Feeling agnostic;
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Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.Paine is a sadly neglected historical character
LenHazell53
Level 9
Sep 17, 2019
1
Sorry to be off topic, but is there a group called Agnostic Faith here on this website? Or was there?
Flowerwall
Level 7
Sep 17, 2019
0
That's like asking is there a religion that's called the scientific method?
Agnosticism means - literally - "a strategy for one who doesn't know".
Agnostics are folks who demand evidence, facts, and proof that any "faith-based" idea or theory is true. They don't buy in to the "faith-based" stories.
These stories are myths...nice stories that might be based in truth...but with no evidence....we just don't "believe" them.
So Agnostics don't "believe" In agnosticism...they simply practice it...or take that POV.
Quoting a line from the otherwise excellent Desiderata:
"Therefore, be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be."
Now rephrase: Therefore, be at peace with god, whatever you conceive god to be.
Since as a "deist" I can leave open to my imagination what "god" might conceivably be (being non-delusional, I have NO idea) I can allow myself to take that to mean, be at peace with yourself.
If there IS a meaningful definition of "god," maybe being at peace with oneself is the same as being at peace with "god?"
That is, for people of sound mind, without sociopathic tendencies.
Storm1752
Level 8
Sep 16, 2019
1
@Storm1752 - I love Desiderata!
Did you know that the original Author Max Ehrmann didn't make a penny from its' many publications because he didn't copyright it correctly?
I even have a copy hanging in my hall... a gift from my fourth wife.
Having said that - I think you've let god and faith creep in to your thinking....and you've let it confuse you.
My advice to you is simple;
When you leave the mythical, unproven, and imaginary god out of the equation, then Jillette's and Payne's memes work.
When you allow god in - then you get confused.
With god - whether you are non-delusional or sociopathic - you still have all those questions to ponder.
Without god....your home and your mind is your church (Paine) and god isn't your moral compass (Jilette)
It strictly is up to you - if you're agnostic - to be morally correct, and to "be at peace".
@Robecology Not faith...I just have an open mind about an undefined idea of 'god,' not an entity, not a supreme being, something else.
(Let's not go THERE right now!)
I have no "faith" in that or anything else.
I especially like the ideas of Thomas Paine. Here’s an excellent article about his opinions:
Here’s one of many intriguing quotes:
- “But it is necessary to the happiness of man that he be mentally faithful to himself. Infidelity does not consist in believing, or in disbelieving; it consists in professing to believe what he does not believe . It is impossible to calculate the moral mischief, if I may so express it, that mental lying has produced in society.”(Age of Reason, pg. 50)
I wanted to make this as a new post but for some reason my posts do not appear. Can anyone explain?
WilliamFleming
Level 8
Sep 16, 2019
1
If you write in the "Post a comment" box, it's a new post. If you click "reply" then it doesn't.
@Robecology Hmm, I did write in the “Post” box twice. After clicking on submit or whatever, the post disappeared both time and was not to be found anywhere.
@WilliamFleming Then go to "mail" and describe the situation to "admin"...they actually appreciate reporting glitches.
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