Do the words Agnostic and Ahteist have different meanings? WHat other words are used to describe non-believers and what exactly do those words mean?
Kiara
2006-10-19 09:21:10 · 26 answers · asked by Kiara 5 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Agnostic doesnt know / isn't sure
Atheist flat out doesn't believe.
2006-10-19 09:22:37 · answer #1 · answered by ancientabner 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
An atheist is a person who lacks a belief in gods.
An agnostic is a person who claims that the fundamental basis of reality is unknowable.
A person must be either a theist or an atheist, you either believe in gods or you do not. A person can be agnostic and be an atheist, or be agnostic and be a theist.
Really agnosticism has nothing to do with belief or lack of belief in gods, it is purely a claim about the knowability of reality.
People seem to be unable to use a dictionary of philosophy or parse words for their original meaning. Many religious bigots like to falsely define others who they do not agree with.
2006-10-19 09:33:45 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Agnostic atheism is a philosophical doctrine that encompasses both atheism and agnosticism. While the concepts of atheism and agnosticism occasionally overlap, they are distinct because atheism is generally defined as "a condition of being without theistic beliefs" while agnosticism is usually defined as "an absence of knowledge (or any claim of knowledge)". An agnostic may identify as an atheist or a theist in certain circumstances (see Agnostic theism).
One of the earliest explanations of agnostic atheism is that of Robert Flint, in his Croall Lecture of 1887-1888 (published in 1903 under the title Agnosticism):
"The atheist may however be, and not unfrequently is, an agnostic. There is an agnostic atheism or atheistic agnosticism, and the combination of atheism with agnosticism which may be so named is not an uncommon one
2006-10-19 09:24:08 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Agnosticism is the area that it is not obtainable to *know* despite the fact that if a deity exists. it extremely is no longer a place of concept, or being "not sure." it extremely is no longer atheism's weaker little brother. it extremely is the thought no you are able to truly know despite the fact that if a god exists. Atheism is the lack of ability of *concept* interior the life of deities. concept and understanding at the instant are not a similar concern, and so atheism and agnosticism at the instant are not a similar concern. a individual might nicely be an agnostic atheist (i'm) or an agnostic theist, a gnostic theist or a gnostic atheist.
2016-11-23 19:47:48 · answer #4 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Agnostics believe that proof of existence of god is unknown or inherently unknowable.
Atheists do not believe in the existence of a god.
Therefore a christian that says "I'm aware that it's impossible to prove the existence of god, you just have to have faith". Is technically an agnostic. They are just an agnostic that has decided that even though it is unknowable they belive in it.
Likewise an atheist that says "Of course scientifically we can't disprove the existance of god, but it just seems amazingly improbable and illogical that a god exists", is also an agnostic just one that has decided they do not believe in god.
The only people who aren't agnostics are those that do believe, or don't believe in god, and think they can prove it one way or the other.
2006-10-19 09:28:45 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes, there's a difference.
An Atheist denies the existence of god (any god) -- their belief is that god absolutely does not exist.
An Agnostic doubts the existence of god, but allows that there might really be a god of some sort. However, an agnostic believes that even if there is a god, that god is not involved in daily life in any way, so whether god exists or not makes no difference.
Since nobody can prove that god does not exist, an atheistic position is logically untenable. An agnostic position is the only rationally defensible one. Both atheists and believers in god cannot logically or rationally prove their beliefs.
2006-10-19 09:24:41 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
Yes, they do have different meanings.
Atheist -->
A - meaning the opposite of
Theist - meaning a believer of deities
Atheist - meaning one who believes there are no deities (or that they are dead)
Agnostic -->
A - meaning the opposite of
Gnostic - meaning one with knowledge
Agnostic - Meaning one who is not sure whether or not there are deities (in this context).
2006-10-19 09:25:47 · answer #7 · answered by JG 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Agnostic -- Does not believe in a god nor believes in a god. Believes that knowledge of the existence or non-existence of a deific being cannot be known. There are many on this site who claim agnostics do believe in god, but don't know anything about it but it's existence -- that's Deism, not agnosticism.
Atheism is the belief that there are no gods or no belief in gods (subtle difference).
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnosticism
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deism
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atheism
2006-10-19 09:27:17 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Agnostic -- does not know if there is a God
Atheist -- believes there is NO God.
Greek "a" in front of a word makes it as a "no"
thus gnosis = knowledge
agnosis = no knowledge (or unknowable)
agnostic = one who says he/she does not (or can not) know
thus theist = god
aheist = NO God
2006-10-19 09:28:35 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Agnostics believe in a higher power of some sort, but aren't quite sure what it is. Or, they may doubt the existence of a higher power, but haven't fully ruled out the possibility.
Atheists do not believe in any sort of higher power.
Hope that helps.
2006-10-19 09:23:38 · answer #10 · answered by sylvia 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋