Brad Ideas - What is the difference between an agnostic and an atheist? - Comments

There is a difference

Anonymous — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 16:32:12 -0700

"Tell me how you live your life differently from atheists"

Your right the difference is what they say, not what they do. As an Agnostic myself I think the difference is that athleist don't believe in a God while agnostics believe that it is possible or may not care if there is a god or not. The ones who do things "just in case" usually claim a relegion.

As an agnositic I believe that there could be a god but even if there is he does not have any impact in my life.

How I live my life different from an atheist is a question of little substance. All or even the majority of christians do not live similar live stlyes.

I have known atheists that are great people and have known some who are terrible people. same with agnostics, christians, jews, ect.

I will say that I think agnostic, atheist, christian or whatever, if God shows up performing miracles in front of their eyes and starts walking on water, I as well as most people will believe in whatever religion tat person tells me too.

Would insist

brad — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 19:20:38 -0700

Well, it depends what you mean by insist. An atheist, and anybody else, should be skeptical of any extraordinary claim. But once the extraordinary claim is clearly proven, most rational people, including almost everybody I know who calls themselves an atheist, would accept the new evidence.

This is why I say one of the big reasons there is no difference is that technically the atheists are agnostics. Atheist agnostics.

When agnosticism was invented as a concept, or at least named, it was a radical idea. Atheism was a total blasphemy, but the agnostic was just trying to say we can’t know. (Or rather, we can’t yet know, though some agnostics assert we could never know which I don’t think is true, unless they accept, on faith, that a god would never reveal itself.)

So in fact what you have is a lot of atheist agnostics, a tiny number of pure atheists who would deny even proof put before them, and a moderate number of theist agnostics who don’t think we can know, but tend to suspect theism is right.

THey all live their lives the same, though.

I think you're trying to define "atheism" as agnostic!

DensityDuck — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 11:54:10 -0700

"...just about every atheist I have ever seen would say that, should God appear before them, miracles a-blazing, they would of course respond to evidence and change their minds."

But that isn't atheist--it's agnostic. An atheist, presented with God and miracles a-blazing, would insist that it actually isn't God and those aren't miracles and there's some entirely materialistic explanation for the whole thing.

That's a theist agnostic

brad — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 13:29:18 -0700

Most people are not clear on the fact that there are two types of agnostics — theist and non-theist. An agnostic’s central tenet is that we can’t know the nature of god or if there even is a god. (It is often said as “can’t know” though almost everybody would agree that if a god were to reveal itself to us, we then would be able to know. Proving a negative is harder.)

With that tenet, there are two types of agnostics. Those who believe there is some sort of god, and those who don’t. You’re in the former camp — at least I think you are. To be an agnostic you have to accept it as possible that there is no god, and that it is possible there is one. If you are firm in the belief that there is some sort of god, but don’t know which sort, you are not an agnostic, you are a general theist.

Most of us who call ourselves atheists are strictly “atheist agnostics” because we do indeed credit that a god could reveal itself and we would then accept theism. However, our current belief is that there is no god. I say belief because we know you can’t usually prove a negative.

However, typically our belief in that negative becomes quite strong when it comes to specific gods of various religions, be they the monotheist gods, or Zeus, or Odin, or Krishna. At that point, we reach a level of “I don’t believe in the god of Abraham” at the level of “I don’t believe in elves.”

There are few pure atheists, who declare that they are certain that there can’t be a god. Or rather, this happens because we use different meanings of the word certain. Pressed on it, most logical people will agree it is hard to be certain of a negative, but in common use we use that word in that context all the time. I am certain there is no god to the extent that I would bet my life (or my “soul”) on it, which is a pretty high level of certainty, and meets the more common usage of the word.

However, my main point remains the same. The difference between those who call themselves agnostic and those who call themselves atheist (really atheist agnostic) is seen only in what they call themselves. You could say it is in what they believe, but what they believe manifests only in what they say, not in what they do.

it doesnt matter what you do

mariah sagataw — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 09:04:25 -0700

i think its pointless to argue the meaning of 'agnostic' and 'atheist'. and i also do think that there is a difference. an atheist rejects that there is any kind of higher power, an agnostic BELIEVES there is some kind of higher power, just not sure what it is. so basically when you distinguish wether you are an agnostic or an atheist you are stating wether your an open to believing or closed minded. I do not think it matters how either lives their life because you can be a christian and not pray or go to church.....and you can also be an atheist or agnostic.you can be a agnostic or atheist and still agree wtih waiting till your married to have sex, not killing people, its wrong to lie, you shouldnt steal, being gay isnt right, and anything else the bible says about how you should live your life. and you can also be a christian and think that being with the opposite sex is okay, or having sex before your married, not go to church, ect. so yes there is a difference, and its not based off of your actions. it cant be because your neither definitions can be proved by actions.
christian - believes in jesus christ ( god )
atheist - total denial of any higher power
agnostic - BELIEVES there is a higher power just unsure of what it is. ( does not follow a set religion )

i am personally an agnostic.

Just be good

Will — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 16:02:19 -0700

I am an agnostic, Was raised christian, and i dont think i live my life any different from most belivers, or non-belivers(atheists).

Great Explanation

Anonymous — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 23:45:41 -0700

Great differentiation between agnostics and atheism. I think a lot of people throw around both terms not fully understanding what they mean. Great Job.

I think you would be a great addition to Officially Atheist - A social network for atheists....so we can unite, share our views, learn, and debate about various aspects of religion and science.

I'm agnostic. And I live

Anonymous — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 19:41:56 -0700

I'm agnostic. And I live differently from any atheist. It's true, I dont attend mass. But that doesnt make me live like an agnostic. I believe that the fact of going to church is not the only way to be connected to God.

I talk to God instead. I treat him as an equal, i dont know if i'm doing right. I talk to him when I feel blue, or when I have a doubt, I ask him for advice, and to show himself and prove me that he exists.

Nothing like that has happened, but I dont quit trying.

Personally, I think

an agnostic — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 11:44:21 -0700

Personally, I think Agnostics are much more open minded than Atheists, or if I dare say, Theists. As an Agnostic, I know I am much more tolerant of other religions than an Atheist friend I used to have (and the arguments of this subject are the exact reason why I am no longer friends with him). I'm speaking through personal experiences, but I think I am much more free spirited and understanding as an Agnostic than an Atheist because I am not constantly having to defend my right to believe one way or another. When others talk about "god" or other deities, I am not offended, and I do not feel like I need to "set them straight" on the existence or nonexistence of the divine, like my afore mentioned friend did almost everytime it was mentioned, and would much rather give them the freedom to believe what they want because that is fair and much easier than contradicting them. I am ok with whatever people want to believe, as long as it doesn't interfere with my way of life. Now if someone personally attacks my beliefs by saying I am wrong because there is or isn't a "god" and that I need to be "saved", I will adamantly defend myself because I don't think I need to be saved. I don't HAVE to believe one way or another. I don't believe that the existence of any deity can be proven or disproven. It's possible that there is a "god". Of course, almost anything is possible. But it is also possible that there isn't one. I guess what I'm trying to say as I don't try to bring up my beliefs in a conversation about the Christian god (since that's the most common religion here) because I would rather be left alone and believe that it is possible "god" exists, rather than get into a fight that will very quickly turn ugly and ultimately against me, like an Atheist MIGHT. I am also much more comfortable examining and reevaluating my beliefs than an Atheist or even a Theist because my beliefs are elastic. I believe I am much more tolerant of others BECAUSE I am Agnostic. But as I've said before, this is from my personal experiences, and I know there are others that would strongly disagree with me.

Not sure its that black and white

Anonymous — Tue, 26 May 2009 20:27:12 -0700

The main article seems to assert that atheists and agnostics are basically the same thing because neither practices a set of organized beliefs, so thus they do not live any differently. The person who wrote this obviously believes in god. So if there is a god, is his existence confined to a place of worship? or is he every where like many Christians believe? and if so, isn't it more important how you live your life and treat others, than how many organized church gatherings you attend. You can go to church every Sunday and be a bad person. You can not believe in god at all and be a good person. Now under this guys theory the guy who goes home and beats his wife everyday will go to heaven over the agnostic or atheist person who may serve meals at the homeless shelter or be involved in community action that doesn't involve the church. Actions are more important than beliefs!

It's a broad philosophy.

brad — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 11:18:43 -0700

You will find that Humanism is a pretty broad philosophical school, with religious and non-religious components. You may be interested in secular humanism which more closely relates to non-theism.

What is a humani sts? What

Duran Keeley — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 01:55:11 -0700

What is a humani
sts? What relation do they have to agnostics and atheists if any?

It is simplistic

brad — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 15:34:38 -0700

But since the proclaimed agnostics I know live their lives the same as atheists when it comes to "what god wants" I am presuming they don't put a very large probability on the existence of any particular god. If you thought the Christian god was 50% likely, it does seem foolish not to take Pascal's wager when the punishment (lake of fire and all) is so harsh. Not that such a god would be fooled by the most insincere form of the wager. Christians argue about how much faith their god demands, some feel it's total faith, some allow for doubt -- we being human after all -- and of course there is much argument about how important "works" are in addition to the level of faith.

Agnostics, in my experince,

Nickoli — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 06:27:28 -0700

Agnostics, in my experince, have been more prepared to think again about their beliefs, and listen to other points of view.

Also, this subject is one people often do not think rationally about - many people believe what they like to believe rather than carefully considering evidence, even if they don't realise that that is what they've done.

Pascal's Wager

Nickoli — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 06:17:28 -0700

Pascal's wager is too simplistic, though. If you decide to live as if God is real (whatever your actual belief), you then have to decide what it is that God wants you to do, and opinion is strongly divided on that matter.

What is the difference between an agnostic and an atheist?

brad — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 14:42:14 -0700

My father was famously a preacher turned agnostic. We used to argue all the time about the difference between an agnostic and an athiest. I felt the difference was inconsequential, he felt it was important. And I’ve had the same argument with other proclaimed agnostics. I found an amusing way to sum up my view of it in one answer.

What is the difference between an atheist and an agnostic?

The difference is the atheist says she’s an atheist, while the agnostic says she’s an agnostic.