BEING AGNOSTIC
Written and Banner by Paige (KawaiiPaigey)
Edited by Jane (alltheducks)
Simply put, being agnostic is neither confirming nor denying that God or other supernatural creatures are legitimate.
Wait, I didn't put that very simply after all. I know people who tend to group Agnostics and Atheists together, but they are different. I got fed up when I researched the meaning of atheism and a synonym was agnosticism. Agnostics don't believe that we can figure out the supernatural happenings in the world. Atheists don't believe in deities, but some do believe in the supernatural. Agnosticism is not classified as a religion, rather a way of life leaning on science. I disagree. If there's a religion that doesn't believe in deities, and many who believe in one or more, why can't there be a middle ground? The world isn't just black and white, there is gray, the mix of the absence of color and the essence of color. During my research period, I came across an article saying (and I quote),
"Agnostics claim either that it is not possible to have absolute or certain knowledge of God or gods; alternatively, that while individual certainty may be possible, they personally have no knowledge of a supreme being."
The definition of Atheism was harder for me to understand.
"Atheists have a position that either affirms the nonexistence of gods or rejects theism*. When defined more broadly, atheism is the absence of belief in deities, alternatively called nontheism. Although atheists are commonly assumed to be irreligious, some religions, such as Buddhism, have been characterized as atheistic because of their lack of belief in a personal god."
But like in many cases, there's a gray area.
"Agnostic atheism, a.k.a., negative, weak, or soft atheism..."
Most simply, agnostic atheism is the literal definition of agnosticism. They don't believe, but they can't deny, either. And there's more gray areas, too!
"...Occasionally, atheists and agnostics butt heads over their chosen labels, with atheists criticizing the agnostic label as being too wishy-washy and agnostics criticizing the atheist label for being too divisive in a world filled with religious people."
So, even simpler put, agnosticism is an equal mix of atheistic beliefs and theistic* beliefs.
*Believing in one or more deities.
Sources:
http://www.diffen.com/difference/Agnostic_vs_Atheist
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnosticism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atheism
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