Agnostic: a pointless term?

[AFTT47]

The thing that galls me is that none of these fine variations on disbelief amount to squat in the real world. Regarding how he or she carries on with his or her life, a non-believer is a non-believer. Our morals, our political stances, our philosophies are not changed the slightest by it. Whether we are strong-atheist or traditional agnostic, we carry on as if God does not exist. No practical difference.

They don't amount to squat given your level of discernment and ear for nuance. That much I believe. You must be kind of new to atheism. You still talk in the black/white, absolute terms of a true believer. It can take a while for that to fade.

You've got to be kidding me. I'm 55 years old and have been an atheist at least since I was 12. I am most definitely NOT new to atheism.

I'm speaking in black and white? That's exactly what I am arguing against! Reread the thread! I've been saying all along that people's beliefs have a near infinite nuance - which is why labels are inaccurate and of little use.

I think you misunderstand what I have been saying. I'm not claiming that all non-believers are the same - only that they have the same foundation of the assumption of a godless universe. Each individual has their own philosophical, moral and political beliefs. I maintain that you cannot use the flavor of non-belief to predict a person's stance on those issues. A traditional agnostic is as likely to be a liberal democrat as is a strong-atheist. I reject any attempt to pigeonhole us regarding practical issues based on our individual flavor of non-belief.