PSA: There's no such thing as an "Agnostic". You are either a Theist or an Atheist. You either believe that a god exists or you don't. It's binary.
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NorthernBear · 51-55, M
At the risk of getting into a semantic war:
One can be an agnostic theist, believing in god(s) but not claiming to know for sure. One can also be an agnostic atheist, not believing in any god but not claiming to know for sure. I think you actually fall into that later category, I know I do. One can also simply say "I don't know" and just leave it at that. I like to think most people are in fact agnostic, not claiming to know the unknowable. We can, and some of us do, rule out specific gods on the basis that their holy texts are riddled with internal inconsistencies along with historical and/or scientific inaccuracies. Just because I reject the god of Abraham on this basis doesn't mean I'm totally opposed to the existence of a deity. There could in fact exist something that could be called a god. We just don't know.
One can be an agnostic theist, believing in god(s) but not claiming to know for sure. One can also be an agnostic atheist, not believing in any god but not claiming to know for sure. I think you actually fall into that later category, I know I do. One can also simply say "I don't know" and just leave it at that. I like to think most people are in fact agnostic, not claiming to know the unknowable. We can, and some of us do, rule out specific gods on the basis that their holy texts are riddled with internal inconsistencies along with historical and/or scientific inaccuracies. Just because I reject the god of Abraham on this basis doesn't mean I'm totally opposed to the existence of a deity. There could in fact exist something that could be called a god. We just don't know.
@NorthernBear
I agree with that and you're right that i'm an agnostic atheist. In fact, i think that, that is the only kind of atheist any reasonable person can be.
One can indeed say "i don't know" and leave it at that and that will cover their position on knowledge.
But their position on belief is either "Yes, i believe that gods exist" or "No, i don't believe gods exist".
They are either theist or atheist and the addition of a knowledge position only adds gnostic or agnostic as an adjective.
I agree with that and you're right that i'm an agnostic atheist. In fact, i think that, that is the only kind of atheist any reasonable person can be.
One can indeed say "i don't know" and leave it at that and that will cover their position on knowledge.
But their position on belief is either "Yes, i believe that gods exist" or "No, i don't believe gods exist".
They are either theist or atheist and the addition of a knowledge position only adds gnostic or agnostic as an adjective.