Is it Possible to be Agnostic, Behaviorally?

by leavingwt 42 Replies latest jw friends

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  leavingwt

  Michael Shermer says 'No':

  "Of course, no one is agnostic behaviorally. When we act in the world, we act as if there is a God or as if there is no God, so by default we must make a choice, if not intellectually then at least behaviorally. To this extent, I assume that there is no God and I live my life accordingly, which makes me an atheist. In other words, agnosticism is an intellectual position, a statement about the existence or nonexistence of the deity and our ability to know it with certainty, whereas atheism is a behavioral position, a statement about what assumptions we make about the world in which we behave."

  http://www.skepticblog.org/2012/04/10/are-you-an-atheist-or-agnostic/
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  james_woods

  Agnostics just do not know if this is possible...
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  FlyingHighNow

  I desrcibe agnosticism differently. Agnostics just aren't sure God is interested or involved with humankind or earth. There may be times when they feel so distant from God that they have doubts about his existence.
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  NewChapter

  Good points LWT. But if someone believes there may be a god that is simply not interested, then they may act as if there is no god even if they have doubts. What would it really matter if there was a god that was no longer interacting with us? So they would act as if there was no god. However if they believe their may be a god, but that god is unknowable but still interested, then they may act as if there was a god---just in case.

  It's very hard to pigeonhole people. It's impossible to define individual beliefs and actions, and even if we could, people are incredibly unpredictable. One day they may feel one way, and differently the next.

  NC
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  tec

  Cute, James.

  Leaving, I do think it is possible to both be agnostic and act agnostic. I mean, what is the difference in behavior anyway? Unless you talk to someone, you don't know what changes have been wrought in their lives or behavior based on belief or non-belief, or not knowing. Perhaps the author is thinking about Church, but atheists attend churches for various reasons, many theists do not attend churches... I imagine it is the same with agnostics.

  Atheists (in general) wouldn't be praying to God, or asking for help, or leaning on Him for strength, or looking to Christ to help them know what to do. (or any other prophet, or source of faith)

  Theists (in general) pray, ask for help, lean on God from strength, look to Christ for direction (or any other prophet, or source of their faith)

  Agnostic (in general) might toss a prayer up just in case someone is listening, or ask for some sign of a creator or the spiritual. They might have thoughts of God and be conducting a sort of search for God. Those thoughts and their search and their acceptance or possible desire that there is a God would have as much an effect on their behavior as atheist or theist.

  I think it is silly that some people worry so much about what other people (like agnostics) call themselves.

  Peace,

  tammy
• 

  leavingwt

  Shermer continues:

  " When most people employ the word “atheist,” they are thinking of strong atheism that asserts that God does not exist, which is not a tenable position (you cannot prove a negative). Weak atheism simply withholds belief in God for lack of evidence, which we all practice for nearly all the gods ever believed in history. As well, people tend to equate atheism with certain political, economic, and social ideologies, such as communism, socialism, extreme liberalism, moral relativism, and the like. Since I am a fiscal conservative, civil libertarian, and most definitely not a moral relativist, this association does not fit me."
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  slimboyfat

  Sounds like nonsense to me.

  Are there any example of necessarily non-God believing behaviour as opposed to believing behaviour?
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  slimboyfat

  Socialism is equated with atheism? Only in America!
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  leavingwt

  One of the comments, at the link in the OP.

  Agnostics: Atheist hipsters.

  “I’m not going to give myself a silly label, I’m just going to give myself a silly label.”
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  leavingwt

  Another good one:

  Atheist and agnostic are answers to two separate questions.
  Is there a god? I don’t know, I’m agnostic.
  Do you believe in god? No, I’m an atheist.