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So here is a question. i believe in the idea that everything is explainable logically and through the application of reason. I also believe in a conscious universe. A god/goddess for lack of a better term. I believe this entity requires no worship beyond what we are already doing which is existing within its creation. We are part of it and it is part of us. I have not proof of this I could show another person and require no validation. I do enjoy discussing it within the larger realm of human thought and reasoned pursuit of truth. This intelligence is not human. I hold to no dogma or religion, do not seek to convert anyone, nor wish to convince them of my rightness. So my question is two fold. One, what would you consider me? Two, what is the negative aspect to my point of view in relation to the Atheist/Agnostic mindset? Can you be an Agnostic who leans in the direction of answering yes to the question of whether some form of God/Goddess exists. Mind you within the massive variation of what a god/goddess represents, is, can be etc. For me nothing in human thought and experience is set, all is fluid. The challenge is riding the currents as it were.

Quarm 6 Aug 29
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9 comments

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I would consider you someone that needs to first define your terms. Conscious means being aware. Being aware requires having sense organs and a brain to process them. Are rocks aware?

From our perspective no. With our knowledge no. Until we can find some proof and exploit such a thing, no. But to say we have absolute knowledge...? Plants have far greater ability to interact and influence their surroundings then we have ever even for most of history considered possible. They warn each other of threats. The cooperate with their genetic siblings. Not too long ago the idea of that level of awareness would be considered absurd. Do I think rocks are aware. No. Is the universe aware? Who knows. I do not. I can say no. I can say yes. Both are irrelevant positions. I have no context to answer the question. It is like I told my friend who is an Atheist. God/No God does not matter. What matters is what we do. Is reason based acts any less worth if they are driven by a belief in something unproven. Is the result if verifiable somehow less real? Do I like believing in the idea sure. But I still live in a world were gravity means I do not jump off a cliff without someway to arrest my fall or cushion the landing.

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I would consider you an agnostic theist. I mean, you basically said that you belief in a conscious universe is like the belief in gods, just a different label.

The negative aspect of it from an atheist's point of view is basically the same reason.. it's a belief in a supernatural entity, a god. I find those who believe in a conscious universe more annoying than theists honestly, because they're basically lying to themselves about not believing in God.

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"Explainable logically and through the application of reason" + "conscious universe" = Dzogchen.

Please join us in "Dharma Café". I think you'll like it there.

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You're a pantheist.

Agnosticism is not "I'm not sure". It's "I don't make a knowledge claim about god, one way or the other". The basis for that statement is that all gods (including yours) are non-falsifiable on account of them being supernatural and therefore not subject to scrutiny or any kind. You can neither prove nor disprove that there is anyone or anything outside the natural realm, or that are some ineffable part of the natural realm that is nevertheless imperceivable. You can't prove that anything is ineffable or supernatural, inherently. Such concepts are useless and have no explanatory power. If something can't be at least indirectly detected and examined, then there's no point in discussing it or having opinions about it.

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I think Spinoza's idea fits elegantly in your search for truth. Reason will never win over emotion. My thought as an agnostic are not written stone. I have no facts to base my belief in god, but sometimes it is hard to believe that this incredibly complex life that we live is completely by chance. So I struggle between my emotional and rational. That is part of my agnostic experience.

That is what I feel as well. Humans will never be purely rational beings. And too expect that or wait for that to happen, to consider that the point of human existence I think is folly. We are grey always struggling between self and others a paradox as without others our lives are so much less then but with others it is so much more messy! Without and hubris and leaps of faith and logic combined humanity would not be.

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You say you believe in logic and reason, but give no logic or reason for your belief in a "god/goddess". This is not logic, but an assertion of belief or faith in a general type of Theism. Since you believe that this is an intelligence that "we are part of it and it is part of us" this is an Immanent Theist belief as opposed to a Transcendent Theism. But this assertion of belief does not fit well in the Atheist/Agnostic realm. However, if you were instead to claim you don't know what this "god/goddess" is like, then you could then refer to yourself as an Agnostic Theist.

I am a human, a naked ape. Everything else is up for grabs. So many labels, so many limitations. Why do humans try so hard to make things dull and boring? I am not trying to prove anything except that you are not me and no one on this forum or in the world has walked in another's mind, another's skin. So in the vastness of the world and the universe far more is possible then any of us can conceive of. Theist, Deist, Atheist, Agnostic, Pastafarian its all the same an attempt to bottle infinity. Good luck with that. I cam walk and drink a glass of beer at the same time. So why can't I follow logic and reason and yet also believable?

@Quarm
You can be logical and also believe in something, but you haven't been. You have simply asserted a belief without applying any reason to it. Also, you were the one who asked the question, "what would you consider me?" Why did you ask the question if you did not want the answer?

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In believing that their is a god type mythical character, you subscribe to some sort of creator. You may choose to worship it or not. I believe everything is or will be explained with science in time. We have only begun to understand the universe. I believe 100% that there are no deities of any kind now or have ever been.

I can dig that. Do you believe that there may be aliens or other intelligent life in the universe more advanced then we are? And do you think a belief in a creator being is intrinsically a negative thing? And if so why. I do not mean the traditional Judaeo-Christian God I mean something out there that is greater then us in wisdom, intelligence etc. Something to aspire too rather then grinding on as a race that constantly find reasons (religion being one of them) to harm each other and ourselves. The same tired story over and over throughout history.

@Quarm if you believe in a creator, it means the denial of truth. Whether it be your traditional god or one of the thousands that humans have created along the way, I see no difference. I aspire to seek answers in logic and scientific methods.. never chasing nonexistent spirits

@Green_eyes So how many of these nonexistent spirits were actual scientifically proven phenomenon that were yet to be understood. Such as jaguars and other predators killing children without leaving any evidence due to their hunting techniques. They were thought to be demons at the time. How many myths have had a grain of truths yet to be explored through reason and logic? How many inventions or advances have started with what at the time was considered a impossible dream? I freely admit that belief is not truth, I have actually stated that quite a few times. Yet again and again people accuse me of doing just that. Yet your denial of things I have experienced is not truth or reason either it is the assumption that you know everything. That science has reached the limit of knowledge. It is a judgment. For me I have no need to prove anything to anyone as I am not using my experiences as a tool for manipulation or to convert. And yet how many people on these forums seek to enforce their truth on others they do not know, have not met. To me the best mind is one open to and accepting of the limits of personal knowledge as well as others knowledge. For the record my belief in "creator" is simply that a belief not grounded in fact or truth. Much like your belief that no deities have ever or do exist. Also I believe that any deities that may or may not exist are explained by reason IF they exist. Is it a big if? Sure but I like Carl Sagan wait for proof either way. To Robert Pope, of Windsor, Ontario, Oct. 2, 1996

“I am not an atheist. An atheist is someone who has compelling evidence that there is no Judeo-Christian-Islamic God. I am not that wise, but neither do I consider there to be anything approaching adequate evidence for such a god. Why are you in such a hurry to make up your mind? Why not simply wait until there is compelling evidence?”

@Quarm christian philosophers use the what they call this wonderful order of the universe as proof of thier deity. From a distance it does look like there is order...when in actuality, the universe is very chaotic and destructive. I was once a believer, I get it. I wasn’t in a hurry, I was agnostic for years before acknowledging what I already knew. If there was a god, it would have a lot of explaining to do. I’ve already found the answers, you need to find your own. You just need to choose which deity you want to claim.

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This is why I call myself Agnostic... I see a lot of mystery out in the universe, and I have no desire to "squelch that with logic." Especially since I can't. So I like to play with the mystery, careful not to allow myself to become committed to any "belief" so as to keep my mind open for facts and data as it shows up.

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I would answer this twofold. We do not know what we do not know. We must accept that there are things we do not know.

Holding yourself open to curiosity doesn't always provide answers but perhaps answers are not valuable. Simply release the chains of belief and enjoy the ride.

Well said. I am listening to Hurt by Nine Inch Nails one of the seminal songs for me about the human condition.

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