What is the difference between and ATHEIST and and AGNOSTIC?

Question

I suggest guts.

Answer 1

Atheist

Self-described atheists may share common skeptical concerns regarding supernatural claims, citing a lack of empirical evidence for the existence of deities. Common rationales include the problem of evil, the argument from inconsistent revelations, and the argument from nonbelief. Other arguments for atheism range from the philosophical to the social to the historical.

In Western culture, atheists are frequently assumed to be irreligious or unspiritual. However, religious and spiritual belief systems such as forms of Buddhism that do not advocate belief in God or gods, have been described as atheistic.[7][8] Although some atheists tend toward secular philosophies such as humanism, rationalism, and naturalism, there is no one ideology or set of behaviors to which all atheists adhere.




Agnostic

Agnosticism (from the Greek a, meaning "without", and Gnosticism or gnosis, meaning knowledge) means unknowable, and is the philosophical view that the truth value of certain claims—particularly theological claims regarding metaphysics, afterlife or the existence of God, god(s), or deities—is unknown or (possibly) inherently unknowable.


Agnostics claim either that it is not possible to have absolute or certain knowledge of God or gods; or, alternatively, that while certainty may be possible, they personally have no knowledge. Agnosticism in both cases involves some form of skepticism.

Answer 2

An agnostic believes that it isn't possible to know whether god exists. An atheist doesn't believe in god. I agree with your assertion that guts is the difference, or is at least part of it. I also think that an atheist is simply more confident in their position, and doesn't feel the need to be vague.

I would also like to bring up a related point. The word atheism just means "without theism", it doesn't imply an active belief, although some people definitely use the term that way. Some people say that atheists believe that there is no god. I would say that atheists don't believe in a god. The difference is more than semantic, like some people say. It is just as impossible to prove absolutely that there is no god, as it would be to prove that there is one. Therefore, I don't believe that there is no god. This implies that I believe something for which I have no evidence. I would say that I don't believe in a god, because there is no evidence for it whatsoever. I brought that up because articulating the difference between an atheist and an agnostic implies having a very specific definition for each, and I was just clearing up mine.

Answer 3

Agnostic just means lacking knowledge (real world evidence) about *something*, though in the context of religion it usually refers to gods. (Greek: gnosis = knowledge). So "an agnostic" would refer to someone who has no knowledge of any gods. It can specifically refer to having the stance that certain knowledge is impossible, but usually that's taken as a given so refers to "normal" knowledge i.e. based on evidence. Most people who are agnostic about gods are atheists, as lack of knowledge usually means lack of belief as a consequence. Sometimes they specify that by "agnostic atheist" if the context warrants it. However, some people can be agnostic theists where they reckon gods do exist, even though they have no knowledge of any. They are agnostic too, but not atheists. So agnosticism is a stance on knowledge, while atheism is a stance on belief.

Answer 4

The difference is in the last letter as

God is =

Atheist : T = Totally impossible.
Agnostic : C = Can be possible.

In fact Atheist is the total opposite of Theist. While Theist feel strongly for god, Atheist feels strongly against god. Agnostic is somewhere in between.

Answer 5

An atheist is one who denies the existence of a deity or of divine beings.

An agnostic is one who believes it impossible to know anything about God or about the creation of the universe and refrains from commitment to any religious doctrine.

Answer 6

Two totally different things: One is concerned with belief, the other with knowledge. Thus people can be theist or atheist, however everyone is agnostic.

Answer 7

Agnosticism is the view that the existence of God is impossible to be known or proven. The word “agnostic” essential means “without knowledge.” Agnosticism is a more intellectually honest form of atheism. Atheism claims that God does not exist – an improvable position. Agnosticism argues that God’s existence cannot be proven or unproven – that it is impossible to know whether God exists. In this concept, agnosticism is correct. God’s existence cannot be empirically proven or disproven.

Answer 8

The atheist says there is no god.
The agnostic says that the existence of god can neither be proven nor disproven.

I am an atheistic agnostic.
.

Answer 9

an agnostic hold the position that the existence/nonexistence of god is not a "knowable thing"


an athiest makes the assertion that god does not exist.

name notwithstanding, I personally think that no person knows whether god exists or doesn't exist.

"HOW" would this knowledge come to them?

hmmm

:) good luck

((ps: "guts" doesn't have a terribly good track-record for discerning truth ))

Answer 10

We are all agnostic. We all have to cope with the limits of our knowledge.

And, in a similar fashion, we are all atheist with respect to most, if not all, gods.