Most people I run across, if they hear the word agnostic, think it means the person believes in the likelihood of some sentient God or creative force or whatever, but doesn't limit it to a specific belief system, much less a denomination. Maybe it's Karma, or Cosmic Balance instead of a sentient being, but all agnostics are generally thought of as having some kind of belief in an orderly universe in which 'good' and 'evil' exist, or are balanced in some way. They believe there's some kind of reason for life and that after death some kind of justice/reward is meted out.
That's not to say that definition is accurate, just that it's a common interpretation of the term.
Atheists, on the other hand, are generally regarded as foaming at the mouth unbelievers who are certain there's no deity of any kind. While your definition of the term is common, it's still a kinder definition than the one most people apply to agnostic, and closer to what I believe. When I'm asked, and I don't want to spend half an hour explaining my position, I usually just say I'm an atheist.
So my question is, what neat little pigeonhole could I actually be placed in, so I can easily identify my particular views on the existence of deities when asked?
I believe that there may or may not be a sentient being which created the universe, and there may or may not be an afterlife in which I could spend eternity in the presence of this hypothetical being. However, if there is a sentient being, it is either completely impotent, non-responsive, or just plain whimsically callous and cruel. In any case, it is not worth my time to pay attention to it, much less shower it with devotion and worship because it either doesn't care, or it doesn't matter (or worse, you really don't want to draw its attention.) I certainly wouldn't want to spend eternity basking in the glow of such a being. The more likely scenario is that there's nothing there at all and that after death, we cease to exist. That scenario is so likely as to exclude the other scenarios from serious consideration, but even if the alternate is true, it wouldn't change my behavior in any fashion.
These conclusions are based on examination and observation of various religions, the world and events talking place in it, the concept of free will and determinism, and logical deductions based on those observations.
If god exists (extremely small, even microscopic possibility) he is at best irrelevant and impotent, and a waste of my time.
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Date: 2007-12-03 10:58 pm (UTC)That's not to say that definition is accurate, just that it's a common interpretation of the term.
Atheists, on the other hand, are generally regarded as foaming at the mouth unbelievers who are certain there's no deity of any kind. While your definition of the term is common, it's still a kinder definition than the one most people apply to agnostic, and closer to what I believe. When I'm asked, and I don't want to spend half an hour explaining my position, I usually just say I'm an atheist.
So my question is, what neat little pigeonhole could I actually be placed in, so I can easily identify my particular views on the existence of deities when asked?
I believe that there may or may not be a sentient being which created the universe, and there may or may not be an afterlife in which I could spend eternity in the presence of this hypothetical being.
However, if there is a sentient being, it is either completely impotent, non-responsive, or just plain whimsically callous and cruel. In any case, it is not worth my time to pay attention to it, much less shower it with devotion and worship because it either doesn't care, or it doesn't matter (or worse, you really don't want to draw its attention.) I certainly wouldn't want to spend eternity basking in the glow of such a being.
The more likely scenario is that there's nothing there at all and that after death, we cease to exist. That scenario is so likely as to exclude the other scenarios from serious consideration, but even if the alternate is true, it wouldn't change my behavior in any fashion.
These conclusions are based on examination and observation of various religions, the world and events talking place in it, the concept of free will and determinism, and logical deductions based on those observations.
If god exists (extremely small, even microscopic possibility) he is at best irrelevant and impotent, and a waste of my time.
So what am I?