Originally Posted By: Ellis
Atheism is a lack of belief-- pure and simple.


Pure and simple? A belief in ones self as ones principles in a determinate point of reference is still a belief regardless of whether one decides to withdraw from another's point of view or point of reference.
Originally Posted By: Ellis

It (atheism) closes you off to the possibilities life has to offer....wrote entropic 42.

And what are these 'possibilities'?

The possibility that ones own belief in a lack of beliefs pure and simple is all one will ever experience or label themselves because they shut the door to anything else. The possibility that one has taken a position based on the inability of the authority they worship and believe in, to wander any further than they will, beyond the borders of the box. The possibility that one could expand even further than they are now because they believe in the finality of a beginning and an end determined within the conscious awareness they cling to.

A Wiki point of view....


Atheism can be either the rejection of theism, or the position that deities do not exist. In the broadest sense, it is the absence of belief in the existence of deities.

The term atheism originated from the Greek (atheos), meaning "ungodly" or "deserted by the gods," which was derogatively applied to anyone thought to believe in false gods, no gods, or doctrines that stood in conflict with established religions. With the spread of free thought, skeptical inquiry, and subsequent increase in criticism of religion, application of the term narrowed in scope. The first individuals to self-identify as "atheist" appeared in the 18th century. Today, about 2.3% of the world's population describes itself as atheist, while a further 11.9% is described as nontheist. Between 64% and 65% of Japanese describe themselves as atheists, agnostics, or non-believers, and up to 48% in Russia. The percentage of such persons in European Union member states ranges between 6% (Italy) and 85% (Sweden).

Atheism tends towards skepticism regarding supernatural claims, citing a lack of empirical evidence. Common rationales include the problem of evil, the argument from inconsistent revelations, and the argument from nonbelief. Other arguments for atheism range from the philosophical to the social to the historical.

In Western culture, atheists are frequently assumed to be irreligious or unspiritual. However, religious and spiritual belief systems such as forms of Buddhism that do not advocate belief in gods, have also been described as atheistic. Although some atheists tend toward secular philosophies such as humanism, rationalism, and naturalism, there is no one ideology or set of behaviors to which all atheists adhere.


Pure and simple..... tired The older one gets the less the mind is open to possibility.
Originally Posted By: Ellis

Life really is what you make it, and if you acknowledge that you'll only get one go at it you give it your best effort!
When you confine life to "pure and simple" based on the individual point of reference you have made it according to personal definition. If there is much more to it than you yourself are conscious of then you can never really say you've made the best of your life if you know not of the potential of life. Rather when having self prescribed a life of being forced between two walls that are a beginning and an end you can say you have done the best you thought you could do without knowing there was more than what was contained between those two self constructed walls.
Originally Posted By: Ellis
Certainly I am not conscious of any likely 'possibility' that I am sad to have missed.
Most say that until they are about to die, and with that realization comes a plethora of I wishes that, "I would have done this or that with my life..Said this or that to that someone or gone somewhere I never went to".. These are the things all people experience regardless of their self title and beliefs or beliefs in non belief when they think they only have one shot and are faced with the recognition that the world and even the universe contains more than they could experience in any one lifetime.


I was addicted to the Hokey Pokey, but then I turned myself around!!