It's all about getting into heaven. In a recent Pew survey, nearly half the respondents "thought that atheists could go to heaven...and most thought that people with no religious faith also could go". This sparked a conversation between Darr and I on what it meant to be an atheist versus an agnostic. What say you, Internet?
For the rest of the piece click here. It's a quick and interesting read.
8 comments:
An agnostic is just a person who believes that it's impossible to know whether or not God actually exists. But you can still have your own faith on the issue. Hence, you can believe in God and be an agnostic. Similarly, you can be an agnostic atheist (like myself).
My understanding (which is very layman) is that atheists strictly believe that there is no God. Agnostics have no beliefs either way. Agnostics are either uncommitted and wishy washy, or open minded and free thinking, depending on how friendly you want to feel towards them.
Andrew and I had this exact discussion a couple weeks ago. Oddly, it all started because I saw on someone's Facebook profile that they listed their religious views as "Atheist" and I made the comment that I'm not sure I could be so bold, that I'd be afraid of offending someone (something I think way too much about, honestly). I said that to me, "Agnostic" sounded a little less harsh or definitive. He said that he thought truly religious people might be even more offended by calling oneself Agnostic because to him, it means you don't take a stand one way or the other.
I've never heard of Agnostic Atheism but I like the sounds of it.
Not to say that there is no such thing as an agnostic, but I think oftentimes, "agnostic" is a term that atheists use when they don't want to have the atheist stigma attached to them. Atheist can be a pretty bad word amongst religious types, whereas agnostic makes one sound open-minded and implies that the concept of a god hasn't been ruled out. It can be a way of saying, "I don't believe in your religion," but in a very non-confrontational way.
One of my favorite quotes from Life of Pi was regarding agnostics: "To choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportation." Of course, that probably refers more to agnostics in the "I'm undecided on whether or not there is a god" sense than in the agnostic atheist or agnostic theist sense.
Well, let's see. The LDS folks (Mormons) convert all those who have died posthumously to Mormonism... and, since you're a South Park fan, you know the correct answer as to which religion gets to go to heaven is, "Mormon."
Bingo! No muss, no fuss, just an eternity of short-sleeved white shirts and boring board games... hey Presto!
no you can't get in. Not unless you accept Jesus as savior and ask Him forgiveness of your sins. It is very simple: "I am the Way the Truth and the Life. No man comes to the Father but through Me." said Jesus. And that's the Truth!
there is no such thing as an atheist. Atheists say decalratively: "There is NO such thing as God!"
However, in order to be able to say that with authority and knowingly, one would have to also know the entire universe, every nook and cranny, in order to be able to make the case with credibility. However, if you say that you know beyond a shadow of a doubt provably that there is no God, anywhere, you would have to be as smart as God and have seen the entire universe. If you did that...you would be God. Hence ripping your statement to shreds.
No, everyone is an agnostic. Hedging their bets, and saying 'there may be a God but likely not.'
However, both positions are ones that will prevent a person from living with God forever in heaven.
Wow. I guess Elizabeth gets to decide. My bad!
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