richard dreyfuss is a theist
Richard Dreyfuss has described himself as a believer in God, but does not affiliate with any specific religion. This would classify him as a theist.
TheistHe is called a believer.
The correct word for a person who doesn't believe in God is, precisely, "atheist".A somewhat related word is "agnostic". However, an agnostic is not necessarily one who doesn't believe in God; rather, it refers to the belief that the existence of God - or other, related, religious topics - cannot be proven or disproven.
Yes, Barack Obama has described himself as a Christian and has spoken openly about his religious faith.
No monotheist is the not the opposit of atheist. Monotheists believe in one god atheists believe in no god. This leaves the pantheists and polytheists out of the consideration. The opposite of atheist (one who has a belief in the existance of no god(s)) would be theist (one who has a belief in the existance of gos(s)).
Most people would probably describe their belief in God in terms of some specific religion; they are Christians, Jews, Muslims, etc. But the general term for a person who believes in God is a theist; this is the opposite of a person who does not believe in God, which is an atheist.
I presume you mean, Richard Branson. He is an atheist.
He is a theist - he describes himself as a Muslim.
She is catholic.
I think you may be referring to Richard Dawkins, a Biologist. He is a very outspoken atheist.
Atheist - If he is sure there there is no specific god because of the impossibility and/or improbability of his existence. Agnostic - Not sure whether there is a god or not. Usually does not care. An atheist is the opposite of a theist. The theist believes there is evidence for the existence of their favorite god. The atheist does not. It would be illogical for the atheist to "deny" the existence of something for which there is no evidence. Atheism is merely the lack of a belief. Knowledge is absolute. Since nobody can know with absolute certainty no gods exist, everyone is agnostic. So the so-called "agnostic" has the same lack of knowledge as the atheist or theist has. It's just commonly accepted that an agnostic does not commit either way.
He an anti-theist (against religion) but more-so agnostic when it comes to the existence of a so called "God".
Just ask them if they are atheist, theist or agnostic. most won't be ashamed to tell you. However if they don't agree with your simple 3 category breakdown you might get an answer like None of those, Secularist, pagan, Rastafarian, Epicurean, Stoic, Freethinker, etc. You will then have to shuffle your categories.
The opposite form of atheist is theist.
That is the correct spelling of "gnostic" (capitalized Gnostic referring to the belief).The similar word is the adjective or noun agnostic(neither a theist nor atheist).
These are fine distinctions, but some philosophers define a range of beliefs: Thiest - certain that god exists. Weak thiest - acknowledges that one can't be certain, but believes. Agnostic - neither believes nor disbelieves. Weak atheist - acknowledges that one can't be certain, but disbelieves. Strong atheist - certain there is no god. As you can see, "weak atheists" hold the middle ground - in fact, most atheists are probably weak atheists - they acknowledge that certainty isn't possible, but it is very unlikely that god actually exists.
No. An atheist (no god or without god) is sure that they don't believe in gods. However not being sure has a name as well, it is most often called agnostic (not knowing) behavior. From "not being sure" you may progress through studying the question and discussing the issue to being either an atheist, agnostic or theist. A fourth option, non-theist, best describes groups like Buddhists who don't feel the issue of whether there is a god or not is worthwhile pursuing.
The opposite of a theist is a atheist