What is an “Agnostic”
/aɡˈnästik/ – noun
a person who believes that nothing is known or can be known of the existence or nature of God or of anything beyond material phenomena; a person who claims neither faith nor disbelief in God.
The 5 Types of Agnostics
1) Strong Agnosticism – This point of view is called hard agnosticism, closed agnosticism, strict agnosticism, absolute agnosticism, or epistemological agnosticism. It contends that the existence or non-existence of a God or Gods cannot be known due to men’s inability to confirm any experience with anything other than another subjective experience.
2) Mild Agnosticism – This perspective is known as weak agnosticism, soft agnosticism, open agnosticism, empirical agnosticism, or temporal agnosticism. It contends that the existence or non-existence of a God or Gods is unknown at this point, but it may not be unknowable at some point. Therefore, the most logical course of action is to suspend judgment until more reliable evidence is made available.
3) Pragmatic Agnosticism – This point of view contends that one cannot know if a God or Gods exist with any degree of certainty. However, even if they exist, they do not seem to show sufficient interest in humanity’s affairs, so there is no reason to concern oneself with them.
4) Agnostic Theism – This point of view is also called religious agnosticism. An agnostic theist believes in the existence of a God or Gods but considers the basis of this proposition unknown or inherently unknowable.
About “The Conscience of An Agnostic”
The premise of this book is that it is simply impossible to determine, with any degree of confidence, as to whether there is a transcendent, creative being which is responsible for the existence of the universe. Therefore, the conclusion that inevitably flows from this realization is that the most intellectually honest position to espouse is one of agnosticism. A corollary of this idea is that it is also impossible to know if our lives are anything more than a random sequence of events ordained by no one. This thought may have crossed your mind in reflecting on the ups and downs that you probably have experienced in your own life. Is it possible that a Higher Power has permitted all of these events to occur, leading up to the present moment? I must confess that I find this concept to be highly dubious. In view of the many tragedies that have beset our planet since the beginning of civilization. I submit that if there is a God, He has a very unusual sense of humor.