What's the main difference between an atheist and an agnostic?

Answer 1

An atheist is certain of the non-existence of divine beings. An agnostic believes that either the existence or non-existence of divine beings is equally likely, and we won't know for sure until we die.

Answer 2

Agnostic was a term introduced by Professor Huxley. It indicates a person who does not believe anything that is not demonstrated directly and physically.

So you can be an agnostic atheist, or an agnostic Christian. What makes you "agnostic" is that you only believe what has been proven to you.

The term has been so warped and has so many connotations, that people often think it is "in between" atheist and Christian.

Answer 3

First off unless an agnostic is also a theist they are by definition an atheist. In fact to be an agnostic and yet NOT also an atheist would be the hardest position to defend. Because you think it can't be proven yet you believe.

Right off the bat the first two answers misdefined atheist. And no doubt others will make the same mistake.

"An atheist is pretty sure God doesn't exist." Wrong.

"An atheist believes that there are no gods" Closer but subtly wrong.

"Atheists are ADAMENT that their isn't." Wrong.

"Atheist is sure there is no God" Wrong.

"An atheist is certain of the non-existence of divine beings" Wrong.

"Theists and Atheists are frightening similiar, both convinced of something neither can know." Weird and wrong.

"an atheist is against God" pawnteaser, gets the award for most creative attempt at misdefining. But still very wrong.

The word is pretty simple. The prefix 'a' means not or without and does NOT mean 'against'.
http://www.learnenglish.de/grammar/prefixtext.htm
http://www.gpc.edu/~janderso/historic/psmeanin.htm
http://www.englishclub.com/vocabulary/prefixes.htm

To be an atheist someone is simply not a theist. They don't believe in deities. There is nothing about the word that says explicitly or implicitly 'why someone doesn't believe'. And it certainly does not mean someone thinks they 'know' there are no deities. In fact I've never in my entire life personally met an atheist who has said they "know there are no deities". And when asked is the existence of god 'possible' all have said that of course it's 'possible'.

Answer 4

An atheist does not believe in God all together where an agnostic believes that it is not possible to know God. So basically, an agnostic is an atheist with an insurance policy. They will not burn in the fieriest pits of hell like the Atheist but rather the 2nd fieriest pits of hell for holding out the possibility that there is a God.

Answer 5

Anyone without supernatural beliefs is an atheist, whether they want to call themselves agnostic or not. Atheists don't have to be certain about the nonexistence of gods and devils to lack belief in them (after all, we could be wrong). Agnostics on the other hand sound very sure of themselves when they insist that it's impossible to tell - period, end of discussion, don't make us take a stand.

I call agnostics fence-sitters who want to have it both ways, and this attitude they have makes them as dogmatic as believers!

Answer 6

Agnostics think that because you cannot conclusively disprove the existence of God, we cannot know if God exists. Atheists think that we aren't claiming God exists, and so do not have to disprove it.

Answer 7

Atheist: I don't believe in the existence of any gods.

Agnostic: I don't know if any gods exist.

Answer 8

the truth is rather simple an atheist is (A) the Greek for anti and (Theo's) the Greek for God so in short an atheist is against God belief has nothing to do with it. it is only a modern idea to question does God exist! as for agnostic, well it also is Greek and simply means that an agnostic feels that if God exists it is not possible to get to know him.

Answer 9

Atheists DO NOT BELIEVE in any gods or goddesses, not even yours.

Answer 10

I remember being told that an atheist believes that there is no God/god, but that an agnostic isn't sure whether God/god exists or not.