Agnostic: a pointless term?

[AFTT47]

They're not mutually exclusive, one can fairly day "I don't know if X exists, but I don't believe it does".

No, you could say "i don't know if x exists, therefore i do not actively believe it does", which is an extraneous statement but atleast coherent.

When you say you "don't believe", what you are actually saying is you believe it doesn't (exist). Like if someone says they "don't believe" you are telling the truth what they are actually saying is that they believe you are lying. This is just mis-use of a colloquialism. You are also missing the meaning of the word agnosticism, which is a lack of knowledge precluding the ability to form an opinion. Agnosticism has never pertaining to knowing with certainty, this is why i warded you off defining by etymology. No-one can ever really say they *know* anything, which is why such a definition of agnosticism would be meaningless. Everyone would be agnostic about everything.

YGninja, the first time you posted about this, you really pissed me off and I insulted you. Sorry about that but it strikes me as incredibly arrogant and disrespectful when you have the temerity to tell someone else what they are thinking. Ridiculous, too. Do you honestly believe you know a person's thoughts better than they do?

Let me try again to address this.

As I said up-thread, I couldn't care less what label you are anyone else uses to call me. But, don't even think of trying to tell me what I believe. I'll spell it out for you.

1. I don't deny the possibility of the existence of something we might call
God. This would be some super being we know nothing of - not one of the countless, ludicrous, fantasy gods of the hundreds or thousands of human religions. But just just like the hypothetical teapot orbiting Jupiter, I do not believe it exists simply because there is no compelling reason to think it exists. The same with any number of theoretical possible things from invisible aliens among us to an alternate universe where the Chicago Cubs are the most successful baseball team in history. They MIGHT exist but there is no good reason to suppose they do. Not having belief in them is the default position. Otherwise, one would believe in everything. There is not only a teapot orbiting Jupiter but an entire dinner set and all the pieces are autographed by Queen Victoria. Madness.

2. I feel perfectly comfortable taking the positive position that the God described in the Bible does not exist. I am confident of that position because for starters, some of the things claimed about this God are logically impossible. Others are so ridiculous upon examination that the claim can be dismissed.

3. I have not closely examined the claims made by non-Abrahamic religions but in the absence of solid claims by the adherents of those religions, I dismiss those as well.

4. I am a rational being so of course I will change my position if at anytime the evidence and/or facts warrant it.

Now, I've spelt out what I do and don't believe and you may feel free to assign me a label based on that. I really don't care. But if you have the arrogance to try and tell me what is in my own head, I'm going to tell you to go fuck yourself.