Agnostic vs Atheist
I'm sure, being this is "Agnostic.com", you've heard this question before... but who has been mistaken for an atheist while only being agnostic?
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Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.Divided by a common language yet again. From my perspective:-
Gnosticism = knowledge
Theism = belief
A theist claims god/s exists. An atheist does not belive these claims. An atheist does not claim that no god/s exists.
As an agnostic atheist I do not know that a god/s cannot exist in any universe, but I have seen no evidence to confirm the claims made by theists.
An anti-theist makes the claim that no god/s exist. There is a difference.
The time to believe that something exists, is when there is evidence to support the claim and not before.
Uncorrugated
Level 7
Apr 7, 2018
0
Nope.
Theist = belief in god
Atheism without belief in god.
Null hypothesis cannot be proven.
I don't know any atheists who state that a god/s cannot exist in any form in any universe.
If find that most people use ‘agnostic’ differently than it’s dictionary definition, which is fine. It’s mostly used to describe a person who is undecided as opposed to a person who does not know, or have knowledge of a god’s existence . These may seem to be the same thing, but they are not.
indirect76
Level 7
Apr 6, 2018
1
@Katrik I consider myself agnostic, not atheist... though agnostic meant you didn't know if there was a god, and being an atheist meant you plain flat out denied it. I find myself towards that definition of agnostic, leaning towards no god but still don't deny the possibility.
Mytskami
Level 4
Apr 6, 2018
0
Atheism is not the positive claim that gods do not exist, it is the negative claim of i do not believe that gods exist. It’s an important difference. If you aren’t convinced a god exists you are atheist.
The question itself shows a lack of fully understanding the terms. I’ve struggled to get it clear as well. Someone posted this a few days ago... I want a new category...
“atheist, agnostic fluid” ... because I have 100% certainty no gods exist some days and slightly less on others. In any case pretty much everyone on here is an atheist, just some are also agnostic while others are gnostic.. so they weren’t mistaken as much as you think. Today I’m feeling gnostic.
ArdentAtheist
Level 8
Apr 6, 2018
3
I don't know, I always thought the difference between agnostic and atheist was that agnostics didn't know... believed it maybe, but couldn't say either way. Atheists are SURE there is no god... I'm more open to possibilities but still think there isn't one.
I guess I've always felt like it's knowledge vs belief rather than certainty vs belief, which I feel are the same thing.
I'm 100% certain that I don't believe there's a god, but since a god would by definition be supernatural, therefore beyond nature and untestable, no one can ever"know" if there is a god or not.
Semantics I suppose.
@Mytskami I think of it in terms of an atheist taking it one god further than a theist.. I am certain that all gods are man made constructs. Where I touch the edge of agnosticIsm personally is on if anything could exist beyond life as in reincarnation or recycling of residual energy, can it retain conciseness? I doubt it but find it interesting so I wonder..... specifically on Gods I see no more reason to believe in that then something new made up by a guy named Bob tomorrow. Either way we both have Sunday mornings free
so I guess what I’m saying is that an agnostic is an atheist with a scintilla of doubt… And some days that’s me, it seems that how I am some days you are everyday, Little difference really.
@Mytskami nah, those are real definitions. Most of these ‘agnostics’ are actually agnostic atheists who don’t understand the terminology.
The current sloppy definition of agnostic can lead to this. It seems to mean "undecided" to most. That is not the original meaning.
When Thomas Huxley coined the word in 1869 to name a philosophy of knowledge that predated him, he was encouraging young scientists to follow the evidence to discover truth. In modern terms, the agnostic philosophy of knowledge means that one does not accept things as true unless there is imperical evidence to support them. A few years later, Huxley was challenged about whether he included the "knowledge" of God in the term. He replied that since there was no evidence for metaphycial statements, we cannot know whether god(s) exist or not.
Modern atheists seem to come in two flavours: 1. "There is no God," or 2. "I don't believe in God."
The latter variety seems most common in Canada now.
Since the definition of agnostic precludes believe (accepting something without evidence), an agnostic is a type 2 atheist automatically.
DougTElmira
Level 6
Apr 6, 2018
0
I use the word Freethinker and it doesn't matter. I've never believed in organized religion;it's the cause of war, hate and discrimination vs. others.
sassygirl3869
Level 9
Apr 6, 2018
0
I'm neither. I'm just not a believer in made up shit.
LeighShelton
Level 8
Apr 6, 2018
0
I think anyone, on either side of the fence, that claims they're not agnostic, is either lying or fooling themselves. None of us can KNOW, one way or the other, if there is something out there that is unprovable by definition.
EddieDean
Level 6
Apr 6, 2018
0
But that is the definition of being agnostic... the fact you DON'T know... I'm good with that.
It’s not really being mistaken though. If you don’t claim to know if a god exists or not, you would also not believe that such a being exists either. Or at least it wouldn’t make much sense to believe. Thus if you are agnostic you will also be atheist. Personally I think most people who use the term agnostic are those who don’t want to deal with the negative stygma that exists about being an atheist.
Katrik
Level 7
Apr 6, 2018
3
I think there is a difference between being agnostic and atheist. I don't think I know enough to know if there is a god or not, so I find myself agnostic. My definition of "atheist" is someone who believes there is no god and I don't like that.
I don't think so though. I've heard so many people say"I don't know what I believe, but I believe in something" meaning they believe that there's some form of god, but they don't necessarily accept any defined version as being correct.
I'm an agnostic atheist, because while I don't believe in any god, or anything supernatural for that matter, I can't claim to know for certain that I'm correct. There certainly could be something that we just haven't come to discover or understand yet.
On the other hand, if someone says they"know" God exists, they're lying.
I actually think that the vast majority of people are atheists and just don't realize it. If you truly believe, then that would be the most important aspect of every minute of your life. Forget money, love, fun, anything, because there is a supernatural supreme being watching over you waiting to take you to eternal Bliss after you die. Bullshit. You don't believe that or you wouldn't be checking your stock values, going to school, trying to improve this inconsequential world, etc.
So I think very very few people actually believe what they want to think they believe.
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