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在线翻译:
szdaily -> Speak Shenzhen
Unbelievable!
     2014-September-1  08:53    Shenzhen Daily

    James Baquet

    Ming is chatting with his classmate Mark in the common room of their dorm.

    Ming: Hi, Mark. Do you mind if I ask a personal question?

    Mark: Well, I can’t promise I’ll want to answer, but go ahead.

    Ming: Thanks. Can you tell me what religion you follow?

    Mark: Actually, I’m an agnostic.

    Ming: That means you don’t believe in anything, right?

    Mark: Sort of! Really it means I’m not sure if God exists or not. The “A” means “not,” and “-gnostic” is related to the English word “knowledge.”

    Ming: So, “having no knowledge?”

    Mark: Yes, no knowledge of God.

    Ming: I see. How is that different from an atheist?

    Mark: The atheist, also called a non-theist or non-believer, says he is absolutely sure there’s no God.

    Ming: How can he be so sure?

    Mark: He says there’s no evidence, and the “burden of proof” is on the theist — that’s a believer in some kind of God or gods — to show that God exists.

    Ming: So from “no” to “yes”: atheist, agnostic, theist?

    Mark: That’s right. But lots of atheists don’t use that term.

    Ming: Why not?

    Mark: They say that to call yourself an atheist is to define yourself by what you don’t believe.

    Ming: The same with “nonbeliever?”

    Mark: Right. They say that doing so would be the same as saying “I’m an a-dragon-ist” or an “a-fairy-ist.”

    Ming: Other things they don’t believe in. So what do they call themselves?

    Mark: One of the best ones is “humanist.” They believe in human potential, and that if anyone is going to save us, it will be humans cooperating with each other, and not some god coming out of the sky.

    Ming: That makes sense. What other terms do they use?

    Mark: In reference to the way they think, some call themselves “rationalists.”

    Ming: Meaning they use reason, not emotion or superstition, to decide what’s true and what’s not?

    Mark: That’s right. Others like to use the word “skeptic.”

    Ming: What does that mean?

    Mark: To be skeptical means to be doubtful. We also use it for matters not related to religion: “My teacher said the test would be easy, but we were skeptical.”

    Ming: So a skeptic is someone who doubts God exists?

    Mark: Yes, but they extend the idea to all supernatural or unproven things: ghosts, fairies, dragons, Bigfoot, the Loch Ness monster, and so on.

    Ming: I suppose that’s true of most atheists?

    Mark: Maybe. But the word “atheist” refers specifically to unbelief in a god. “Rationalist” and “skeptic” are much broader, indicating belief only in what can be proven scientifically.

    Ming: So these are all the words for non-believers?

    Mark: There are lots more! Can we talk later?

    Ming: Sure! Thanks!

    

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