Do religious people and atheists agree in their opinions about agnostics?

Question

As a religious person or an atheist, how do you feel about agnostics - people who say 'Well, either of you might be right'?

How is 'There is no proof either way' any different from 'Either way may be right'?

Answer 1

I think it is intellectually indefensible, unless they're prepared to be wishy-washy about every single deity and fairy tale that has been told throughout the history of mankind.

Answer 2

I'm agnostic, but I don't say that either one of you may be right. I say that the Christians are wrong, the atheists are almost surely correct, and I'm not sure if I believe that there is a god or not. Way to get it completely wrong. No, really, that takes talent. You should be proud. And I must admit, I *love* the sweeping generalization that forms the bulk of your question.

Answer 3

There are two very different agnostic positions...

A) "I don't know..."
Personal agnosticism.
Thinking the question is too complicated or just not important.

Except in young people still building up an awareness of the issues, it's not generally very impressive.
It's a good sign if it indicates freethinking rather than the easier choice of sticking to whatever the local majority view is.

B) "I don't know and nobody else does either, whatever they affirm."
Dogmatic agnosticism.
The position of someone who has examined the possibilities and decided that there are philosophical reasons for thinking the whole question *has* to remain open.

A respectable stance, worthy of debating, though it doesn't happen to be mine.

Answer 4

I consider myself an atheist and answer questions aimed at religion, but I do not consider myself as condescending or rude. I try to answer questions from an objective point of view. I also don't think I am better than christians, however I do feel that some of them are rather rude and condescending to athiests. Generally I am only rude if the asker is being overally rude. If you wish you can read some of my answers, I appreciate feedback.

Answer 5

well i used to be atheist, but then my friend asked me "how do you know God DOESNT exist?" Im still leaning towards the Atheist side though. and yes, it is the easy way out. Theres no beating an agnostic person.

Answer 6

There are quite a few people that are atheists in regards to certain religions but agnostic in regards to other religions.

Generally, they will be atheists in regards to religions that they have thoroughly researched and found to be false, and agnostic about religions that they have not yet been able to explore fully.

Answer 7

The difference between us atheists and them is pretty minor. It is mostly a philosophical difference about what the total lack of evidence means.

They are much further from the religious. Just because they say that the existence of a god is unknowable doesn't imply that they feel any differently about the Christian God than I do. We often agree completely.

Answer 8

I'm ok with them. And actually, it's possible to be both, if you use the more inclusive version of atheist and agnostic.

It's possible to both not believe in gods and at the same time acknowledge that the existence/attributes of deities is humanly unknowable.

Answer 9

No problem with it. I considered myself agnostic for a bit, when I stopped going to church, then I decided I was actually atheist.

Answer 10

I think most people misunderstand what agnosticism says. It is not about the waffle position. It actually takes an even more extreme position than positive atheists do. What agnosticism states is that the question of whether God exists is not even worth discussing. They are beyond believing or not believing.

This wiki article is an intro, but a confusing one.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnosticism
http://www.allaboutphilosophy.org/agnosticism-faq.htm

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To detail:
How about neither side is right.

Answer 11

I think it can get very annoying at times. I like straight forward answers, however, agnosticism has it's place in religion. I believe that trying to discover the origin of the universe is a waste of time, since it's already created, and we can't really change it. There are some things that we can't know, or are just a waste of time.