism" because it picks fights. These people have read their little Richard Dawkins books and are mad about it.
Deism - A belief that a deity (God) created the world, but doesn't get involved. No heaven, hell, praying, nothing. People who say that the United States was rooted in Christianity have a poor understanding of deism and famous deists. Count the famous American deists. In my humble opinion, this is atheism for people that don't want to talk about it.
Gnosticism - From the Greek word gnosis, meaning knowledge. It's a type of mysticism. A lot of Eastern and New Age hoodoo (including Kaballah) could be dumped into this category, gnosticism comes and goes in popularity.
Agnosticism - A combination of Greek words a- (without) -gnosis (knowledge). These are people who aren't sure if God exists or not. It implies being open but unsure about the idea. A lot of people call themselves atheists when they're really agnostic.
Irreligious - This is a broader category that a lot of people fall into without thinking about it. They're people who lack religion, don't care or are hostile about it. Atheists, deists and agnostics are in this camp. It also includes people who are disinterested or just don't care, as well as people who could be called secular humanists, a common and happy (but ultimately unjustifiable) philosophy. People who were raised religious but stopped when they got out of their parent's grasp fall in this category also.
I bring this up because a lot of people call Paul Myers an atheist--himself included. He's the guy that read all about the University of Central Florida student Webster Cook who snuck out of Mass with the Blessed Sacrament and made (and continues to make) a stink about it when people objected. Myers, a biology professor, promised on his blog:
I have an idea. Can anyone out there score me some consecrated communion wafers? There's no way I can personally get them -- my local churches have stakes prepared for me, I'm sure -- but if any of you would be willing to do what it takes to get me some, or even one, and mail it to me, I'll show you sacrilege, gladly, and with much fanfare. I won't be tempted to hold it hostage... but will instead treat it with profound disrespect and heinous cracker abuse, all photographed and presented here on the web. I shall do so joyfully and with laughter in my heart.
Myers calls himself a "militant atheist" and is really big into mocking God and all religions except (for some reason I cannot discern) Islam. So as a matter of definitions, PZ Myers is an anti-theist. He's against theism, not just without theism. This is the case for a new crop of atheists, often called "New Atheists" (how do you have a "new" philosophical position that was conceived around 3000 years ago?)
I've got an opinion on Mr. Myers, however this probably isn't the forum to discuss his antics. But it is time we get the term straight.
