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Many agnostics are people whom don't want to admit they're atheists. There are two positions within atheism:
1. Agnostic atheism: The belief that that there are no gods but there is still a chance that they do exist. This isn't a form of agnosticism.
2. Gnostic atheism: the belief that one knows there is no god.
Most atheists hold the first position. You seem to also fit the first position which classifies you as an atheist. Mind you atheist doesn't equal scientific naturalists, although many atheists are naturalists/materialist. There's an atheist on this board whom believes little spacemen created the universe. I also don't see why you shouldn't make god a scientific issue. All that does is exempt the claim from reason and evidence.
I know there is no god, there is not one tiny bit of doubt in my mind about that. I guess that makes me #2. I personally would have a hard time classifying anyone that fell under #1 as a true atheist, sounds more like a "just in case christian" to me.
I know there is no god, there is not one tiny bit of doubt in my mind about that. I guess that makes me #2. I personally would have a hard time classifying anyone that fell under #1 as a true atheist, sounds more like a "just in case christian" to me.
I'd consider myself a defacto atheist. I'm about 99.99999% certain there is no god. I don't like to think in absolute certainties since it's illogical. I don't think agnostic atheism is a 'just in case christian.' That ignores the many other iron age superstitious god myths that people hold such as Wicca, greco/roman/egyptian paganisms, islam, Hinduism etc.
I'd consider myself a defacto atheist. I'm about 99.99999% certain there is no god. I don't like to think in absolute certainties since it's illogical. I don't think agnostic atheism is a 'just in case christian.' That ignores the many other iron age superstitious god myths that people hold such as Wicca, greco/roman/egyptian paganisms, islam, Hinduism etc.
Same. I'm still young so it's taking time for me to fully flush the religious indoctrination out of my system, but I'm getting there. I can't speak in certainty about a creator, but I don't believe at all in the concept of organized religion or anything else which I can't prove with certainty (God, Allah, Krishna, ect). I am a little confused though, because I can never find the right words to explain the way I feel to my friends or family and am often left spewing the "I can't believe in anything I can't prove" rhetoric. It's also extremely hard finding people in my age group who are actually atheist opposed to just "Christian-by-default-but-non-church-going" folks, so my views are never strengthened. I guess I just need help flushing the little bit of Catholicism left in me out...
Are there statistics to support #1 is more common than #2? I'm a full blown 2, and personally find the belief that there is or maybe a god to be a ludicrous position. Is #1 an escape clause, just in case? Sounds like the fear of a vengful god still has a tight grip.
I think that highly depends on the person. If someone says "I don't believe there is a god, but I don't know there isn't one" does not necessarily mean they are referring to the Christian god (or any of the anthropomorphic gods). It could also mean the possibility that there could something that could be called "god" but is uknown and beyond understanding - like some sort of force be it spiritual or natural (e.g. deism, pantheism, animism, etc).
I always like how Darwin put it in his book "Life and Letters" about his personal faith:
"The mystery of the beginning of all things is insoluble by us; and I for one must be content to remain an Agnostic."
"I think an Agnostic would be the more correct description of my state of mind. The whole subject [of God] is beyond the scope of man's intellect."
The common Idea that people take about Agnostics is negative, they think we do not anything about anything and we don't take a specific decision about many of all the non-material things.
But to be honest I feel most agnostics of whom I talk to are Apathetic Agnostics, I've felt this also during my search from movies or documentaries about Agnosticism on the Internet, while you can find fortune of documentaries about Atheism, and many Authors, philosophers and scientists who apologists of their Idea, even they describe it as a Dogma like Richard Dawkins, but in the contrary you hardly find someone speaks about Agnosticism.
People used to classify the Agnostics as Atheists or probably will be Atheists.
Virtually I consider myself Agnostic with strong feeling that there is no God, and I consider this a common point between me and Atheists but otherwise I disagree with them in many things like their views about the Soul or their insistence that God must be consider a scientific issue, or the impact of meditation on the soul... etc.
It's really annoying me when I talk to Atheist and when he knows that I'm Agnostic, he says yes, but you will be an Atheist, but I'm quite sure that I will never be an Atheist.
After a long talk with my friend about Agnosticism and Religions, it was a while of silence, so my friend asked me, "is there something annoying you?" my Answer was "I don't know I'm agnostic".
All the Agnostics I know I get along with. I think most Atheists went through the Agnostic phase as they found their footing, and many in mixed company may still call themselves Agnostic or strong Agnostic just to avoid the stir announcing your Atheist view might cause among the religious. The issue of you becoming an Atheist is not important, it is viewing your options, and making an intelligent decision you can live with that is important. If you choose Agnostic, that is fine, if it is Atheist that is OK too, as long as you used your brain to make a decision rather than follow blindly with the heard.
Same here. My Husband (Agnostic) and I (strong Atheist) get along just fine. I believe my Husband still has a lot of shedding to do in regards to belief and growing up in east TN where it's mostly a common way of life. I was born on the west coast (California) given the chose to choose what I believe from my parents.
As I've stated before. I did consider myself an Agnostic for a very, very long time. Moving to the south changed that for me.
I do hope this thread has helped as there is an awful lot of confusion about atheism/agnosticism.
It is actually true that everyone on the planet is agnostic, only some think they do know and won't admit they could possibly be wrong - about one single solitary item of faith.
It's just a question of whether, being agnostic one believes or disbelieves.
It is made further complicated by 'Which God?' Are we talking about the 'something which might have made everything' or about one of the many personal gods on offer? I can certainly be strongly disbelieving about any of those.
I think if you consider those questions, you and your other half may find that you are, essentially, in the same ballpark.
Agnosticism does not address "belief" in god/s, it addresses "knowledge". On the spectrum of belief, there are only 2 choices. You either have a belief in god, or you don't. There is no fence sitting. Let's say someone asked you the question "do you believe in god."? If you cannot answer affirmatively "yes, I believe in god", then you are by definition an atheist in regards to belief. You still can claim that you do not "know" whether or not god exists (agnostic), but you additionally would currently be without a belief in one (atheist). That doesn't mean that you don't think gods are "possible", just that you do not currently actively believe in any particular god. All agnostics either have a belief in god (theist/deist) or they don't (atheist). You don't have to choose to be an atheist, or purposely claim the title of atheist, to be one by definition. Sort of like being bald.....
Agnosticism does not say "I don't know if I believe in a god." It says "I believe that god cannot be known". All agnostics still either have a belief in god or not despite their understanding that gods cannot be known. Agnostic theists/deists believe in god despite acknowledging that gods cannot be known. That is why they call it “faith”. Whereas, agnostic atheists acknowledge that gods cannot be known and therefore withhold belief in any until such time as they are presented with any convincing evidence which would make them believe in one.
The common Idea that people take about Agnostics is negative, they think we do not anything about anything and we don't take a specific decision about many of all the non-material things.
But to be honest I feel most agnostics of whom I talk to are Apathetic Agnostics, I've felt this also during my search from movies or documentaries about Agnosticism on the Internet, while you can find fortune of documentaries about Atheism, and many Authors, philosophers and scientists who apologists of their Idea, even they describe it as a Dogma like Richard Dawkins, but in the contrary you hardly find someone speaks about Agnosticism.
People used to classify the Agnostics as Atheists or probably will be Atheists.
Virtually I consider myself Agnostic with strong feeling that there is no God, and I consider this a common point between me and Atheists but otherwise I disagree with them in many things like their views about the Soul or their insistence that God must be consider a scientific issue, or the impact of meditation on the soul... etc.
It's really annoying me when I talk to Atheist and when he knows that I'm Agnostic, he says yes, but you will be an Atheist, but I'm quite sure that I will never be an Atheist.
After a long talk with my friend about Agnosticism and Religions, it was a while of silence, so my friend asked me, "is there something annoying you?" my Answer was "I don't know I'm agnostic".
In your title you say "I'm an agnostic, not an atheist." So since you are are not an atheist, which god do you believe in? Telling us you are agnostic says nothing about whether or not you believe in god, just that you believe that god cannot be known. You don't have to be convinced that god does not exist in order to be defined as an atheist. In fact, very few atheists will make the claim that god does not exist. As an atheist, I have no idea if any god exists. For all I know, there could be hundreds out there. I just have not been exposed to any convincing evidence, nor had any experience which would lead me to belief in any particular god right now. It does not mean I am not open to it. But it is this lack of belief in any god that defines one as an atheist. You don't have to believe in anything in particular to be defined as an atheist. You only have to lack a particular belief (in gods) to be defined as one. Don't worry. I was an atheist (since birth) long before I ever knew there was a word used to describe my not having a belief in any god.
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but I'm quite sure that I will never be an Atheist.
