Ask the Patriarch 106
Can I call myself Agnostic?
from Kaye
To open a discussion on this article, please use the contact page to provide your comments.
Hi, I really like this article. (Ingersoll's Why I am an Agnostic) Somehow, I am so glad to have found someone who shares some of tne sentiments, ideas and beliefs I have.
But...
I still believe that there exists a greater being, although not the one being talked about by the Christian faith, Catholic, Islam, Buddhism etc... It's more like, I have my own personal God. A God whose powers are limited, someone who is not as cruel as the one being mentioned in the Bible. And I am at peace with that.
My question is: given the fact that I still believe that a greater being exists, am I still classified as an Agnostic?
The Patriarch replies:
Kaye:
In general, agnostics do not believe in a god, personal or otherwise.
However, agnosticism is more a statement about what we know (or don't know) rather than what we believe. So, it is not inconsistent to claim a belief while recognizing you lack knowledge. However, the vast majority of agnostics place a very low probability on the existence of a deity.
No-one owns the word, and if you want to consider yourself an agnostic, I will not object. Though other agnostics might.
|
