"Maybe a creator exists"
Does this statement make them agnostics?
2006-09-29 20:34:48 · 12 answers · asked by skeptic 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Some people who label themselves religious or non-religious say that.
=0P
2006-09-29 21:09:04 · answer #1 · answered by Pashur 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not exactly.
The popular meaning of agnostic is this sort of halfway-house between theism and atheism, but that's not how it was originally conceived. Thomas Huxley coined the term, and he originally meant it as a pun on the word "gnostics" (which comes from the same root as "knowledge"). Huxley was convinced that the question of god's existence was unable to be answered (unknowable) with all the current evidence. In strict agnosticism, it means that there will NEVER be enough evidence to decide the question.
But, in technicality, atheism and theism represent two halves of a sphere. When someone asks "Do you believe in God(s)?", there is one theist answer, "yes", and a thousand types of atheist answers -- "No. I don't know. I don't care. I'm not sure." etc...
The question "Is god's existence knowable?" is the agnostic/non-agnostic question -- and it is seperate from theism/atheism. Because no matter what you answer (yes it's knowable, no it's not), you haven't specified if you believe or not. You could think god's existence is completely knowable, and you know it to be false. (Non-agnostic atheist). Or you could think god's existence is unknowable, but you believe in spite of that (agnostic theist).
Am I making sense?
2006-09-30 04:26:27 · answer #2 · answered by Michael 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I'm an atheist with respect to the God of the Hebrew Bible. I think that the God described in that book is no more plausible than Zeus. So, just as Christians are atheists with respect to Zeus, I am an atheist with respect to "God".
However, I'm open to the possibility of some kind of supreme intelligence, that may have existed before the big bang, or that may have evolved with the universe after the big bang. I don think that either of these possibilities is highly likely, but I won't dismiss them like I dismiss the God of Abraham. So, in that sense, I am an agnostic.
2006-10-01 21:57:19 · answer #3 · answered by Jim L 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Agnostic is a meaningless word that literally translates to "ignorant."
Agnostics should drop the word and just use the more commonly understood and defined word "ignorant." Agnostics who do not believe God exists, or cannot be proven to exist should stop being so cowardly and use the more correct term atheist.
Assuming that atheists would dogmatically cling to the idea that God(s) did not exist in the face of credible evidence to the contrary is a misinterpretation of atheism and implies atheists are as dogmatically stupid as a bible thumper.
2006-09-30 03:55:41 · answer #4 · answered by Left the building 7 · 2⤊ 2⤋
I think the statement that better encapsulates agnostics is "Does a creator exist?"
2006-09-30 03:44:52 · answer #5 · answered by Sudy Nim 3 · 3⤊ 1⤋
an atheists never say the is a creator
2006-09-30 07:53:06 · answer #6 · answered by andrew w 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
All I know is that, if a creator does exist, I want to be the first to look up his dress.
2006-09-30 03:41:31 · answer #7 · answered by Alert! -10 Points 2 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Agnostics say that.
An Atheists knows for sure that, there is no god.
2006-09-30 04:09:24 · answer #8 · answered by lilith 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋
An atheist cannot by definition claim something like this. I don't know what these people are. But they are not atheists.
2006-09-30 03:43:23 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 2⤋
I'm going with J.T. on this one.
2006-09-30 05:40:04 · answer #10 · answered by Spookshow Baby 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋