The real question is to my fellow agnostics,
what does being an agnostic mean to you. Not looking for a textbook definition or some non-agnostic to tell me what it means, looking for other agnostics to tell me what the word means to them and if they are what they are because of the word or if they are the word because of what they are first.
2006-08-16 02:46:13 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
whats an asnosticator - i meant agnosticator in the second word, sorry
2006-08-16 02:56:03 · update #1
Interesting...
To me it follows a downward spiral in a lack of belief....
Agnostic: believe in nothing I am told
Atheistic: complete non believer in God
Nihilistic: believes in nothing at all (generally), this is way more impressive and much harder to do...never really met any to be honest..
I don't like being pigeon-holed one way or another to be honest.
I believe in certain facts within science that could be ultimately considered articles of faith and I am oddly drawn to certain spiritual stuff that I can not reconcile with my scientific way of thinking but am happy to accept that we do not understand them yet...
My problem is with all prescriptive religions...it is, to me, simply regurgitation & repitition designed for people that should know
better by people who do know better but keep quiet about it!
p.s I do believe however that that Khaeos guy is a kn ob
2006-08-16 03:03:48 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The problem that I have with the standard notion of agnosticism (about the existence of god) is that it suggests that one is NOT agnostic about other things. I'm not certain whether there is a god or not, but then I'm not certain about much of anything at all. Certainty is WAY overrated, and is usually a signal of ignorance.
I think that it is quite possible that there is a god who created the universe, but since that possibility is right in the same realm as the possibility that there is a Santa who brings gifts to all the world's good little boys and girls, I say that I am an Atheist, not an Agnostic, despite the fact that I am not certain of god's nonexistence. If I only claim to know things about which I am certain, then I don't get to say that I know anything at all. This was Descartes' big error, in his "Discourse on the Method".
When it comes to propositions about the real world, genuine proof is a rare, if not completely nonexistent thing. I feel completely comfortable saying that I know that the sun will rise in the east tomorrow, there is no Santa, and there is no god. My inability to prove those things doesn't mean that I don't know them to be true.
2006-08-16 03:02:50 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I consider myself agnostic. I have had many people try to throw religions in my face and say you're going to hell unless you believe such-and-such. But there's always something that turns me off about every religion, be it hypocrisy or cruelty or what-have-you. I don't have any proof that there is any god or gods, so I think it would be wrong of me to go to any one church and say 'hey, I believe.' That would be a lie. So rather than defile something that means so much to so many people, I think the best thing to do is just try to be cool to other people. Because isn't that the basis of most religions? Just be excellent to each other? That seems to be the only thing that anybody can agree on, so since I know that's important, I'll try it on my own. I don't need to believe in a Higher Power to be nice to people. And I had to look up religious terms to find out that 'agnostic' was pretty much somebody like me. *shrug*
2006-08-16 02:55:39 · answer #3 · answered by gilgamesh 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Deep...
What does the world mean to me? Tough question.
I can tell you what motivates me in my life. I am motivated to make myself a better person and to better the relationships in my life. In order to make myself a better person I like to learn new things about the world, cultures, science, etc. I am motivated to improve my mind and body. In order to better the relationships in my life I nurture those relationships by spending time with those I care for.
Am I who I am because of the world or vice versa? That sounds to me a lot like the Nature vs. Nurture debate. I think it is mainly due to the environment in which we are riased and partially on instinct. I believe that the environment in which we are raised, how we are raised, etc has the biggest effect on who we are as people.
What does being an Agnostic mean to me? Well, as a part of bettering myself as a person, I am exploring several different religious beliefs in order to perhaps find one that suites my personal beliefs. I believe that there MAY be some sort of higher power/energy/force, but do not understand what that may be. I really know more of what I DON'T believe that I understand what I DO believe. I'm in the exploration/research stage right now as far as my religious beliefs are concerned. So far, I've found nothing plausible.
2006-08-16 03:01:49 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well, I'll tell you a little bit about something of my character. When it comes to people I like I have great difficulty choosing one over another because I respect and admire them all so I honestly can't make that choice.
However, as far as agnosticism I see that as the continual search for answers. I'm atheist and I admit I could be wrong and yes I still look and if I'm wrong I will be gracious enough to accept that.
2006-08-16 03:05:46 · answer #5 · answered by genaddt 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You are the agnostic with the biggest following, to be sure. Cheers
2006-08-16 03:00:43 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Someone who accepts, and is comfortable with accepting, that we don't really know for sure what's out there.
As I've said before, there are two types of people in the world: 1) those who don't know but pretend like they do and 2) those who don't know and admit it.
2006-08-16 02:51:05 · answer #7 · answered by XYZ 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
In my view, agnostics are believers. They haven't built up the religion/philosophy they need yet. That's all.
2006-08-16 03:00:11 · answer #8 · answered by Axel ∇ 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I believe that something caused everything to come into being but it is not possible for us humans to know exactly what that something is. The biblical version of God does not make a whole lot of sense to me, but the "Conversations with God" version of God does. If there is in fact a god, that is the kind of god I prefer to believe in.
2006-08-16 02:56:25 · answer #9 · answered by tomleah_06 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
with all those big words i dont understand what it means
2006-08-16 02:51:39 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋