what does it meant to be agnostic?

Question

I have always believed but at the same time I feel that what if in the end i am believing in the wrong thing and i am punished anyway... and how can there be so many different religions and so many people follow them but if there is only one true God, why would on God be so cruel to punish all the others that believed in their religion.. so how do we choose and does this have anything to do with being agnostic?

Answer 1

As I understand it, an agnostic is uncertain, sitting on a fence.

I donot believe in a punishing God,I believe in a loving God,
One God, father,son,Spirit. It does not matter to me what church one belongs to, or not. I am comfortable in most churches, Other then fire and brimstone, I follow the New Testment, Jesus did not have a formed religion! Jesus said,
'Where ever two will meet in my name for the same reason
there I will be." Jesus said, "Thou are Peter and upon this rock I shall build my church." a single word, "church." All
God cares about is our "motives." Jesus said, "I give you a
'new' commandment, "Love one another." Trust your self, trust what is in your heart, Sort out what you feel is a man made law. You'll find your answers with in. Blessings.

Answer 2

This article has been tagged since May 2007.
Certainty series

* Nihilism
* Agnosticism
* Uncertainty
* Probability
* Estimation
* Belief
* Justified true belief
* Certainty
* Determinism

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Agnosticism (from the Greek "a," meaning "without," and Gnosticism or "gnosis," meaning knowledge) is the philosophical view that the truth value of certain claims—particularly metaphysical claims regarding theology, afterlife or the existence of God, gods, deities, or even ultimate reality—is unknown or, depending on the form of agnosticism, inherently unknowable due to the nature of subjective experience.

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

Demographic research services normally list agnostics in the same category as atheists and non-religious people,[1] although this can be misleading depending on the number of agnostic theists who identify themselves first as agnostics and second as followers of a particular religion.

Answer 3

It may mean that you are on the way to being agnostic. The problems you quote have led many people away from a belief in God. But as you believe you're not there yet!

Agnosticism is a "third way" between belief and disbelief. I might believe in proposition P : "P is true!" Or I might disbelieve it "P is false!". Alternatively I may not have any deep conviction either way ("I haven't a clue whether P is true or not!".

Now some people really, really believe in God and some people really, really believe there is no God. Others believe in Him "a great deal", "fair bit", "a bit" right the way down in a continuum to "really really disbelieve". In the middle of this continuum there's agnosticism.

The term "Agnostic" was actually invented by T E Huxley. He was fed up with all his friends saying they were "Catholic", "Baptist", "Methodist", "Atheist" etc etc - he felt left out without a "name", so he created "Agnostic".

"Gnostic" comes from the Greek "Gnosis", which is knowledge. The "A" is the usual Greek inspired "without" as in Arythmic, Atonal, Anarchic, Abiogenesis etc. So the term "an Agnostic", very very very loosely, transalates as an "I-don't-know-er".

Answer 4

Agnostics started way back when with the Knights Templar, they where ,at first charged with protecting the religious (Catholics), but after awhile they betrayed their religion and started their own off chutes of what they believe under their belt they have many names and many cases of cruelty to human life.

Most people even believe that their off chutes can be members of the presidential unit all gathering together for the good of themselves.

And they may have even infiltrated members of the church, there are some who believe that they conspired to Kill Pope John Paul the first.,

Look at the dollar bill, these symbols on the back are from them and they are trying to bring together the New World Order, masons are a common agnostic group.

Answer 5

An agnostic is a person who avoids saying that there is a God, but also avoids saying that there is not a God (atheist). For the most part, agnostics feel in the way that you described in your question -- that a just God would not allow these horrible things to happen in the world. You may want to explore some liberation theology. This theology acknowledges the existence of God but subscribes to the theory that God is not omnipotent, or all-powerful, and therefore is not able to control the evil that humankind brings upon itself.

Answer 6

Agnosticism is the recognition that either:
1.) no knowledge of a deity, including its existence, is possible, or
2.) the individual in question has no personal knowledge of it, but others may.

You can be an agnostic atheist or an agnostic theist. However, by the logic behind agnosticism, it does make more sense to be an atheist, which is just a lack of belief in a deity. Most atheists seem to be agnostic atheists; few reject the possibility of a deity completely.

Agnosticism and gnosticism concern knowledge of a deity; atheism and theism concern belief in a deity.

EDIT: And then there are horrible people like loveuforever57 who, based on their own beliefs, are going to Hell because they are judging.

Answer 7

You don't say exactly what you believe...do you just have vague idea of God or do you believe Jesus is the Son of God and died for you sins...Have you been saved? Have you repented of your sins and been baptized? I think the reason you have so much confusion is because you have not read your Bible...Please read the Gospel of John..in the New Testament....that will answer your questions...When you are really saved,,,you know it...there will be no doubt.

Answer 8

If you believe in punishment of any kind you are NOT agnostic.

Don't let ignorant fundies define agnosticism. I know exactly what I believe. I am agnostic deist.

Answer 9

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnostic

Answer 10

it means to go get a dictionary and look the word up