An agnostic is someone who believes that the existence or non-existence of a higher power is unknowable; that it couldn’t be proven either way. In effect, an agnostic doesn’t believe in god. But neither do they believe. It’s a middle-of-the-road, anti-belief belief.
The two are pretty regularly used as synonyms though, and it irks me as well.
[sub]In a completely unrelated note: while looking up synonym to make sure I was spelling it correctly I discovered synonymical, and I just tied my tongue in a knot trying to pronounce it.[/sub]
It’s funny to hear the way people change and interchange the two words. I’ve been politely cautioned by a few people - most recently and frequently my grandmother - “don’t say you’re an atheist, say you’re an agnostic.” Those people have some understanding of the difference between the two things, but I guess they think the deity they believe in is a total dope.
Exactly. I can’t prove there’s no God, anymore than a believer can prove there is. To
me it’s totally fruitless and not worth discussing. I have no desire to undermine, or
belittle, anyone’s belief, nor do I want them trying to proselytize me.
The only time I’m likely to raise any objection is when some person, or group, is
attempting to force others to adhere to their beliefs, such as the Intelligent Design
movement, or the prayer in school.
If there were some benevolent force making sure that people who weren’t sorry for the bad things they did in life became really sorry after they died, that everybody got to see their favorite dead pets and relatives again, etc. I suppose it would be nice. But generally speaking, the universe fits together wonderfully without one.
Plus it’s much cooler to be an unbelievably complex organism that has evolved over billions of years from the simplest of materials to a creature capable of rational thought than it is to be the descendent of an animated clay figurine or something. Really, just think about it sometime! Gives me the jibblies.
But not because I want some Big Daddy in the Sky. And I’d perfer nothing over most of the conception of God we’ve come up with. But I’ve spent my whole life trying to figure out this “existence” thing. The more I know the more I know I don’t know. My mind can’t contain all of this.
So I kind of like the idea of a Mind where all of this amazing world can be known.
An afterlife would be nice—as much for the Hell as for the Heaven. (Oblivion is too easy a way out for some people, I think.) As for a God…well, it would depend on what kind of god. I’d certainly rather live in a godless universe than one built and operated by one of those strict, puritanical, borderline psychopathic versions of Yahweh that some branches of Christianity push. I’d also hate to live in a universe run by some new-agey Hippie god, or one where the ultimate goal of existance was to become spiritually assimilated by god.
I suppose, all things considered, I’m pretty lucky to live in a godless universe. At least this way, when things are awful, unfair, or insane, it’s not because there’s a deity out there who WANTS things to run that way. :eek:
With me I’ve often wished for an afterlife but not necessarily a God. Also, in contrast, I wouldn’t want to “know” all the answers to everything when I die. I’d like the capacity to learn them but not have them handed to me on a silver plater. I think the MAIN thing that makes life so intresting is, we have all these questions we need answered. The quest to FIND these answers is what’s fun. Not actually knowing them.
Thats my take anyway. (plus I’m currious to know how far will humanity progress before we fuck it all up. I really, really, really want to know this dammit!)
Along that same train of thought; I’ve often wondered if there was a God: How does he keep from getting bored out of his mind? I mean he already KNOWS the answers to everything.
Didn’t Kurt Vonnuget have a bit about how god created man and gave him free will just so he could be surprised for a change? Along the lines of “Why the fuck :smack: did he just do that?”
In the past few weeks my beliefs have shifted with incredible speed from “There might be a God” to “We are all just meat.” Now, if that were the case, wouldn’t YOU wish there was a God?
Under any definition of “god”, I’d have to say no. I’m not comfortable with the thought of an ultra-powerful intelligent being that can control my fate and cannot be overcome.
Depnds on the kind of god/afterlife you’re proposing. I wouldn’t like the christian theology to be correct, and especially not the theology of some fundamentalist protestants.
But if you could dig up some version of god/afterlife I could ethically adher to, I’d certainly like a pleasant afterlife, wrongs done being corrected (though it might not be necessary), etc…
In my case it’s exacerbated by the fact that I kind of enjoy church (when I’ve gone) and respond emotionally to a lot of Christian mythology. I was raised generically Christian and had a very happy childhood – I have no resentment against religion in general, I just find that, for me personally, belief is impossible. So I sometimes think that, as much as I enjoy playing along with Christianity – the hymns, the trappings, the holidays – it’s too bad I can’t really get into it wholeheartedly. I’ve even tried, back in my younger days, to find a faith I could believe in… But no dice – I guess my believer is broke.
Have you checked out the Ethical Society? I never went to a meeting, but I looked into it. They meet, discuss spiritual and ethical issues and form a community of sorts.
I have sometimes wished there was a God. People who believe so firmly in one seem at peace, y’know? I am so firm in belief that there is not a god (since I was a little child), but every once in awhile I think it would be easier if there was, or at least, if I could believe there was.
Sorry but I disagree. I am absolutely convinced that I can’t fly, that doesn’t mean I can’t wish for that power. No contradiction. Beeing an atheist only means that you are convinced of the non-existence of god (or gods), but you are free to wish whatever you want. Besides, what is a “good atheist”?
I don’t really wish there was a god, except for fleeting (and mean-spirited) moments when a self-righteous believer who’s clearly not practising what s/he preaches comes over all superior to a heathen like myself. Then I wish for thunderbolts to smite them, fire and brimstone, the whole package.
I do wish there was karma, and try to behave as if it exists, not just in case, but just because.
Isn’t it what this is? The SDMB? Especially since they started passing round collection boxes?
Seriously though, I can’t relate to the idea of an atheist church at all. Seeking out other atheists as your friends, or being friends with people you have a lot in common with and happen to be atheists - that I can understand, but an atheist church or even club? Grouping people based on what they think/believe/don’t believe is one of the things I dislike about religions in the first place.
