Is there any point in labelling myself this way?
2006-08-10 13:22:05 · 30 answers · asked by CC...x 5 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
To clarify, my other label is Buddhist...
(not always a conscientious one, I admit!).
2006-08-10 13:35:24 · update #1
As I understand it, it is not so much a matter of "labelling yourself", as it is having a shorthand answer for casual conversation.
For example, my religious beliefs could probably be summed up in maybe a hundred words or so. But it's not practical or politic to say all those words in a row whenever anyone asks, and "agnostic" is about as close as the currently favored nomenclature can come.
Hope that helps. :-)
2006-08-10 13:31:17 · answer #1 · answered by nobody 3 · 7⤊ 1⤋
If you know what agnosticism means, then yes.
If the discussion of religion means anything to your daily life, then stating "That all sounds great, but I'm an agnostic", then it really clarifies the whole thing.
See, agnostics typically believe one of two ways.
Either 1) they don't have a religion and aren't looking for one actively, but wouldn't object to a reasonable one, or 2) they believe that god is essentially unknowable and subscribing to a religion is therefore pointless.
Agnosticism is often a pathway to atheism, and many atheists call agnostics " weak atheists" but it's not always the case...
Good luck in your religious learnings, by the way.
2006-08-10 20:27:41 · answer #2 · answered by John J 2 · 5⤊ 1⤋
Absolutely. In practical terms, agnostic is just another word for skeptic. Labelling yourself as such shows that you refuse to take anything on face value, and that you would rather do your own inquiries than have someone give you the answers.
2006-08-10 20:30:42 · answer #3 · answered by Pete S 3 · 4⤊ 0⤋
no, it is pointless, I've considered that label many times, simply because I did not want to call myself an athiest. But I find labels mean nothing and do little to truly express and categorize your feelings/beliefs. You know best what you believe, you do not need a label for that.
2006-08-10 20:26:02 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
Yes. It shows that you're not sure, which is, in my view, the only legitimate position to hold. Don't let a bunch of jesus-freaks or other misguided "souls" steer you off course. The world needs people like you. Go with God....just kidding!
2006-08-10 20:28:24 · answer #5 · answered by solipsistic 1 · 3⤊ 0⤋
"Being agnostic" means you are actually thinking for yourself. ALL intelligent sentient beings are agnostic, because they realize it is IMPOSSIBLE to know for sure whether God is there, whether he knows you are there, or whether he is just a figment of some old monks imagination.
"God" is usually assumed to be there because of the wonder of all this, but if you take into account all the babies with cancer, it is much more reasonable to conclude that either he isn't there, or that he doesn't care.
2006-08-10 20:27:52 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 0⤋
Only if you want to. But, I have found that it's easier to have a label that comes close to describing my worldview so I don't have to bother explaining it in length to anyone that asks.
2006-08-10 20:46:04 · answer #7 · answered by laetusatheos 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The strict definition of agnostic is believing that we cannot know if there is a god or not. If you think this, then you're agnostic. If you're just sitting on the fence, it isn't really agnosticism.
2006-08-10 20:26:41 · answer #8 · answered by quierounvaquero 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Basicaly you don't get the benfit of being right if there is no God, and you might o to hell if there is one. But if there is a God and none of the religions in the world are correct then you have made the best choice.
There is little point to labels unless you think you need them.
2006-08-10 20:34:07 · answer #9 · answered by monkeymanelvis 7 · 0⤊ 3⤋
It shows people you aren't ready to make a decison to concede one way or the other about the existance of god.
Because I am one myself I see it as an informed choice showing progressive thought.
2006-08-10 20:27:16 · answer #10 · answered by Nicholas C 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋