Why Be Agnostic About Gods?
An article at Radical Atheist asks Why be agnostic about gods? There are some specific questions at the bottom that I will directly address.
If you consider yourself agnostic in matters of theology, and if you believe that as an agnostic you have no opinion on whether or not gods exist, what would you accept as evidence one way or the other?
I don’t believe agnostics can hold no opinion on whether or not specific theistic gods exist since I think there’s enough evidence on each one to make a personal ruling on it. Following agnosticism as the method, I do follow Socrates with ‘Try all things, hold fast by that which is good.’ Examining the religions of the world I see the work of man and an obvious fiction to try to simply define the magnificiantly complicated universe we live in. The honest agnostic cannot hold these defined religions as likely and so I believe it to be right to be atheistic towards each of these religions and definitions of a creator.
I would have to not see the work of man or byproducts of the natural world in anything that would be considered true evidence of a god. DNA is one piece of evidence that gives me wonder as to the possibility of an intelligent creator but does not provide support for any of the specific religions I know about or even that an intelligent creator was required for DNA to come to exist. I do have to admit it leaves open the door to such a possibility.
If you’re theistically agnostic, do you consider miracles, signs, predictions and religious visions possible?
I do think such things could be possible, but any time I’ve personally examined such stories I see the work of humanity, the byproducts of our natural world, or just a blind faith attempting to put meaning to random events.
Would you be just as comfortable having someone pray over you for a healing as you would visiting an emergency room if your appendix burst?
No, I have never seen prayer work directly so I don’t believe in it. Prayer may coincide with the eventual events but that is not proof of its abilities. I know doctors can work and have seen repeatable results from the medical field so I trust in their abilities.
If you don’t use skepticism in order to reach defensible conclusions (not absolutely right answers, though) then what good is it doing you?
I do reach defensible conclusions with my skepticism and agnosticism. I could probably just as easily call myself atheist and be done with it but I still see being agnostic as the most important label of my beliefs because it directly speaks to my method of belief. It also speaks to the limits of my knowledge and that I don’t claim to have the answers many people are looking for. The most important thing is that I do not really know why or how the universe is here or even if there is a why. I do believe that there could actually be a reason why we exist that none of us are capable of understanding. I believe the agnostic label indirectly speaks to that belief.
I do possess perpetual wonder and probably a perpetual amount of ignorance about the biggest questions religions claim to answer. I don’t see it as eternal indecision though since I have most definitely decided on the bounds of my knowledge and belief. I have found peace in stating the fact that none of us really know why we are here or if there even is a why. The reason I won’t go back to the atheist label is that I believe it implies that there is no reason for our existence or at least the existence of the universe that spawned us. I can’t say that I know that as a fact. There could be a reason and there could be a higher intelligence that caused this universe to be. I just firmly believe that understanding such things are so far beyond our intellect and abilities that agnosticism is my best answer.
I see clearly and I believe this to be my endpoint of belief. Throw any current religion at me and I clearly say that I’ve rejected each of them as lacking evidence for their beliefs. I am atheistic about all of the defined religions. Speak generally about the concept of creation and the possibility that there was something we would called intelligence behind it then I have to remain firm in saying I honestly do not know. I am an Agnostic.
February 28th, 2009 at 4:15 am
I appreciate your blog so much. You are a voice for many of us. I don’t feel so alone in the world. I live in the "Bible Belt" and find myself completely isolated from free thinking, or should I label it "common sense and humility". Thank You! Don’t stop.
March 7th, 2009 at 6:06 pm
Are you lonely as an Agnostic? Is there a justification for belief if it prevents loneliness, and enables happiness? Perhaps Atheists are happier than Agnostics, because disbelieve is a from of believe.
March 8th, 2009 at 1:12 pm
Jack, Atheists and Agnostics aren’t all that different. In the case of specific religions the Agnostic should see sufficient evidence to reject them as I have. If the big bang was the beginning then I believe there could be a reason why for that… or not. I’m certain the reason wouldn’t be anything like the religions we have tell us it is and think it most likely that we have no idea.
I’m not lonely as a human in society because my beliefs about things outside of all of this doesn’t define me as a person. I don’t know that Atheists would be any more happy or sad than Agnostics since we all have disbeliefs about ideas from others that come from our own beliefs. I firmly believe in my Agnosticism.