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I welcome you to give it another read to my post if you like.
Perhaps you will understand my thoughts better? However, I would also like to pose the counter question.
Tell us why are you an Atheist in response to my reply?
I am not sure I follow, because I already explained the definition of atheist as previously posted is the definition that comes closest to describing me when it comes to these distinctions. Certainly better than religious or agnostic. Not sure this answer is in direct response to your reply, but it's my reason regardless your reply and/or beliefs.
Gnostic/agnostic is about knowledge of a god/s, or not.
Theist/atheist is about belief in a god/s, or not.
Is there a god? I don't know. Because I don't know, I don't believe in one. Therefore, I am an agnostic atheist.
A little confusing perhaps because you are not using the definitions previously posted, and I'm not sure what you mean when you write agnostic is "about knowledge of a god/s, or not."
Why are you an agnostic atheist instead of just an atheist? This is what I'm trying to understand better. Clarify.
Actually both are illusions, the body-mind complex as well as the ego, the “you”. There is only the Oneness. Agnostic and Atheistic are non-existence, not-something, illusions. Religious is duality and also an illusion.
We know that you completely misunderstand the Oneness because of the erroneous speculations in the esoteric literature. The Oneness is LIVING and that means growth and change and time. We are how it grows and changes over time. Your static, timeless, unchanging Oneness is irrational and contrary to ALL existing evidence and indications.
Interesting. I consider myself a pure Agnostic. I truly have no idea what so ever if there is a god. Given enough time, it's perfectly reasonable to me that the universe, including the earth, people, animals, plants, stars etc all came to be from natural causes. Scientists hypothesize that the universe is at least 13.7 billion years old. That is a really long time for things to happen with out any help from a higher power. On the other hand, there could be a god, but likely not at all like the bible version. Psychedelic's can assist in writing strange texts.
Is it correct to consider yourself agnostic rather than atheist simply because you believe "there could be a god?" I am atheist, but I don't argue there can not be a god. I am an atheist because I am not aware of any facts, evidence or information that proves there is a god. Justifies a belief in god.
I think most atheists are agnostic atheists. That is what Dawkins calls himself.
Theist: belief in Gods or Gods specifically a creator.
(A)theist: lacks belief in those claims.
I am not sure there is no creator and would not state there is no God as a factual claim That makes me agnostic. It seems obvious to me but I've learned me feeling sure isn't always a valid indicator.
A person can be an agnostic theist as well if they say they believe but they wouldn't make a statement such as "there is a God" as a factual statement.
Again, I'm not sure what we can't be 100% sure about means we are agnostic. What I am 100% sure about is that I am not aware of any good, sound, justification to believe in a god. AKA atheist far as I know.
We know that you completely misunderstand the Oneness because of the erroneous speculations in the esoteric literature. The Oneness is LIVING and that means growth and change and time. We are how it grows and changes over time. Your static, timeless, unchanging Oneness is irrational and contrary to ALL existing evidence and indications.
Nothing static about the Oneness. It is complete and is fullness, and as such does not expand or contract. You, as the ego created by reflected conciousness and limited by your body mind complex, will grow, change and die. Not the Oneness. It is not material, is not seen, not understood, only realized.
Every time you argue with me over this, just memorize the above paragraph, and repeat it. Meditate on it.
From this you can draw a graph with belief and knowledge as axes, and plot your position. However, as belief should be based on knowledge, one can use a straight line (just like Dawkin's scale). So agnosticism would be closer to the middle (one has no information to make a claim, so you are 50/50), and theism / atheism would be on either end of the line. The more knowledge one has, the less agnostic is that person.
If one believes they have enough knowledge to make a definite claim for gods or no gods, you can not be agnostic. I doubt most atheists claim to have the knowledge to definitely say gods do not exist, therefore most will be agnostic to some degree. Presumably this is true for many theists as well.
Me, I am 99.999999 sure gods do not exist, so I am an atheist. As I do not have sufficient knowledge to make an absolute claim, I am also agnostic, but only a little.
I don't think most atheists, who refer to themselves as atheists like I do, are thinking they can make the sort of "absolute claim" you are referring to. No one can do that of course. This doesn't mean we are not atheists per the common definition of atheist.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LearnMe
I have read many comments posted by people who claim they are religious, and though I am an atheist, I often better understand why people claim to be religious than I do why people claim to be agnostic.
I'm curious to read the best concise explanation anyone has for being any of the three here (religious, agnostic or atheist), and in particular I am curious why you might claim to be agnostic rather than atheist or vice versa.
PS: I'm not trying to start a "war" with anyone here...
I was raised in a home without any religion but I always used to say agnostic. I don’t believe a god exists…especially how he is described by religious ppl. BUT, I don’t really know for 100% there isn’t something especially when I’m looking at the ocean or a sunset or anything in nature.
It’s kind of like not committing to a relationship but staying friends.
I was raised in a home without any religion but I always used to say agnostic. I don’t believe a god exists…especially how he is described by religious ppl. BUT, I don’t really know for 100% there isn’t something especially when I’m looking at the ocean or a sunset or anything in nature.
It’s kind of like not committing to a relationship but staying friends.
Thanks. I enjoy the ocean and sunsets on a regular basis, and I think I know what you mean about sensing something special. Nature is special, but I'm not sure any of that means that I'm anything but an atheist.
Here is another description of what an atheist believes that aligns with my thinking pretty much down the line. That perhaps helps a bit here...
"I believe in a purely material universe that conforms to naturalistic laws and principles.
I believe that the life we have is the only one we will have, that the mind and consciousness are inseparable from the brain, that we cease to exist in any conscious form when we die, and that it is therefore incumbent on us to enable each person to live their one life to the fullest.
I believe in the power of science and reason and rationality to further deepen our understanding of everything around us and to eventually overcome superstition and erase the petty divisions sown by religion, race, ethnicity, and nationality.
I am in awe of the beauty, vastness, and complexity of nature and the universe, and the fact that all arose purely by the working of natural laws.
I believe in the power of ideals such as peace and justice and shared humanity to inspire us to create a free and just world.
I believe in kindness, love, and the human spirit and their ability to overcome challenges and adversity and to create a better world.
I believe in the necessity for credible and objective evidence to sustain any belief and thus deny, because of the absence of such evidence, the existence of each and every aspect of the supernatural.
I refuse to bow, prostrate myself, or otherwise cower before the deities of any religion.
I am neither tempted by the fiction of heaven or any other form of eternal life nor fearful of the fiction of hell.
I choose to live the dignified and exhilarating life of a free-thinker, able to go wherever knowledge and curiosity takes me, without fear of contradicting any dogma."
I was raised in a home without any religion but I always used to say agnostic. ... BUT, I don’t really know for 100% there isn’t something especially when I’m looking at the ocean or a sunset or anything in nature.
That's a great point, and position to be in. Some shut off all possibility, to where there's no room for any incoming evidence to come in. Like being in a house with the doors locks and all windows closed and shades drawn. No way to see or sense what might be outside.
I'm more of the opinion that there is a God or higher power. But even still, I can't say 100%, and won't live as though there's no room for doubt. I expect to have to continuously monitor, and continuously keep awareness. While many go with a limited / digital / black and white approach, I have to be aware of the analog greys.
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