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| Why Agnostism?
by yankeeluvspeach at 11/21/2007 2:33:14 PM
Here is my personal definition of what it means to be agnostic. You basically realize that there is no "PROVING" anything when it comes to matters of faith, as by definition, faith is belief in something, despite lack of proof. Thus, all of the big questions like "How did the universe begin? What happens when we die? Are there things that defy science and logic?" etc are essentually out of bounds of our abililty to comprehend. That's not to say that it's pointless to still look for truths. Just that you must constantly have on the skeptic's hat, and not confuse what you WANT to be true with what actually IS knowable. I personally WANT very much for there to be a guiding force, some kind of purpose, for all of this suffering and what not. But I do not have any Proof that that is the case, and so I resist the urge to simply "pick a team" so to speak. The agnostic realizes that any group, including atheism, is making a CHOICE, a decision to believe one way or another, without empirical evidence. And so, you take the road less traveled. You commit leaving yourself twisting in the wind, living without a security net, alone. That is NOT to say you live a life of immorality. An agnostic can and in my case, does still have an internal sense of right and wrong, gleamed from their experiences and yes partially from a faith of origin. I haven't "renounced" all the values of christ. I still hold that it is critical to love others as you want to be loved. I still beleive that this world is transitory and superficial. I still beleive in being a good person. I just don't do those things because of some fear of endless torture or in order to please someone I don't know exists. Here is now I metaphorically conceive of all of this and attempt to explain it to non-agnostics. Imagine you wake up in a room. There is a door to the room, but it's locked. There are an assortment of tools on a table. Also on the table are a series of spare electrical parts, plumbing peices, motor parts, name brand logos, etc. There is a card on the table that says simply, "build it." You don't know what IT is, but you start to work. You screw that nut on this bolt. you wire this nob to that circuit. You spend hours upon hours building this contraption, which turns out to be a Magnavox TV. Then the door opens and in walks this mystical figure all a glow. He/She/It takes one look at your tv and says, "I wanted you to build a '69 Mustang engine! You will now suffer eternally." That is how I conscieve of the god(s) of organized religion. They are expecting us to make a choice, and the RIGHT choice, without any clues, hints or guides, and the only thing that's at stake is our immortal soul. Frankly, I refuse to beleive in a god that is that CRUEL. I'm not playing that game. You're telling me I have to choose? well on you. I'm gonna shiv you with the screw driver when you walk in the door and find the real man/woman in charge. In short, I'm blowing your whole little test to kingdom come. You can send me to a lake of fire if it's within your means, but at least I MADE a choice that wasn't based on fear. I've always figured that if I was God, I'd be pretty pissed if people only believed in me because it seemed like a good insurance policy. I've heard several people say, "why not beleive in 'X' If you're wrong, and there is nothing after this life, what have you lost?" That to me, is not faith but rather cowardice. I realize not all religious people take that stand point. Hell, I admire some for their devotion/sacrifice. Wish I DID have the faith. But I don't. So I'm not going to choose one arbitrarily.
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