clipka <ano### [at] anonymousorg> wrote:
> Theism /is/ a world view: The view that there is a supreme being (or a 
> multitude thereof); and this assumption /is/ typically held as a dogma.

> Similarly, atheism /is/ a world view: The view that there is /no/ 
> supreme being; and this assumption /is/ frequently held as a dogma as well.

> If you ask me, the only entirely rational stance towards a supreme being 
> is that of an /agnostic/ - a person that neither asserts nor denies the 
> existence of a supreme being, and rather comes to the conclusion that we 
> simply can't know for sure.

You are making the typical category error that so many people make.

Many people think that we have a wide spectrum of belief, with theism
and atheism being on the extremes and agnosticism being right in the
middle. However, that's not what the concepts mean at all.

Theism/atheism is a true dichotomy that deals with one question: Do you
believe in the existence of a god?

Gnosticism/agnosticism is a philosophical view on knowledge. The gnostic
view is that absolute knowledge is possible and obtainable, while the
agnostic view is that it is not.

These two things are independent and not mutually exclusive. All four
combinations are possible and sensible:

A gnostic theist is one who is certain of the knowledge that a god exists
(or, at the very least, thinks it's possible to know it for certain.)

An agnostic theist is one who believes in the existence of a god, but
doesn't believe complete certainty is possible.

A gnostic atheist is one who does not believe in a god and is certain of
it (or believes it's possible to acquire the knowledge of this.) This is
more or less what "strong atheism" means.

An agnostic atheist is one who does not have a belief in gods but doesn't
assert it with certainty.

People who classify themselves as "agnostics" are atheists by definition.
That's because they would not say "I believe a god exists."

The common claim "I'm not an atheist, I'm an agnostic" is an oxymoron.
It's like saying "I'm not European, I'm Finnish."

The term "atheism" in common parlance carries with itself a ton of baggage
that it shouldn't really have. People immediately think of *strong* atheism
(even though the word doesn't carry that implication), in addition to all
kinds of other views, such as naturalism, skepticism, anti-religious
sentiments and so on.

-- 
                                                          - Warp

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