User:JimWae/2or3sentences

Here are some statistics on the article as of 2010-Jan-30, using MS Word assessment of reading levels:


 * The (117 words in 4 sentences) first paragraph of the theism article has a grade level of 14.6 and an ease of 41.9.
 * Agnosticism's 73 word 3 sentence opening paragraph is grade 14.5 and ease of 33.7.
 * Deism's has a grade level of 16.1 and ease level of 34.3.
 * Soap's comes in at grade 14.8, ease level of 40.2.
 * United States's at grade 14.3, ease level of 33.0
 * Flesch–Kincaid readability test's at grade 12.1, ease level of 47.6. Both scales are based on the average number of words per sentence and the average number of syllables (something Word may not be accurate at) per word
 * The first paragraph of the EB atheism article has 12.8 reading level, its lede grade 15, and its entire article grade 13.9

The lede paragraph
Atheism, defined most narrowly, is the position that there are no deities. More broadly defined, it is the rejection of belief in the existence of any deities, with or without an assertion that no deities exist. The broadest definition classifies atheism as the absence of belief that any deities exist. Atheism is distinguished from theism, which is the belief that at least one deity exists.

Atheism and Agnosticism are also often distinguished, though there are two views regarding whether it is possible to be both an atheist and an agnostic. Agnosticism holds that humans do not know whether any deities exist, and agnostics often suspend belief in deities, though some may (or may not) believe in the existence of a deity. However, some agnostics go further to actually reject belief in deities, convinced that no further consideration of theism is needed; these can be identified as agnostic atheists. Even some theists identify themselves as agnostics, agreeing that the existence of any deities is not known, but still believing at least one exists.

First def: position there are no deities

 * Necessary conditions:
 * awareness of deity concept
 * not believing any deity exists
 * Maintaining that deities do not exist - includes claims of certainty, knowledge, or ability to prove no deities exist
 * Sufficient condition
 * Maintaining that deities do not exist

Second def: rejection of belief

 * Necessary conditions:
 * awareness of deity concept
 * not believing any deity exists
 * rejecting belief, not mere suspension of belief
 * Not-necessary
 * Maintaining that deities do not exist
 * Defending position that deities do not exist
 * maintaining that "at least one deity exists" is a false proposition
 * maintaining that "at least one deity exists" expresses a proposition at all
 * Sufficient condition
 * rejecting belief - not necessarily a deliberated decision/choice, could just be realization that one does not have "faith"

Third def: absence of belief

 * Necessary conditions:
 * absence of belief (being without belief in such)
 * not believing any deity exists
 * Sufficient condition
 * absence of belief
 * Non-necessary conditions
 * awareness of deity concept
 * awareness of anything at all - could be brain dead and have "an" absence of belief
 * humanity - ants are also (presumably) without a belief in deities, as likely are rocks