Someone again asked if agnostics are scared to say they are atheists. I only speak for me. Theism God Goddess gods are general abstract ideas until you get more into what you mean specifically when you use those words. If someone thinks God is the universe, than I believe there is a universe and that ones definition of God by default. Its not an arguement or at least I don't beg one. More it is a conversation. Buddhism some have debated as to whether it is religion or a philosophy and it has no defined god. If you believe part, maybe those parts could be considered your religion that you might share in common with others and it is just a sort of unnamed religion. Of course you can have different definitions for what is a religion. Im more interested in personal or mutual development than sport in this area.
As a nullifidian, it doesn't matter to me that much if one believes or claims to have knowledge of a supreme being. What matters is what they do with that belief--do they support, or even condone religion? If so, that is where we part company. As my avatar said, centuries ago:
"I do not believe in the creed professed by the Jewish church, by the Roman church, by the Greek church, by the Turkish church, by the Protestant church, nor by any church that I know of. My own mind is my own church.
All national institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions, set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit."
Thomas Paine, The Age of Reason, 1794
Miscommunication happens a lot because people don't have the same reference points. Religion has various definitions. I would be concerned if beliefs other than the beliefs of the state were prohibited even if it were a secular state
I'm not if anyone else gonna do that I'm sure I can't do so
About that, I only know that the basis of everything is energy. If there's a being that controls it, I don't know. I believe that there isn't but I really don't know that if there is as a fact. That's my 2 cents, only an opinion.
Scintillating syntactic summary:
"If someone thinks God is the universe, than I believe there is a universe and that ones definition of God by default. Its not an arguement or at least I don't beg one".
Who is above petitio principii or a beggar's belief?
Could this be the clash of the titans: nullifidians vs pantheists?
Pantheism is interesting
I'm down with that!
All alleged gawdS can be examined for evidence and delusions of the believerS ... True Agnosticism means we cannot know whether the allegations are true..... Our Atheism is the scientific search for evidence for such allegations, having found zero evidence Atheists conclude all gawds are gibberish non-words undeserving capitalization....geebush jehobah ghostholes = xian delusions
If god speaks in the forest where no one hears him, what difference does his mere existence make ?
If she became a dragon, lit my campfire, and took me for a ride though, that would be way cool.
Neil Gammon? Is that you? This was sort of the point of American Gods.
If god speaks in the forest then it is utterly infused with the mushies in the pot and steeped in mystery.
@waitingforgodo If nobody hears then Thou doesn't exist. Sort of like that fallen tree conundrum.
All these different terms to me just don’t mean much of anything. You either believe or you don’t.
You have your perception of what a word means. To communicate, we learn each others assigned meaning to words. And those also can change with experience.
@thinkwithme you might note how the def of "agnostic" has changed as well, yeh
nice post imo, ty
@bbyrd009 Thank you
That's where you're wrong. As an agnostic I neither believe nor disbelieve.
@Storm1752 welcome back, dare I misinterpret you and say you're unbelievable?