bright

The adjective is from Middle English bright, from Old English beorht, from Proto-West Germanic *berht, from Proto-Germanic *berhtaz (“bright”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerHǵ- (“to shine, to gleam, whiten”).
The noun is derived from Middle English bright (“brightness, brilliance; daylight; light”), from bright (adjective): see above.
The English word is cognate with Albanian bardhë (“white”), Dutch brecht (in personal names), Icelandic bjartur (“bright”), Lithuanian brekšta (“to dawn”), Middle Irish brafad (“blink of an eye”), Norwegian bjart (“bright, clear, shining”), Persian برازیدن (barâzidan, “to beautify; to befit”), Northern Luri بڵێز (bełız, “blaze”) Russian бре́зжить (brézžitʹ, “to dawn; to flicker faintly, glimmer; (figuratively) of a hope, thought, etc.: to begin to manifest, emerge”), Sanskrit भ्राजते (bhrājate), Scots bricht (“bright”), Welsh berth (“beautiful, fair, fine”) (obsolete).

cog

Brights constitute 60% of American scientists, and a stunning 93% of those scientists good enough to be elected to the elite National Academy of Sciences (equivalent to Fellows of the Royal Society) are brights.

2003 June 20, Richard Dawkins, “The future looks bright”, in Alan Rusbridger, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2021-03-22:

Many of us brights have devoted considerable time and energy at some point in our lives to looking at the arguments for and against the existence of God, and many brights continue to pursue these issues, hacking away vigorously at the arguments of believers as if they were trying to refute a rival scientific theory. But not I.

2006, Daniel C[lement] Dennett, “Breaking Which Spell?”, in Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon, New York, N.Y.: Viking, →ISBN, part I (Opening Pandora’s Box), section 5 (Religion as a Natural Phenomenon), page 27:

[Richard] Dawkins has received appreciative letters from people who were formerly what he derisively calls "faith-heads" who have abandoned their delusions and come over to the side of the brights, the pleasant green pastures where clear-eyed, brave, bold, and supremely brainy atheists graze contentedly.

2008 April, David Aikman, “The Attack of the Four Horsemen”, in The Delusion of Disbelief: Why the New Atheism is a Threat to Your Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of Happiness, Carol Stream, Ill.: SaltRiver, Tyndale House Publishers, →ISBN, page 28:

A person with a naturalistic worldview with no mystical or supernatural elements.


atheism

en-noun

atheism (usually uncountable, plural atheisms)

16th century Middle French athéisme, from athée (“atheist”), a loan from Ancient Greek ἄθεος (átheos, “godless”, from ἀ- (a-, “without”) + θεός (theós, “deity, god”)).
First English attestation dates to 1587 (OED).

ateïsme

lack of belief that any deities exist (with or without a belief that no deities exist)

(obsolete) Absence of belief in the One True God, defined by Moore as personal, immaterial and trinitarian (thus Islam, Judaism and unitarian Christianity), as opposed to monotheism.


atheist

en-adj

atheist (comparative more atheist, superlative most atheist)

more atheist (comparative)
most atheist (superlative)

From Middle French athéiste (athée + -iste), from Latin atheos, from Ancient Greek ἄθεος (átheos, “godless, without god”), from ἀ- (a-, “without”) + θεός (theós, “god”).

der

He would have been seven times more Epicure and atheist than he was.

c. 16th-17th century, “Francis Bacon”, in Of Unity in Religion:

God! That majestic name is in the pledge. In doing this the government has already made clear that our country believes in God! We are the majority! Our nation is not Buddhist, not Hinduist, not Atheist, and the list goes on!

2007 December 1, R. D. Richardson, Violence in the Urban Schools!: What Would You Do?, Xlibris Corporation, →ISBN, page 81:

Of or relating to atheists or atheism; atheistic.


skeptic

Borrowed from Middle French sceptique (but with a pronunciation closer to that of the Greek etymon), or possibly directly from Late Latin scepticus (originally attested only in the plural Scepticī (“the sect of Skeptics”)), from Ancient Greek σκεπτικός (skeptikós, “thoughtful, inquiring”), from σκέπτομαι (sképtomai, “I consider”), compare to σκοπέω (skopéō, “I view, examine”).

(in particular) Someone who is skeptical towards religion.


Bible basher

Coordinate term: Koran basher (“fundamentalist Muslim”)

I don't ever go to my local church any more: it's become filled with stupid, fuddy-duddy Bible bashers.

I was a real Bible basher. I used to rush round asking people if they were saved.

1969, April Hersey, Hooked on God : the Wayside Chapel experiment, Melbourne: Sun Books, →LCCN, LCC BV2656.S9 W35, page 106:

There is a skinny old bible basher who is always out gathering souls, regardless of the weather.

2008, Ian Commins, Fiveways, Queensland: University of Queensland Press, →ISBN, page 73:

(derogatory) A fundamentalist Christian preacher, or other fervent Christian, who is seen to take every opportunity to talk about Christianity and attempt to convert those around them.

I'm no bible-basher looking to discredit everything I hear, but there is one point that might be interesting to argue...If the bible is the Word of God, which version or language is the official Word, as the meanings change subtley^([sic]) from one to another?

2002, Everett Hickey, “Biblical”, in alt.astronomy (Usenet):

There *are* no "Biblical contradictions". Years ago, I...addressed many, many, many alleged "contradictions". It's a very sad state of affairs, most Bible bashers who claim "contradictions" prefer quantity over quality, and no matter how many *ridiculous* claims they came up with and I demolished, they would continue with others...

2003, Jeff Shirton, “Conference...”, in alt.religion.mormon (Usenet):

2006, veralein, How to protect yourself against false Christian teachers in alt.christnet.christianlife http://groups.google.com/group/alt.christnet.christianlife/browse_thread/thread/80f36af2e40d135a/15e69f2a5f0959de?lnk=st&q=%22bible+basher%22+against+-deicide&rnum=6&hl=en#15e69f2a5f0959de
I think you are just a Bible basher for what reasons ever. Maybe you are just an atheist who has pleasure in trolling Christians and recruiting them.

A person who finds fault with the Bible, Christianity, or Christian teaching.


humanism

en-noun

humanism (usually uncountable, plural humanisms)

From human + -ism, borrowed from German Humanismus, coined by Friedrich Immanuel Niethammer in 1808.

An ethical system that centers on humans and their values, needs, interests, abilities, dignity and freedom; especially used for a secular one which rejects theistic religion and superstition.


euhemerize

en-verb

euhemerize (third-person singular simple present euhemerizes, present participle euhemerizing, simple past and past participle euhemerized)

euhemerizes (present singular third-person)
euhemerizing (participle present)
euhemerized (participle past)
euhemerized (past)

From euhemerism + -ize, ultimately from Latin Euhēmerus, from Ancient Greek Εὐήμερος (Euḗmeros), an ancient Greek Sicilian Skeptic who proposed most or all mythology derived from historical figures and natural events which received supernatural characteristics only through retelling.

The Yellow Emperor was perhaps euhemerized from a prehistoric tribal leader.

(transitive, intransitive) Synonym of deify: to actually create mythology and legends from ancient historical figures and events.

évhémériser

to explain or interpret something through euhemerism


freethinker

Danish: fritænker (calque)

French: libre-penseur (calque)

German: Freidenker (calque)

desc

вольноду́мец

Russian: вольноду́м (volʹnodúm), вольноду́мец (volʹnodúmec) (calque)

A person who has formed his or her opinions using reason and rational enquiry; somebody who has rejected dogma, especially with regard to religion.

ազատամիտ

The report projected that in the Asia-Pacific region, the proportion of freethinkers is projected to decline from 21 per cent in 2010 to 17 per cent in 2050.

2015 April 6, Siau Ming En, “Religiosity on rise in Asia-Pacific, proportion of freethinkers on decline”, in Today Online, archived from the original on 2015-04-10:

(Singapore, Malaysia) A person with no religion.


atheophobia

At many institutions, I have found atheophobia to be rampant among students; and religiophobia to be common among faculty.

2003 Spring, Robert J. Nash, “Inviting Atheists to the Table: A Modest Proposal for Higher Education”, in Religion & Education, volume 30, number 1, New York, →DOI, →ISSN:

Atheophobia leads to invisibility for many atheists, who find it is best to keep their nonbelief hidden for their own good.

2009 Spring, Kathleen M. Goodman with John A. Mueller, “Invisible, marginalized, and stigmatized: Understanding and addressing the needs of atheist students”, in New Directions for Student Services, number 125, →DOI, →ISSN, pages 55–63:

Atheophobia should be just as unacceptable as homophobia, anti-Semitism, or racism.

2011 January 25, Dan Barker, The Good Atheist: Living a Purpose-Filled Life Without God, Berkeley: Ulysses Press, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 42:

無神論恐怖症

むしんろんきょうふしょう


antitheism

The categorical opposition to the belief in any and all deities.


fundie

He's a Jewish fundie, keeps everything really kosher.

(by extension, derogatory, slang) A religious fundamentalist of any faith.


humanist

A person who believes in the philosophy of humanism.


humanist

(relating to humanism):


Invisible Pink Unicorn

en-proper noun

Invisible Pink Unicorn (plural Invisible Pink Unicorns)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-Invisible Pink Unicorn.wav

If you feel it is the duty of others to refute the claim, and not of yourself to support it, then how about refuting the existence of invisible pink unicorns?

1990 July 17, je kanker moeder, “Re: 'Proof' of God's Existence”, in alt.atheism (Usenet), retrieved 2010-09-30, message-ID <3704@qip.UUCP>:

Invisible Pink Unicorns are beings of great spiritual power. We know this because they are capable of being invisible and pink at the same time. Like all religions, the Faith of the Invisible Pink Unicorns is based upon both logic and faith. We have faith that they are pink; we logically know that they are invisible because we can't see them.

From a quite opposite perspective, an interesting departure of the 1990s (largely on the internet, and still flourishing) is the cult of the Invisible Pink Unicorn, which is at least in part a philosophical tool for examining the nature of religious faith from a skeptical point of view.

2007, Nigel Suckling, Unicorns, Facts, Figures, & Fun, →ISBN, page 94:

(Internet slang, humorous) A unicorn goddess who is simultaneously invisible and pink, used in arguments against faith in an unprovable deity.


Flying Spaghetti Monster

the Flying Spaghetti Monster (canonical)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-Flying Spaghetti Monster.wav

I and many others around the world are of the strong belief that the universe was created by a Flying Spaghetti Monster.

2005 January, Bobby Henderson, “Open Letter To Kansas School Board”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name):

Is the super-intelligent, super-popular god known as the Flying Spaghetti Monster any match for the prophets of intelligent design?

2005 August 29, Sarah Boxer, “But Is There Intelligent Spaghetti Out There?”, in New York Times, →ISSN, retrieved 2011-10-28:

And now, the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster (FSM) is demanding equal teaching time for its theory that the world was created by an FSM.

2006 May 24, Jack Huberman, “#75: Kansas State Board of Education”, in 101 People Who Are Really Screwing America, Nation Books, →ISBN, →LCCN, LCC P95.82.U6 H83 2006, page 76:

A popular deity on the Internet at present — and as undisprovable as Yahweh or any other — is the Flying Spaghetti Monster, who, many claim, has touched them with his noodly appendage.

2006 September 18, Richard Dawkins, “The God Hypothesis”, in The God Delusion, Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, →ISBN, →LCCN, LCC BL2775.3.D39 2006, page 76:

Call it what you want — God, Buddha, the Flying Spaghetti Monster, Prime Mover Unmoved. The totality of everything. I don't care.

2008 April 29, Neil Gaiman with Michael Reeves, InterWorld, 1st edition, New York: HarperCollins, →ISBN, →LCCN, LCC PZ7.G1273 Int 2007, page 73:

All rooms, no matter how tough, have someone who hates you the least. Even if you're a Flying Spaghetti Monster disciple speaking at the Vatican, someone in that room will hate you less than everyone else.

2009 October, Scott Berkun, “How to work a tough room”, in Confessions of a Public Speaker, 1st edition, Sebastapol: O'Reilly, →ISBN, →LCCN, LCC PN4129.15.B47 2010, page 51:

(humorous) A deity consisting of spaghetti and meatballs, the creator of the universe according to the religion of Pastafarianism.


humanistic

en-adj

humanistic (comparative more humanistic, superlative most humanistic)

more humanistic (comparative)
most humanistic (superlative)

I recognize thee, Satan, and I spit in thine face
Whatever happened to the human race?
What happened to the humanistic faith?
What happens to human waste?

1985, J. G. Thirlwell (lyrics and music), “Descent into the Inferno”, in Nail, performed by Scraping Foetus Off the Wheel:

“The broader one’s understanding of the human experience, the better design we will have.” Apple is a humanistic tech company. It’s also the largest company in the world.

2022 December 6, Stephen Marche, quoting Steve Jobs, “The College Essay Is Dead”, in The Atlantic:


misotheism

Borrowed from Ancient Greek μισόθεος (misótheos, “hating the gods”), from μίσος (mísos, “hatred”) + θεός (theós, “god”). The Greek compound is found in Aeschylus (Agamemnon 1090; compare dystheism). The English word appears as a nonce-coinage, used by T. De Quincey in 1846.


antitheist

An active opponent of the belief in the existence of a god or gods.

Antitheist

an active opponent of the belief in the existence of a god or gods


antitheistic

en-adj

antitheistic (comparative more antitheistic, superlative most antitheistic)

more antitheistic (comparative)
most antitheistic (superlative)

Of, pertaining to or espousing antitheism.

antiteísta

of, pertaining to or espousing antitheism


cosmicism

The literary philosophy developed by the American writer H. P. Lovecraft, stating that there is no recognizable divine presence, such as God, in the universe, and that humans are particularly insignificant in the larger scheme of intergalactic existence.


euhemeristic

From euhemerist + -ic, from euhemerism, from Latin Euhemerus, from Ancient Greek Εὐήμερος (Euḗmeros), an ancient Greek Sicilian Skeptic who proposed most or all mythology derived from historical figures and natural events which received supernatural characteristics only through retelling.

A consistent Euhemeristic interpretation of a poet's allusions to his own movements would often lead us to strange results.

1879, F. D. Morice, Pindar, chapter 3, page 37:


euhemerist

euhemerist (comparative more euhemerist, superlative most euhemerist)

more euhemerist (comparative)
most euhemerist (superlative)

From euhemerism + -ist, from Latin Euhemerus, from Ancient Greek Εὐήμερος (Euḗmeros), an ancient Greek Sicilian Skeptic who proposed most or all mythology derived from historical figures and natural events which received supernatural characteristics only through retelling.

Synonym of euhemeristic: of or related to euhemerism.


euhemerism

en-noun

euhemerism (usually uncountable, plural euhemerisms)

From Euhemerus + -ism, ultimately from Latin Euhēmerus, from Ancient Greek Εὐήμερος (Euḗmeros), an ancient Greek Sicilian Skeptic who proposed most or all mythology derived from historical figures and natural events which received supernatural characteristics only through retelling.

In regard to the Thracian god Zalmosis, the Hellespontic Greeks interpreted his character and attributes according to the scheme of Euemerism.

1846, George Grote, History of Greece, volume I, page 596:

Then again there was a period of what is sometimes called Euhemerism - the theory that the gods and goddesses had actually once been men and women, historical characters round whom a halo of romance and remoteness had gathered.

1920, Edward Carpenter, Pagan and Christian Creeds, New York: Harcourt, Brace and Co., published 1921, page 10:

(uncountable) The belief that legends and mythology arise from exaggerated descriptions of historical people and events.

يُوهَيْمِرِيَّة

attribution of a historical origin to myths and legends


sky daddy

From sky + daddy, originally in reference to the Christian conception of God the Father resident in Heaven.

For starters, having an ideology that explicitly denies the existence of an invisible sky daddy is a bit of a handicap when it comes to assimilating the idea of nightmarish immortal aliens from elsewhere in the multiverse, given that the NIAs in question have historically been identified as gods (subtype: elder).

2010, Charles Stross, The Fuller Memorandum (Laundry Files), New York: Penguin, →ISBN, →LCCN, LCC PR6119.T79 F85 2010, page 81:

An invisible sky daddy didn’t save all those Chilean miners; real people with science and technology got it done!

2010 October 14, “Well Said”, in The Good Atheist, archived from the original on 2011-09-08:

Nature isn’t some sky daddy, it’s what makes up reality by definition.

2011 November 9, Matt Bush, “Nature doesn’t care about us”, in In which I wax acerbic, archived from the original on 2011-11-30:

In the book of fairy tales and myths, a big magical sky daddy delivers the populace his own flesh and blood to get horribly slain so that his resurrected son can become your imaginary bearded hippie-friend.

2011, E. A. St. Amant, The New Ancien Régime, →ISBN, page 79:

“Magic!” said Billy, clapping his hands with delight. “I talked to my sky daddy. He made a magic dream in your heart.”

2011, John Leonard Köehler, Billy Blue Sky:

(slang) A god, especially (derogatory, offensive) God the Father.


Russell's teapot

From a teapot described in an article written in 1952 by Bertrand Russell, Is There a God?.

(philosophy) A china teapot which hypothetically orbits the Sun between Earth and Mars, which is too small to be detected by telescopes but cannot be proven not to exist.


euhemerization

euhemerization (countable and uncountable, plural euhemerizations)

/juːˌhiːməɹɪzˈeɪʃən/

From euhemerize + -ation, ultimately from Latin Euhēmerus, from Ancient Greek Εὐήμερος (Euḗmeros), an ancient Greek Sicilian Skeptic who proposed most or all mythology derived from historical figures and natural events which received supernatural characteristics only through retelling.

The euhemerization of Taoist myth by Confucian historians sometimes led to the appearance of figures such as "Lord Primordial Chaos" (渾沌氏) in the imperial genealogies.

(uncountable, derogatory) The fanciful invention of plausible historical figures and events as an attempt to rationalize mythology and legends

One such euhemerization is a Rowan Atkinson bit where he presents Jesus Christ as a misunderstood street magician.

Much of Chinese mythology appears to have been the result of euhemerization, the later deification of Neolithic tribal leaders and inventors incompletely remembered through oral traditions and now-lost records.

(uncountable) Synonym of deification: the actual creation of mythology and legends from historical figures and events; (countable) an instance of this.

rationalization & pseudohistory

fanciful creation of rational explanations for the supernatural


religitard

Come on you, religitards: Prove your God exists and I'll shut the hell up.

2008 June 2, Gwen, “Re: God made pre-humans into people, Vatican newspaper says”, in alt.abortion (Usenet):

I understand the problem religitards have with Sodom, but what did Gomorrah ever do?

2012 May 2, chibiabos [username], “Re: "At Ease, Moron!!!"”, in alt.atheism (Usenet):

I find it somewhat amusing that religitards get offended by the notion that they are related to other primates, but react with pride when they are referred to a^([sic]) flock of sheep.

2013 April 3, Barry OGrady, “Re: My question to CMI”, in aus.religion.christian (Usenet):

(slang, derogatory, religious slur) An adherent of a religion, especially one who is dogmatic.


gaytheist

(slang, offensive, derogatory) An atheist.


buybull

From buy and bull (“bullshit”), and the similarity in sound to Bible.

(derogatory, slang, religious slur) A Bible.


neoatheist

A fundamental blind spot that so many of the neoatheist critics of religion share is that they have been unable to imagine an authentic religion that does not operate with certainty as its only common coin ...

2008, Robert Jones, Progressive & Religious, page 186

2011, Frank J, Re: All Finnish public 3 IDists are now practically or close to YECs ... Group: talk.origins
just denied unguided evolution and attacked strongly on neoatheists

I praise Dawkins' clarity, I rejoice in Dennett's call to study religion scientifically as a natural phenomena, and I admire S. Harris's keen polemical skill. Yet I think these thinkers are all arrogantly out of their depth. These "neo-atheist" authors chiefly use highly selective analogy, anecdote, personal sentiment, and rash generalization...

2012, Charles Crawford, Dennis Krebs, Foundations of Evolutionary Psychology, →ISBN:

2013, The Faces of Satan, They batter believers in religion with smug certainty Group: can.politics, link
neoatheist thinkers such as Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens, I thought it amazing that he still wanted to learn something new

A member of the vocally anti-religious movement that came to prominence in the early 2000s.


nonfaith

nonfaith (countable and uncountable, plural nonfaiths)

(uncountable) Absence of religious faith.

(countable) Any system of belief that is not a religious faith.


Sky Fairy

From sky + fairy, in reference to the usual conception of the Abrahamic God as a supernatural being resident in Heaven.

Because theists are forgiven by the Sky Fairy. So they can be as bad as they wanna be.

2007 October 25, ScottyFLL [username], “Re: Dr. Francis Collins on The Colbert Report”, in alt.atheism (Usenet):

... other than the fact that they have different names for the Sky Fairy?

2010 June 29, Major Debacle [username], “What's the difference between the Taliban and the Christian right?”, in alt.religion.christian (Usenet):

Which is pretty much the tantamount to saying the Sky Fairy sent the tsunami to punish man's wickedness, i.e utter nonsense.

2011 March 11, Kevin N, “Re: OT: Monster Quake and Tsunami in Pacific”, in rec.music.classical.recordings (Usenet):

(derogatory slang, possibly offensive) Synonym of God, particularly the Abrahamic God.


sky fairy

A generalization of the earlier Sky Fairy, q.v.

Then there's the Roman sky fairies, the ancient Greek sky fairies the multi-limbed female with an Elephant's head that the "world's biggest democracy" (India) believes in.

2008 March 20, Zarya, “Re: If You Have Morality and Reason on Your Side . . . .”, in aus.politics (Usenet):

This thread has degenerated now into a debate about whose sky fairy is the true sky fairy and therefore has reached the point of total absurdity.

2012 February 13, Ördög [username], “Re: The most unpopular government ever...”, in aus.politics (Usenet):

You don't prove the negative. The burden of proof is on those who posit the existence of their cosmic sky fairy.

2013 December 1, Gawdlezz [username], “Re: What!? You Mean Birds Did Come from Dinosaurs, After All?”, in alt.politics.usa (Usenet):

(derogatory slang, possibly offensive) A god.


atheocracy

An atheocracy is not a practicable form of government.

1907, Thomas Whittaker, The Liberal State: A Speculation, Watts & Co., page 14:

An atheocracy of the Marxian type is as intolerant of liberty of thought as any Holy Roman Empire or Bible-ridden company of Puritans.

1950, William Pepperell Montague, Great Visions of Philosophy: Varieties of Speculative Thought in the West from the Greeks to Bergson, The Open Court Publishing Company, page 32:

More than a few thinkers have noted the irony of secularism as itself constituting a de facto “religious” system of thought, which defines how and why we can believe things, and where we can talk about them. As some might put it: a secular atheocracy.

2012 February 22, Robert Joustra, “Beware the secular atheocracy”, in The Globe and Mail:


there are no atheists in foxholes

In reference to the use of foxholes as a shelter in wartime.

In times of extreme stress or fear, even those who do not believe in a benevolent higher power will hope that one exists.


polyatheist

From poly- + atheist, based on polytheist.

A person who does not believe in multiple gods.


aatheist

A weak aatheist is someone who lacks belief in the existence of atheists. A strong aatheist is someone who believes that atheists do not exist. […]
Now. I'm a weak aatheist. That doesn't mean I can't be a theist. I believe my toaster is god. So, I consider myself to be a theist. Most atheist^([sic]) consider me to be a theist when asked off guard. That's because atheists consider "stupid beliefs" to be theisms. So I'm a theist.

1999 August 26, Dr Sinister, “Re: God”, in alt.philosophy.debate (Usenet), message-ID <8E2DF65E7kickass@news.globalserve.net>:

THE LEXICOLOGICAL ARGUMENT FOR THE NON-EXISTENCE OF ATHEISTS
As presented by Electro, strong aatheist...
Of all the self-classified people who baldly assert that they are either "weak" or "strong" atheists, the common banner they march under is the statement "We lack belief in gods."
This claim "the lack of belief in gods" has been equated with atheism so often and so many times, that any serious aatheist must examine the claim carefully and for what it is worth.
Let us look at what the alleged atheist claims about himself. He claims to "lack belief in gods." Now, we all know what the word "belief" means. A belief is the statement of something believed. So, what is believing?
[…]
Atheists do not exist.
QED

1999 September 1, Electro, “Re: Introduction to Aatheism”, in alt.atheism (Usenet), message-ID <19990901121220.08068.00001526@ng-ce1.aol.com>:

[The paragraph below is quoted from http://jacksonville.com/opinion/blog/godspenman/2010-04-03/it-all-celebration-contradiction — the text below is odin's response.]
"Of course, I do not believe in atheists. I have never met an atheist in my entire life. I have met people who said they were atheists, but I never believed it. Every time an atheist gets in trouble, he blames it on God. Remember 9/11? Now, if he really does not believe in God, why does he blame things on God?"
But Iwould^([sic]) take that up a notch...
Of course, I do not believe in aatheists. I have never met an aatheist in my entire life. I have met people who said they were aatheists, but I never believed it. Therefore, I must be an aaatheist, but I digress. Every time an aatheist gets in trouble, he blames it on an atheist. Remember 9/11? Now, if he really does not believe in atheists, why does he blame things on atheists?

2010 April 4, odin, “Re: Commentary: It is all in the celebration of contradiction”, in talk.origins (Usenet), message-ID <546e1729-c244-4692-ac45-c13b9ce8ccc6@z7g2000yqb.googlegroups.com>:

(informal, humorous) A person who does not believe in the existence of atheists.


soft atheism

Coordinate term: hard atheism

The lack of belief in deities, without actually asserting that there are none.


hard atheism

Coordinate term: soft atheism


unatheist

en-adj

unatheist (comparative more unatheist, superlative most unatheist)

more unatheist (comparative)
most unatheist (superlative)

Tom Paine believed in God, specifically the Judeo-Christian God who created all and intervenes in his creation, life after death, direct revelation from God to men, and a whole bunch of other most unatheist beliefs.

2006 November 12, Tom P, “Thomas Jefferson on his own Christianity”, in alt.bible (Usenet):

That is very unatheist. We always question how we came about and have a arrived at some very good answers based on science and fact.

2010 April 12, bvallely, “I paint a picture”, in alt.atheism (Usenet):

Just then, the words of one Ehsān Narāghi, a man whose work I had once encountered in my father's library of unatheist books, cascaded down the walls of my void: What should be done to allow the Oriental countries, and Iran especially, ...

2018, Azareen Van der Vliet Oloomi, Call Me Zebra, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, →ISBN, page 223:


atheocratic

atheocratic (comparative more atheocratic, superlative most atheocratic)

more atheocratic (comparative)
most atheocratic (superlative)

Communism, as an atheocratic government, fits this model with the exception that it replaces God as the supreme authority with human government.

2004, John Webb Kline, I Could Use a Miracle Right Now: Miraculous Intervention for Difficult Times, page 264:

We see the consequences of this atheocratic mindset everywhere. We see it most clearly in the case of legalized abortion.

2011 July 4, James D. Conley, “America's Atheocracy”, in First Things:

Until 1988, militant atheism was the official religion, one might say, of the Soviet Union, and the Communist Party was the established church in what might be called an atheocratic state.

2019, John Witte, Christianity And Democracy In Global Context, unnumbered page:

(usually derogatory) Pertaining to or characteristic of atheocracy; godless.


Euhemerus

From Latin Euhemerus, from Ancient Greek Εὐήμερος (Euḗmeros, from εὐ- (eu-, “good-, well-”) + ἥμερος (hḗmeros, “tamed, civilized, domesticated”)).

der

(historical) An ancient Greek Sicilian Skeptic philosopher, famed for a lost work proposing most or all mythology derived from historical figures and natural events which became supernatural only through retelling.


Atheism Plus

Coined by blogger Jey McCreight in 2012.

(historical) A short-lived movement, active in the 2010s, that aimed to encourage atheists to address social justice issues in addition to religious ones during their activism.


alt.atheist

What alt.atheists believe. (To clarify, I am coining a new term "alt.atheist" to avoid the baggage of existing terms).

1990 September 21, Jim Perry, “Front-door Atheism”, in alt.atheism (Usenet), retrieved 2022-05-07:

The thing is that atheists (or, at least, alt.atheists) do not hold science as religion, but as science. Science-as-religion is held by some half-assedly-educated laymen, of which you do not see many here (your opinion of somne alt.atheists notwithstanding).

1997 October 14, MindFlayer, “Atheists and Aliens”, in alt.paranormal (Usenet), retrieved 2022-05-07:

Irrelevant. The persons whose behavior *is* described in my posts *are* numbered alt.atheists. No matter how many alt.atheists don't do X, the fact that two or more do X enables me to truthfully say that alt.atheists do X. As I showed in my example, *you* are the one making the generalization based upon the specifics.
I am consistently referring to specifics.

2002 February 12, Tichy, “Grading Alt.atheism's use of the Twit List”, in alt.atheism (Usenet), retrieved 2022-05-07:

> I don't consider myself an alt.atheist. I consider myself an atheist who posts to alt.atheist. There are other things I do besides this, y'know, and it's incorrect to say that I'm an "alt.atheist", as if it is something different than "regular atheist".
I wasn't trying to say different. By alt.atheist I meant the typical atheist I have meet at alt.atheism. I am not saying that alt.atheists are different in any other way.

2005 April 5, keit...@yahoo.com, “The Atheist Lie”, in alt.atheism (Usenet), retrieved 2022-05-07:

Everyone who jabs at alt.atheists is a Christian.

2014 June 17, jackpi...@gmail.com, “How many alt.atheists does ot take to screw in a lightbulb?”, in alt.atheism (Usenet), retrieved 2022-05-07:

(Internet slang) A participant in the Usenet newsgroup alt.atheism.


sci.skeptic

AS> You try to discredit any of the sources that are provided,
I assume you mean other sci.skeptics; me, I haven't looked at your sources yet (I only just received some that might be accessible to me).

1993 February 27, phil...@stsci.edu, “Afrocentrism”, in sci.skeptic (Usenet), retrieved 2022-05-08:

I think this thread is a perfect example of why most scientists (and us sci.skeptics) hold Philosophy of Science in such low regard.

1994 May 14, DaveHatunen, “Feyerabend's Against method: a proposal for debate”, in sci.philosophy.tech (Usenet), retrieved 2022-05-08:

I made a suggestion of something new to the sci.skeptics who hate Christianity but love Judaism.

2001 January 16, Matt Giwer, “More formal (mathematical) proof of prehistorical transatlantic contacts”, in alt.alien.visitors (Usenet), retrieved 2022-05-08:

(Internet slang) A participant in the Usenet newsgroup sci.skeptic.


strong atheist

A person who is certain that no deities exist or who thinks that the existence of deities can be disproven.


positive atheist

en-noun

positive atheist (plural positive atheists)