faitheist

See also: faithiest

English

Etymology

Blend of faith +‎ atheist

Noun

faitheist (plural faitheists)

1. (slang, neologism) An atheist who thinks faith should not be criticized.
   • 2009 July 26, Daniel Fincke, “On The Alleged Intolerance Of The New Atheists Towards “Faitheists””, in Camels With Hammers‎^[1], retrieved 2012-10-24:

     Those are all appeals made either to the assumptions that Dennett shares with the belief-believers (or “faitheists”) or to their own priorities in ways that challenge their essential reasons for believing in belief.

   • 2009 August 19, dofang, “Distortions of the New Atheists prevent substantive debate about their impact (comment)”, in Examiner.com‎^[2], retrieved 2012-10-24:

     I see the "faitheists" as parallels to the quietly closeted gays who cringed at the tactics of Act Up or the sit-in counter veterans who shook their heads at Malcolm X.

   • 2010 June 28, Mark Jones, “You Really Aren't Helping”, in Good Grief, Linus‎^[3], retrieved 2012-10-24:

     You're Not Helping is a blog started by a faitheist; that is, an atheist who sees value in faith or, at least, that some respect for their beliefs is in order. Even more particularly, a faitheist thinks that some atheist behaviour (typically labelled 'new atheist') is driving a wedge between 'moderate' theists and the rest of rational society.

   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:faitheist.
2. (Can we verify⁽⁺⁾ this sense?) (slang, neologism, derogatory) An atheist who takes the nonexistence of gods on faith.

Antonyms

• apistevist

Related terms

• faitheism
• faitheistic

Adjective

faitheist (comparative more faitheist, superlative most faitheist)

1. Of or pertaining to faitheism.

See also

• accommodationist

Anagrams

• faithiest