freediver wrote on Apr 5
th, 2010 at 1:20pm:
It isn't such a problem with agnosticism, which is too subtle for the media whores. We did have someone try to define atheism with a list of celebrities. But what happens when an atheist changes his mind and become agnostic or theist? Or realises he was agnostic all along? It is easier to take the label with them. No-one wants to be a born again agnostic, especially on TV.
If you want to get subtle about it, I think Einstein went from theism (in his childhood, which doesn't really count), to atheism, to agnostic deism, to agnostic atheism... So, to say Einstein was X on the matter, depends on what part of his life you focus on. The only aspect that appears consistent is his disbelieving the notion of a personal, interventionist god.
It's not really much of theism to use the term 'god' as a synonym for 'first cause' where this 'god' cannot intervene, be concerned about the well-being of humans or suspend natural law (can't imagine what theology could arise from it) and, I bet, very few believers in god today would define god that way... You may as well call it anything you like, if it can have no effect on one's life. Few would argue with theism so defined, anyway.
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