On Fri, 26 Sep 1997, Gifford, Nate F wrote:
> On Earth in The New Merriam-Webster Pocket Dictionary an Athiest is defined as follows:
> One who denies the existence of god.
>
> god is defined as:
> 1) a being or object believed to have more than natural attributes and powers and to require man's worship.
> 2) a person or thing of supreme value.
>
> With a little poetic license I contend that anyone who believes in the supernatural is by definition NOT an athiest.
>
> Interestingly after the definition of god in the dictionary there is another entry for God <god only with a capital G>.
> God is:
> the supreme reality esp. the Being <sic> whom men worship as the creator and ruler of the universe.
>
> I contend that on the planet Te Ta the inhabitants confuse God with god....
> Earth to Te Ta .... Earth to Te Ta .... athiests deny the existence of the members of the following set:
> {GOD, GOd, God, god, gOD, gOd, goD}
>
> I leave it as an excercise for the inhabitants of Te Ta to enumerate the names of the almighty Supernatural.
>
Nate: There are realms of belief in what is called the "supernatural"
that don't posit the existence of a supreme being, which is the sense in
which I understand the word "god" in the definition of "atheist" you cite.
There are also people who believe in things others would call
"supernatural", but who themselves believe them to be within the natural.
Eva