Isn't EVERYONE an agnostic?

Question

OK, I know I am going to upset some people here, but I am a Catholic, and I am very strong in my beliefs. However, I come on here everyday, and everyday I question my religion, and every time I question my religion I end up believing in it more and more.

Anyway, I am a logical thinker by nature, so it upsets me when people say they are 100% sure about the existence or non-existence of God. First of all, the idea that one person is 100% sure there is a God and one is 100% sure there is not is a logical impossibility.

And as a Catholic, I am NOT 100% sure there is a God. I may be 99% sure there is a God, but if I was 100% sure there was a God, there would be no need for faith or religion. God may not want us to be 100% sure of His existence, because then we would not need to have faith in Him.

In fact, it could be said that questioning His existence could be good for you, because it constantly makes you question and re-affirm your beliefs.

And for Atheists, you should be ashamed. You guys promote logical thinking, and then say something as stupid as “I am 100% sure there is no God”. Logically, there could be a God who hasn’t done ANYTHING except touch the first atom to start the Big Bang, and every religion on Earth would be wrong, including you.

Am I correct? Isn’t everybody at least 1% agnostic?

Answer 1

Wow! I like your question, I like your thinking! Thanx! You've made my day! I was losing hope in this program, thinking I'd better just opt out of all the mean spirited things people are doing on here, then a question like yours comes along and I realize its not all hate.
And yes, I think you're right!

Answer 2

I totally understand your reasoning. Some atheists have come to the conclusion that the God defined in the OT can not exist (for whatever reason). There is a website I checked out once (called 'evilbible. 'org' or 'com'-?) I saw it a few times and wanted to see what it said but coud only look a few minutes before I had to go & now I don't remember) It does have a very reasonable explanation why the OT God can not exist. A contradiction.
Also, I read somewhere that some atheists 'believe' in no spiritual life at all and everything is solely a matter of coincidence.
I haven't given up the after-life idea but I simply can not fathom a singular deity creating nature and having nature display duality everywhere. And that the feminine aspect is everywhere. I know the masculine is essential also but that religion, at the very least, says, while females may be important, they're not necessary.
So, since I am not unsure about a singular, masculine deity, I do not consider myself agnostic.
But, I have been wondering lately why some people consider themselves Catholic when they don't believe in some fundamental 'Christian' values? Like Hell or pre-marital sex or homosexuality being a sin? Not sure if you do, just mentioning things I've seen before.

Answer 3

YOUR logic is completely off! It is entirely possible for two people to have opposing beliefs. Just because YOU cannot be 100% sure of anything does not mean that someone else cannot be. In fact, logically, you MUST admit that if there is something you cannot do, it is possible that someone else CAN do it. Also, if there is something you CAN do, it is possible that someone else CANNOT do it.

You ASSUME that there is a possibility that God exists. You have no grounds for that assumption that can be logically examined and/or proven. You ASSUME that IF there were 100% certainty of the existence of God THEN there WOULD BE no need for religion. There is nothing logical about these assumptions. None of them are provable and none of them are even remotely objective. They are 100% subjective.

As to your comments about Atheists, isn't it also stupid for you to say "Isn’t everybody at least 1% agnostic?" Or are you less stupid because you say 1% and they say 100%?

Logically, God is an illogical concept, like zero. Logically, you cannot apply logic to that which is fundamentally illogical. Logic is merely a tool. Like any tool it does not work in all situations, especially illogical ones.

Answer 4

Actually, everyone starts out being 100% agnostic. There is much of value in your question; certainly, to constantly question one's own beliefs is admirable discipline, and it is only some of your conclusions with which I might take issue. Noted Catholic theologian Hans Kung, in a huge book entitled Does God Exist, examined the question in excruciating detail, and concluded that neither the existence nor non-existence of god can be established on the basis of logic or evidence. I agree. But it provably follows from this that every theory of god is useless: no such theory can make any predictions about the real world. Since theism is idle, I don't bother with it. (I do bother with science, because it works.) See also:

Answer 5

Well for me the percentage is much lower than 1%, but I would not say 100% that there isn't a god. 99.99999999% Sure. And you can look through my old answers and you won't see me say that. Few atheists do, but there are some.

You are using an extremely liberal definition of agnostic though. Most agnostics have slight leanings, but place decent odds on either outcome. I don't.

Answer 6

Ahhh, a religious question that is thought out and doesn't contain any baseless, argumentative statements! Most people don't think through it that far. I think that most of the religious supporters and bashers alike are only trying to start a fight, appear smarter than someone else, or put someone down. Rarely are they actually attempting to sway an audience. The object of the game is to get a "sting" in, not to actually change anyone's mind, or even to gain acceptance and understanding for an opinion that might be different from someone else...

Answer 7

Your right - I am always questioning my beliefs and where they come from - I think its good for a person to do that... haha a looong time ago I remember we had a pastor *I'm catholic now* that prided himself in the fact that he had not read a secular book since he was 20 and the last one he read was Tarzan and would not allow his kids to read non christian books or listen to non christian music etc...maybe that had nothing to do with your question but I just thought about how some people submerge themselves in religion so much that they stop thinking altogether.

Answer 8

To be agnostic means that you think it's wrong to assert the truth of a proposition without logically satisfactory reason or evidence. Unfortunately, many people are not agnostic, by this definition.

I am agnostic atheist, i.e. I am sure that the idea of a creator god is a logical impossibility, and I'm happy to present sound reasons for my certainty.

Answer 9

Your on a roll! Be careful with testing your beliefs in your religion though. All religions have faults simply because they are man's way of trying to understand and define something which is infinite with a finite brain. So the more you test it the more likely you are to end up losing your faith in it. I do not like the concept of religion because historically it has been used to kill, maime, control and destroy. The crusades are a good example of this. Religion is man's will with God's name pasted to it, not his will.

Answer 10

I agree with your premise, in the end no one knows for sure, although it is impossible to prove any god doesn't exist, as it is impossible to prove a negative.

A very well put argument there.. well done