Atheist or Agnostic?
36 posts in this topic.
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What are you, atheist or agnostic and why?
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Kind of half-way. I don't believe there's anything out there, but if there was, I don't think we'd ever find out about it. Perhaps an infinite ball of energy, or something.
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Athiest. And I'm not going to go with the commonly abused, "My life sucks so there is no God," explanation either. That's just... no. It's simply illogical to think that God exists any more than the mystic power of the Buddha exists or that the Olympian Gods are currently controlling every aspect of the world. It's just a bunch of fairy tales.
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Mm... More of a *gnostic* I think, which isn't the same as an agnostic. Agnostics do not know, and/or do not think that it is possible to know. They think there might be something out there, they won't deny to chance that there is, but they never say a definite 'there is'. Which is great. Where would the world be without questioners, right? It'd be a gullible mess.
'Agnostic' is 'gnostic' pre-fixed with 'a' which, in the English language, means no or not.
Gnosticism is seeking to know, the idea that knowledge, or the search for it, brings one closer to whatever there is, with a general acceptance that there is something. It's one of the oldest religions out there, but, ironically, gets grouped in with New Age a lot because of its ideas.
So, given the choice between agnostic and atheist, I'd be an agnostic. I don't know, but I've got some pretty strong faith that there is something out there, and I enjoy immersing myself in different ideas. Thus, this group. When no one knows, no one preaches, but rather share ideas.
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I am an atheist, while I accept that there are many things I do not know I believe everything is one day knowable, we have just not reached that point. To be honest I am more humanist then anything else, I believe in the infinite potential of humanity and I don't believe any spiritual being had a hand in our existence, there may, I don't follow this but I allow, that there may have been a sentient hand in our existence but I do not believe it is spiritual, I believe if something does exist it was scientific in nature and has played no part in our lives other then as a possible observer or simply as a catalyst.
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I consider myself an atheist, first and foremost, but I've always favoured the idea of an agnostic atheist - i.e. one who admits we cannot/do not know but who does not believe in a god or gods - because that fits my personal stance perfectly. Agnosticism is a position regarding knowledge, and can theoretically be understood as separate to atheism, which is a stance regarding the belief (or lack thereof) in the existence of a deity or deities. That's how I see it, anyway.
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I'm with Dream on the Gnostic thing.
But I believe I'm closer to a Theist. Somebody who believes in God but doesn't take part in any organized religion. -
I think I'm perhaps agnostic...
All my life, I've never categorised myself in any as being of any particular religious group, mainly because in my experience, people of religion too often look to scriptures to tell them how to think, how to feel, how to live a 'good' life.
Me? I think that our life is our own journey.
Part of the beauty is that day by day, we develop. We aquire opinions.
I mean, one day, I was a in a discussion with my Catholic friend about gay rights, which I greatly support, and when I asked him his opinion, he said 'well, the Bible says...'
Why couldn't he make his own decision?
His religion tells him it's nad, so he does no more investigating.
I'm not totally sure if I call myself agnostic...I feel that there is siomething out there. I believe in karma, totally. And reincarnation. But I'm not a Hindu or buddhist. -
I'd always been a bit addled about religion, I'd say. The only reason I'm in Catholic class at school is because I was placed there. Something about the parents choosing religion. (Just to be difficult, I can't get the idea that Catholic and Christian are two different religions out of my head, since that's the way it's done in school.) At home, my parents never really cared about religion. My brothers sure have deep Christian faith, but I'm a bit muddled up.
So, between them, I'd probably say theistic agnostic. I do believe that there's something out there, but I don't think we'll ever find out about it. Each to his or her own, I say. If someone wants to believe in God (or a god, for that matter) then they have the right to do so, and nobody can tell them otherwise. If someone doesn't want to believe, then it's the same thing. I just find it strange that some people can get so frenzied about religion and the need to put a label to beliefs. -
i would be an agnostic/gnostic. i don't think there's something out there or that there's any meaning to life right now, but if suddenly there was any kind of real proof, i would definately change my mind.
i just haven't found any reason to believe in anything, really. but i'm open minded. -
Dreamer wrote:Mm... More of a *gnostic* I think, which isn't the same as an agnostic. Agnostics do not know, and/or do not think that it is possible to know. They think there might be something out there, they won't deny to chance that there is, but they never say a definite 'there is'. Which is great. Where would the world be without questioners, right? It'd be a gullible mess.
'Agnostic' is 'gnostic' pre-fixed with 'a' which, in the English language, means no or not.
Gnosticism is seeking to know, the idea that knowledge, or the search for it, brings one closer to whatever there is, with a general acceptance that there is something. It's one of the oldest religions out there, but, ironically, gets grouped in with New Age a lot because of its ideas.
So, given the choice between agnostic and atheist, I'd be an agnostic. I don't know, but I've got some pretty strong faith that there is something out there, and I enjoy immersing myself in different ideas. Thus, this group. When no one knows, no one preaches, but rather share ideas.
Hey look. Someone took my answer!
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Atheist. All these theories about God and Gods pop up everywhere, just because people are frightened of death. They do nothing for humanity and waste a lot of money, time and potential. There is no logical reason to believe in God or the afterlife and I suspect most old bible characters were probably on hallucinatory drugs.
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Cobra wrote:All these theories about God and Gods pop up everywhere, just because people are frightened of death. They do nothing for humanity and waste a lot of money, time and potential... I suspect most old bible characters were probably on hallucinatory drugs.
On those fronts -- I couldn't agree more
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Cobra wrote:...I suspect most old bible characters were probably on hallucinatory drugs.
Perhaps not the characters but certainly the authors had very interesting minds. I've read most of the bible, and I'm trying to read it again -- hopefully all the way through this time. But it's a very strange book. Patient, loving Jesus kills a tree because it didn't have any fruit for him, two daughters drug and rape their father, and revelations is just plain scary.
But it's an interesting book. Lots of ideas and morals and concepts. It's so different from what you first think of when you think of what it means to be a Christian though that you almost wonder how many of them have actually read it. Even the religious figures, namely Jesus and God, are very different in the book than they are in Christian readers, church songs, and religious radio shows.
I think the main problem with the bible in today's world is that it's a translation of a translation (from Hebrew to Latin, from Latin to English) of metaphors that suited the time that the book was written in but no longer hold any meaning in today's world. Which is unfortunate, because it makes it that much harder to understand, and so that much easier to diss.
How many of you own slaves, and follow the bible's directions on how to treat them, after all? Once upon a time, that was useful information. Now, if a writer alive today were to write a book giving the same directions, he/she'd be torn to shreds by the public. -
I have read the bible once and jumped from section to section recapping for inspiration for a graphic novel I'm writing. I have also started the holy qu'ran and got a little bit into it and some of the verses were poetic. I was a very strong disbeliever and atheist for certain, but now I have come to a point where I am agnostic because I just hope their is something there but at the same time I don't think there is anything. I'm in limbo and I am being shamed for my status. How do others deal with the disrespect shown by others because we atheist or agnostic.
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