Though often grouped together with atheists, agnostics are a separate entity with their unique belief system. When it comes to religion, there are two main groups: believers and non-believers. Theists make up the majority of the world’s population. However, lately, the number of atheists has also increased. As the battle between theists and atheists keeps on intensifying, there is a small group of agnostics that’s slowly rising from the confines of religion.
Agnostics consider themselves as people who do not know whether God exists or not. They are also not interested in figuring out what the future lies for humanity. This belief system is quite interesting, but it often leaves most theists and atheists wondering – what do agnostics believe in? In this post, we’ll dissect agnosticism and everything it stands for.
The Origin and Meaning of Agnosticism
It is believed that Thomas Henry Huxley, an English biologist, coined the word agnosticism in 1869. The phrase was used to refer to people who are ignorant of all matters related to God’s existence and even the afterlife.
With the input of other philosophers such as William Rowe, agnosticism argues that human reason cannot comprehend the existence of a God or Supreme Being. However, agnosticism strictly upholds rationalism, logic, open-mindedness and curiosity. Now that we’re caught up with the definition of agnosticism, let’s dive deeper into their belief system.
Do Agnostics Believe in God?
Well, there are two rules of thought that apply to agnostics. There are agnostics who do not know whether God exists, and at the same time, they do not believe in his existence. On the other end of the spectrum, some agnostics believe in God but do not know whether he exists. Most agnostics fall on this latter spectrum.
Most agnostics were once believers who started having doubts about their religion. Theist agnostics often rely on both hope and science. They may also be actively involved in theist practices and traditions. However, at the end of the day, they simply don’t know whether a God exists.
There is also another subcategory of agnostics: strong and weak agnostics. Strong agnostics are those who believe it is impossible to know anything about God. Then there are weak agnostics who believe that it is possible to know about God; it’s just that humans have not collected enough evidence. This is one of the things that makes agnosticism so complicated.
What Agnostics Believe In
When it comes to the core beliefs of an agnostic, one common thing they all agree upon is that there is no “right” religion. For centuries, various religions have fought for dominance, each considering itself the right option.
Agnostics do not believe in a particular label. Each person’s life journey is unique. Therefore, an agnostic can have certain spiritual beliefs that are not related or tied to a specific religion. Beliefs aside, agnostics rely heavily on science and history to learn about how the world works.
For instance, agnostics consider the Bible to be one of the most important books in history. Unlike atheists who discredit it, agnostics perceive the Bible as a source of evidence about God’s existence. However, they differ from theists who blindly believe everything documented inside it. Agnostics scrutinize every story to filter what may be true or false. The same applies to the story of Jesus, Muhammad, Brahma, Vishnu, and other deities.
Most agnostics do not believe that human beings have a soul. That’s because there is no evidence of humans having a soul. Also, no one has ever died, gone to heaven or hell, and returned to narrate their soul’s experiences. Without evidence of the existence of souls, this remains an unknown variant. Be as it may, agnostics accept the existence of a mind and conscience, which science has proven.
Debunking Myths and Misconceptions about Agnosticism
Because of their unique belief system, there are a lot of misconceptions about agnostics. Some consider them indecisive, ignorant or fence-sitters. All these are untrue. A lot of people do not understand agnostics. As such, various myths and misconceptions have emerged regarding the community. Some of them include:
Agnostics Do Not Have a Robust Belief System
To begin with, like all religions, agnostics have a robust belief system, which is they do not know whether God exists. As a result, they do not pick any sides. That is, they will not support the arguments of theists or atheists.
Something worth noting is that agnostics are constantly looking for evidence or answers that may solve the theory of God’s existence. If an agnostic were to run into a definitive answer today, they would not hesitate to pick a side. However, at the moment, they can’t subscribe to any faction.
They Are Atheists
Due to the fact that agnostics claim not to know if God exists, they are often viewed as atheists. This is another false misconception. An agnostic doesn’t know whether God exists, which is different from an atheist who has renounced the existence of a God. These are two different belief systems. Unlike atheists who have already made up their minds, agnostics are curious about life.
Since agnostics do not recognize a high power, their code of conduct is guided by morality. Just because somebody is an agnostic, they will not walk into a bank and rob it dry. This is morally wrong. Agnostics do not believe in sin but can tell good from evil.
Using the example described above, an agnostic will not rob a bank because they fear going to hell. They do not believe in hell in the first place because there is no tangible evidence to prove its existence. On the other hand, an agnostic will refrain from doing so because it is morally wrong to steal someone’s money, and consequences such as being shot or incarcerated are quite undesirable for any human being.
The Key Takeaway
There is nothing wrong with being an agnostic, especially in the modern world, which allows freedom of religion. At the same time, it is important to respect what other people believe in. If someone doesn’t know whether God exists, it’s up to them to seek answers and explore their spirituality.