About atheism

[Napoléon]

I have never really grasped what an agnostic is, but i know that i want to be on one side. I don't want to stand in the middle undecided.

Agnosticism doesn't deal with what you believe. It deals with what you know.

You are either agnostic about something (you don't know for sure) or you are gnostic (you know for sure). This can be applied to anything, not just gods.

Atheism and theism on the other hand don't have anything to do with knowledge, but rather they concern belief in god.

So in essence:

Gnostic: I know something for sure

Agnostic: I don't know/can't know something for sure

Theist: I believe in god.

Atheist: I don't believe in god.


So you can describe yourself as an agnostic atheist (which is what myself and many others here are). All that simply means is I cannot be sure for certain (agnostic) but I don't believe (atheist) in god.

Hope that clears it up for you.

[NoMoreFaith]

I have never really grasped what an agnostic is, but i know that i want to be on one side. I don't want to stand in the middle undecided.

Reading this thread through, and I hope you do not think me rude, but you simply wish for something to "belong" to, a label which you feel comfortable with.

You don't want this, you don't want that, and in truth, it has little to do with what you want.
Quite a few atheists would say the don't WANT to be atheist, the concept of happy fluffy eternal heaven might be preferable to the fear of death, but it really comes down to a matter of the importance of truth to your worldview.

Myself, and I suspect many others, value truth above all things, and what may be preferable, has to be discarded merely because it lacks truth value. I am atheist (agnostic atheist) merely because I feel that empiricism is the only meaningful method of discerning truth from fiction, in a world that bombards you with grey areas of truth constantly, that requires a rational person to defend themselves with a solid methodology of discerning truth.

To me, its not a question of whether God exists or not, but rather what I choose to discern fact. This lies entirely within empiricism, logic and reason, and those when applied, do not allow for supernatural entities.

If you want a reason to feel better about being an atheist, I can only recommend that it is comforting to have a confident resort in evaluating truth. This does not mean what I know is true, but it is true in the only way that can ever be meaningfully asserted.

Welcome to the forums, the most important thing is not whether you believe, or whether you don't believe, or whether you aren't sure WHAT you want.. the only important thing, is are you thinking, avoiding cultural bias and coming to your own opinions.

[Engel]

I have never really grasped what an agnostic is, but i know that i want to be on one side. I don't want to stand in the middle undecided.

This might come off the wrong way, but it sounds like you place a high importance on being able to label yourself as belonging to a certain category. Rather than worrying about labels, why don't you do some research over what atheists, agnostics and Christians believe. Personally you sound like an agnostic to me. You believe that in all likely-hood, there is no god but you do allow for the possibility of there being one. This differs from an atheist like me who believe that there is no kind of higher power or god whatsoever. I hope that you eventually find an outlook that suits you and that you are comfortable with.

[Minimalist]

It's a choice in what i choose to tell myself. i can choose to tell myself that there is no god, my life on earth is all there is and i'm actually all alone. Or i can choose to tell myself that i might not be alone, there might be something or someone bigger than me, that i do not understand. It might not be a belief, it's more like choosing what i accept as personal truth.

And i said in the first post that even if i gave up religion i would still keep the core i've learned from religion (loving my neighbor and so on)

Are you asking for permission to lie to yourself?

[Jodin]

Thanks for clearing this about agnosticism out for me.

I can see how it seems i'd like to have something to label me with, but that is not the real case.
I've said earlier that i look into things i don't understand, I do this from a scientific/logical point of view.
And i reach conclusions, and that is what i'd like to do here too.

You guys have been a huge help, i will keep looking,
and hopefully someday come to some kind of conclusion.
Thank you!

[NoMoreFaith]

Well, I hope you stick around, and I look forward to your own perspectives.

[jess_essential]

You'll never feel how you think you're supposed to feel while believing. I've been there. Before you make your choice study evolution, and the scientific method, they WILL coincide with what you were taught, but will make much more sense (Because they're facts). Many creationists complain about evolution being just a theory, the scientific method will help you figure out what a theory is. I am an atheist through and through, but am VERY good to people because it's the right thing to do, not because of some dogmatic moral code. You'll make it through.

[el_presidente]

The good news is that you cannot choose what you believe in, so the pressure is off! You either believe in something or you do not. You don't need anyone else to tell you.

That being said, finding what you believe just takes looking into why you believe. I think the "why" is a hell of a lot more important. I do not believe in god because I have no reason to believe in one. Why do I have no reason to believe? Because god has never done anything to prove god exists. Why I believe or disbelieve is the root.

[Napoléon]

You guys have been a huge help, i will keep looking,
and hopefully someday come to some kind of conclusion.
Thank you!

I second what NoMoreFaith said and urge you to stick around.

This forum was definitely the biggest thing for me in confirming my atheism.

[Reforged]

There are people here much better qualified at answering you than I am but I'll take a stab:
People who believe in God do so because they feel it gives them a sense of purpose or a sense of well-being but the problem is they are both false. They know this deep down but are so afraid to let go they deny it with every fibre despite evidence or reasoning. It kills the pursuit of meaning, of knowledge and of happiness because they've convinced themselves they will definitely acquire all after death. That they will be reunited with loved ones in eternity.That nothing here really matters as long as they are obediant.

An Atheist looks for all three in the here, the now. While it is in no means certain they'll acquire any of these there is at least a chance, the best chance they will. Yes, we will die. Yes, our loved ones may not all be here but their influence does remain with us. Not in spirit but in every lesson learnt and every experience gained that motivates our actions causing countless ripples of consequences that influence others for as long as there are others for them to influence. In this way, our infuence will also remain.

Above all, an Atheist is true to themselves. Accepting gaps in their knowledge with a willingness to learn, a desire for evidence and a passion to seek the truth against all odds.
Because we are not the slaves of a tyrant creator demanding obedience nor are we are not the puppets of any ideaology or agency that would demand we cast aside our faculties, forsake our knowledge or lay down our free will.

We are aware, we are free and against all odds; we are alive. Whatever you do, don't waste that.