My understanding of agnosticism is that it is the "I don't know" position, correct? If so how to know that ...

Question

...... we know anything?

I think everyone is an agnostic deep down. Some try to fool themselves by saying they know one way or the other, but how can we know? If God is so much higher than us cosmically, we are but microbes in a petri dish being studied. Maybe we'll get to the end and see a gigantic eye looking down at us.

Answer 1

Yes and no. Agnosticism is a belief about the knowledge of God. (A-gnosis)

An agnostic is one who believes that the knowledge of god is impossible. Whether God exists or not, an agnostic believes man can never know.

Answer 2

I've been reading some of the answers above me, and I see a lot of the same thing over and over again. It's either a 'we can never know' position or a 'you're not listening; utilize faith' rhetoric.

I'm agnostic. Big whoop. I don't care if you call me a 'heathen' or whatever you will. I'm young. I don't know everything. I never will know 'everything.' However, I do think that it is beneficial to learn something about each of the different belief systems out there.

By doing that, I think we can learn a little about ourselves and what we truly believe in. By doing this, we can also steer away from the petty zealotry that causes massive rifts in our society, and needless discrimination.

I think, also, that we can figure out if there is a higher entity than ourselves out there. I call it 'faith in humanity.'

The whole petri dish idea reminds me of a one-act play I once saw, in which God was trying to get his Master's of the Universe degree, and was presenting Earth for his project. He ends up getting a 'C,' because Earth is such an imperfect place to live. Perhaps we are some kind of science experiment.

Maybe we'll know. Maybe we won't. You know what. I'm content either way. I still have my life. I don't care if the question is really solved. I'll be happy either way.

It's because I think pointless bickering is going to bring about an answer any sooner.

Answer 3

You're right that everyone is a little bit agnostic. Even Mother Theresa recently confessed that she had some doubts. Remember that?

There is no absolute proof in the existence of God, however, there are some things that are so amazingly inexplicable that it's hard not to believe in God. For example, have you ever taken a body apart in an autopsy? Is there any way to explain how the body fits together so perfectly and how the design is so amazing? Is there any way to explain why we are gifted with the beauty of a sunset? On the other hand, there's no way to explain 9-11 or the horrific things that happen in the world either. No one really truly knows; that's why there's faith. Come to www.yuwielife.com for more discussions of faith, agnosticism, and other topics.

Answer 4

Well that's not really what agnosticism means. But yah, you're basically right, nobody knows for sure if there is a god or the god they're worshiping is the right one!

An agnostic person believes that it's impossible to find out if there is god or not. It's a belief about knowledge not about whether god exists or not.

Answer 5

we know some things because they work in normal life. Things like water freezes at 32 F and theres gravity cause stuff falls down. The existance of God or an afterlife is essentially impossible to prove or disprove.

An agnostic says I dont know if God exists but I would believe if there were proof.

Answer 6

THat's pretty good....

Funny you should mention the petri dish thingie. The old Twilight Zone had a segment on just that subject. The whole universe as we know it ended up being a drop of liquid on a slide under a microscope being studied. Those who were studying it were finished and they broke the slide and trashcanned it.

It was stunning.......

Answer 7

It all comes down to what you mean by "knowing". Many people that knowledge can only be based on scientific type proof - either from empirical results or from rationalist logic. However, there are other types of knowledge - from personal experience (although you might say that this is empirical, you might not), or from faith.

The confusion of different types of knowledge, by the way, has always seemed to me to be the cause for the rift between religionists and scientists. It is a shame, because they are talking about (largely) two different sorts of phenomenology (or at least they should be).

Answer 8

It's not really I don't know, or maybe there is, maybe there isn't. It's the question of God existing can't be proven, one way or the other.
(awaits fsm argument... ah, there it is)
The difference between God and Santa Claus, the easter bunny and the pink invisible unicorn etc is that once people mature and study their beliefs, hundreds of millions of people do not believe in Santa Claus, the easter bunny and the pink invisible unicorn etc, but they do still believe in "God" . It's not proof - hence agnosticism.

Answer 9

God is not much higher than us. We are a part of the cosmic energy which is known as 'god'.All is really one in the end...the 'self' is illusion. I am not agnostic at all, I am aware of a spiritual reality thru my experiments with DMT. There are other planes of existence that much I kno

Answer 10

Agnosticism is the belief that we can't know. It usually means that we can't know God.

I believe we will never fully understand God until we meet in Heaven. However, the belief that we never will or that we can't begin to now, I find very disturbing. We as people like to picture God like us. I'm so grateful He's not. God is not apathetic. He didn't simply create us to see what we would do. He's not like the kid with a magnifying glass burning ants. That's not my God. My God is loving. That love is shown in every part of Creation. He gave us land to work, animals, plants, beauty to behold, emotions, feeling, creativity. He made us that way. Not to watch us through a microscope, but to have a friendship with Him. He made us in His image. Not because He's vain, because He wanted to be loved. That is why we have the ability to chose and make decisions. God doesn't dictate our destinies. He gave us rules to keep from hurting ourselves and others. "Don't kill, Don't steal, Don't do the things will lead you there." Makes sense to me. We still couldn't do it. So He sent His Son that could do it for us. God isn't up in space laughing at the idiots and chaos down here. He's all around us weeping because we won't turn to Him for answers. I certainly believe we can know God intimately as a Father and as companion. I also believe we won't know him entirely until we're in Heaven and any remnant of sin is gone and can no longer separate us.