If Belief is the opposite of Unbelief and vice versa and Agnosticism is in the middle, what does that make?

Question

Belief and Unbelief?

Extremes?

0------------50-------------100

If 50 is the mean/ middle...What are 0 and 100?

Answer 1

To the extent I'm agnostic, I don't accept the linear model you've proposed.

I'm not just being perverse, non committal or oppositional here: this is a really important point.

A lot of the dichotomies we take for granted... "fundamentalist "vs "moderate", right vs left, liberal vs conservative, belief vs unbelief... turn out to be false dichotomies when you examine them more closely.

Extremists may define themselves in terms of such dichotomies. This doesn't mean that such linear models are the best or most accurate ways of understanding reality.

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

Answer 2

No, you see your scale is all wrong. Extremes are not based on the positions people take. Belief and disbelief are not at opposite ends with agnosticism in the middle. Extremes are based on numbers. The mass majority sets the stage with the so-called "normal" belief in a given society. Extremes fall on opposite ends of the majority.

Disbelief is not a belief. Your belief in God and my disbelief is not equal. Its not like u and I have opposing beliefs putting u on one end and me on the other. Atheism is not an extremists anything because its not a belief.

Is your disbelief in the tooth fairty an extreme. Even if the majority of the country believed in the tooth fairy would u be an extremists? No, because u have a "lack" of belief.

Answer 3

This assumes that agnosticism lies on the same axis. Agnostic atheism and agnostic theism don't fit your model. It might be better classified that belief and unbelief (agnosticism) are a separate axis from theism and atheism.

Answer 4

I think you're hung up on trying to prove your thought about extreme. Very simply put, opposite does not imply extreme, nor does it imply that either endpoint is an extreme.

Consider this, infants have no belief system when they are born or before they can speak. This is the default state and is not an extreme.

Answer 5

Nice move!

Yes, from that perspective they are extremes.

But no.

That doesn't make a person in either of those extremes an extremist.

Not with the connotation we are so familiar (an nauseated) with.

Answer 6

agnostic is accepting the fact that there is some higher power while not knowing what it is. 100 could be being very pious while 0 is the religion bashing atheists.

Answer 7

Precious angel, under the sun,
How was I to know you'd be the one
To show me I was blinded, to show me I was gone
How weak was the foundation I was standing upon?

Now there's spiritual warfare and flesh and blood breaking down.
Ya either got faith or ya got unbelief and there ain't no neutral ground.
The enemy is subtle, how be it we are so deceived
When the truth's in our hearts and we still don't believe?

Shine your light, shine your light on me
Shine your light, shine your light on me
Shine your light, shine your light on me
Ya know I just couldn't make it by myself.
I'm a little too blind to see.

My so-called friends have fallen under a spell.
They look me squarely in the eye and they say, "All is well."
Can they imagine the darkness that will fall from on high
When men will beg God to kill them and they won't be able to die?

Sister, lemme tell you about a vision I saw.
You were drawing water for your husband, you were suffering under the law.
You were telling him about Buddha, you were telling him about Mohammed
in the same breath.
You never mentioned one time the Man who came and died a criminal's death.

Shine your light, shine your light on me
Shine your light, shine your light on me
Shine your light, shine your light on me
Ya know I just couldn't make it by myself.
I'm a little too blind to see.

Precious angel, you believe me when I say
What God has given to us no man can take away.
We are covered in blood, girl, you know our forefathers were slaves.
Let us hope they've found mercy in their bone-filled graves.

You're the queen of my flesh, girl, you're my woman, you're my delight,
You're the lamp of my soul, girl, and you torch up the night.
But there's violence in the eyes, girl, so let us not be enticed
On the way out of Egypt, through Ethiopia, to the judgment hall of Christ.

Shine your light, shine your light on me
Shine your light, shine your light on me
Shine your light, shine your light on me
Ya know I just couldn't make it by myself.
I'm a little too blind to see.

Answer 8

Or maybe just opposites.. and as for us agnostics... Just non-committal ;)

Answer 9

Yay, numbers.

Answer 10

theyre not sure how to answer