Isn't agnosticism more logically sound than atheism?

Question

It seems to me that it is simply more reasonable for the individual to honestly claim not to know the answers involving theological questions than for the individual to boldly claim to have searched all existing space and time for evidence of an intelligent designer and claim with certainty that such a designer does not exist.

Answer 1

Most of the Atheists you ask here will claim to be Agnostic Atheist, for the two define a position on two different questions.



Most Atheists I know will not 100% deny God, not even their savior Dawkins.

Answer 2

Nope.

Agnosticism not only claims that someone doesn't know if gods exist, it claims humans *cannot* know if gods exist. Both claims are patently ridiculous.

There's more than ample evidence to know beyond any reasonable doubt that the vast majority of human-claimed god-things do not, in fact, exist.

And even if there wasn't, trying to claim we cannot ever know -- which involves a prediction about the future, and what we can or can't know in the future -- is just silly.



Agnosticism is a claim about knowledge -- and it's a claim I find unsupportable.

Atheism is a position on belief; lacking belief in claimed gods. Since no claims about gods have any supporting evidence of any kind, not believing them *is* logical. And atheism makes no claims.



Peace.

Answer 3

Bert, " Hey Ernie did you know there are tap dancing dolphins living on Jupiter"?

Ernie, " Don't be stupid Bert, how can dolphins tap dance and why would they be on Jupiter"?

Bert, " I read it in a book".

Ernie" Don't be stupid Bert just because it's in a book doesn't make it true".

Bert, " How do you know it isn't true, have you ever been to Jupiter, have you got a telescope that can see right down into Jupiter"?

Ernie, " Well...errmmm no I haven't, but the whole idea is absurd, it goes against all that we know about life and the universe".

Bert, "If you cannot 100% prove it's not true then wouldn't it be more logical to actually say you neither believe nor disbelieve that there are tap dancing dolphins on Jupiter, that you are agnostic on the subject"?

Ernie, " No not really Bert, and I'm to tired to explain exactly why. Goodnight Bert".

Answer 4

Agnosticism is a term that was introduced to conflate the issue of atheism vs. theism, which in my experience and studies of theology is a highly relevant but terribly low priority question. Thus it was introduced to give people the false ideological separation between belief and knowledge. When you say you believe something that you know to be true, there is no distinction between belief and knowledge!



Maybe when people feel like they are going to die it somehow becomes more higher priority, however that too is a false distinction because people who do not feel like they are about to die have exactly the same information and same ability to reason if not more so.

Answer 5

I lack a belief in god without claiming none exist. Because I don't know.



But given the number of highly unlikely beings unsupported by evidence that you don't believe in and would have no reluctance to deny the existence of, are you really in a position to pick this nit?



I am compelled, however, to congratulate you on this question, which reflects remarkable development, spiritually speaking. It is very respectfully worded. You must have been working hard and it really shows. It's inspiring.

Answer 6

That is not what an atheist says, atheists say "I don't believe god exists unless there is proof he exists". It is not about atheists having disproved the existence of a god, it is about the fact there is no proof that a god exists.

And please learn the meaning of agnosticism. It does not mean "not sure". Agnosticism is the belief that something simply cannot be proven, that there is no evidence for a certain thing. So you can have agnostic theists and agnostic atheists.

Answer 7

Gnostic Atheist-firmly believes there is no God or Gods and will not sway from this belief

Agnostic Atheist-believes there is no God or Gods, but no evidence to prove or disprove it

Gnostic Theist-firmly believe there is a God or Gods and will not sway from this belief

Agnostic Theist-believes there is a God, but no evidence to prove or disprove it



I think that person can believe whatever they want to believe as long as it does not affect me. You could say the same for gnostic theists. Personally, I agree with you on some level, but I think gnostic atheists can say that as long as gnostic theists can say there is a God with no proof. I don't really care what anyone believes though.

Answer 8

Look. Agnostism isn't a belief like atheism. It is a state of knowledge.



Theist- believes in god

Atheist- does not believe in god.



Gnostic- KNOWS that thier belief/disbelief is correct.

Agnostic- does not know whether thier belief/disbelief is correct or not.



Based on that there are agnostic atheists, agnostic theists, gnostic atheists and gnostic theists.

Answer 9

Most atheists would say they are agnostic atheists... the two terms are not mutually exclusive.



But is it logical to say unicorns and leprechauns can exist just because we haven't searched the entire universe for them? No, of course not.

Answer 10

I consider myself an agnostic-atheist.

Answer 11

http://peacewithgod.jesus.net/

I firmly believe that the main reason you're questioning your present attitude is because God is at work in your heart, trying to show you the futility of your disbelief and pointing you to a better way. I pray you won't try to silence His voice!



And why is God doing this to you? It isn't because He's just trying to win an argument with you and convince you that He is right and you are wrong. He is creating these feelings in you for one reason: He loves you and wants you to discover the joy and peace that come only from knowing Him. If He didn't care about you He wouldn't bother with you -- but He does care, and He is pursuing you and seeking to draw you to Himself. The Bible says, "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness" (Jeremiah 31:3).



How can you know not only that God exists, but also that He loves you? Look at Jesus Christ as He is found in the pages of the New Testament -- for He was God in human flesh. Not only that, He gave His life for you, and He rose again to give you eternal life.



The greatest truth any person can ever discover is that God loves them and has opened the way for them to be with Him in heaven forever. Don't let your pride, or anything else, keep you from turning to Christ and putting your faith and trust in Him. http://peacewithgod.jesus.net/

Answer 12

No. Your suggestion is nothing but foolish. According to you, you must accept the possibility that cinderella's fairy godmother is real, as well as all fairies of all past mythologies, simply because you cannot prove conclusively that they cannot be real. Is that really what you do? Shall I pretend that your fairy might be true simply because you want it to be real, devoid of all evidence other than that I cannot disprove your fairy?

Answer 13

I don't claim to know to all of the answers. I just don't believe that there's a god. "Atheist" is a more accurate word.

Answer 14

Nope.

Agnostics are just gutless.

Answer 15

You can't win the race if you're sitting on the fence.

Answer 16

No, it is more cowardly.

Either brace up your opinion or keep it to yourself.

Answer 17

"that which is asserted without evidence may be dismissed without evidence"



I am equally agnostic about fairies, leprachauns, and invisible cream-flavored zebra-chickens.

Answer 18

No, they don't know what to believe there confused. There either is a god, or isn't chose one.

Answer 19

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