Quote:
Originally Posted by nfotiu
When I hear atheist, I think of the belligerent, all religions are evil, there is definitely no god, and my way of thinking is the only way. I don't think that kind of person would go very far in politics in either country. An agnostic type who doesn't believe in god or any particular religions, but respects the beliefs of others would probably do fine in Canada. In the right circumstances, they might have a shot in the US too. .
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I hate to derail this thread along these lines, but that doesn't really represent the difference between atheism and agnosticism accurately. That might be what you think of when you hear atheist, but this is a negative and inaccurate stereotype. An atheist can be as respectful about any debate in religion as any agnostic or theist, and some of the atheists I know simply aren't interested in talking about the god debate because to them it's not meaningful or interesting. As well, agnosticism isn't a lack of belief in a god; it's a belief that gods are in some way inherently unknowable (although even that's a simplification, because there are several different and distinct types of agnosticism).