Can You Be Atheist And Agnostic, Or Is This Automatically The Case?

[flobadob]

If you are atheist are you also agnostic?

[LazyGun]

"but whereas atheism involves what a person does or does not believe, agnosticism involves what a person does or does not know. Belief and knowledge are related but nevertheless separate issues"

http://atheism.about.com/od/aboutagnosticism/a/Atheist-vs-Agnostic-Difference.htm

[sandyRoe]

Doesn't one say, 'There is no God', and t'other, 'I don't know if there is a God'?

[pixie373]

It's automatically not the case, as others have said. I'm not sure how undecided an agnostic needs to be though. I would change my mind, if someone could prove it, but, for now- no.

[jno]

agnostics don't know if there's a god - or in some cases they say it's actually impossible to know. Atheists do know.

[SirOracle]

Or THINK they know,jno.

[naomi24]

It depends which way you look at it. If we assume that the god of the bible/Koran is the creator we’re talking about, which most believers appear to, then no, you cannot be agnostic and atheist. That god’s reputation clearly belies the claims made on his behalf; therefore, where he is concerned, atheism is the only logical option. On the other hand, since no one knows if a creator god exists, then rationally, we must be agnostic. (Actually, the original meaning of ‘Agnosticism’ wasn’t ‘don’t know’, but rather ‘unknowable’).

// Atheists do know. //

That’s incorrect. Atheism equates to an absence of belief. Atheists have no reason to believe that supernatural gods exist – and they acknowledge that. Should evidence be forthcoming, they would acknowledge that too – but where is the evidence?

[mikey4444]

I'm not sure how anybody could be Atheist AND Agnostic ! JNO has it right. And before anybody jumps in, I am very sure that there is no God...there is no wriggle room here for me. No matter what anybody else wants to believe, I don't !

Agnostics however, can't be bothered to think about the matter hard enough, thus they sit on the fence. Atheists don't even acknowledge that the fence exists !

[Kromovaracun]

I don't know - I tend to think agnostics believe that the question is unanswerable or unknowable. Atheists have reached a conclusion by whatever means that convinces them whatever deity doesn't exist.

[mikey4444]

I'm not sure why so-called agnostics find it so hard to make their minds up. Surely you have to decide if you think that supernatural events can happen or not. If in doubt, just watch any program with David Attenborough in it, standing in the Grand Canyon !

[jake-the-peg]

Huxley coined the phrase agnostic

When he used the term he meant that it was impossible to know whether or not God existed - rather than ones personal opinion.

So in that sense I'd say no they are distinct

I can see his point but I take a different view

I know some here disagree with me but I think the notion of God is bund up with that of he human soul

Without the soul I would say that any 'God' is just some super powerful Alien

I would then suggest that it's clear that the soul does not exist as people can suffer such severe trauma that their personality, their memories, their very self is distroyed - and if this 'soul' can be distroyed in life it can hardly survive death.

Therefore there is no immortal soul and hence no God

[jake-the-peg]

Sorry I should point out that is Thomas and not Aldos Huxley

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnosticism#Thomas_Henry_Huxley

[mikey4444]

Interesting link Jake ! For some people, a god will always exist, no matter how implausible that may be. Someone, not sure who, once defined religion as an irrational belief in illogical circumstances. That just about sums it up for me.

[Sqad]

mikey

\\\ For some people, a god will always exist, no matter how implausible that may be.\\\

That is because they "NEED" a God.............and that is fine with me.

[mikey4444]

Don't get me wrong Sqad...its OK with me as well. But its when religious types feel the need to impose their views on others, with bombs that alarms me. If all religious types were like the Chapel ladies where I live, having jumble sales and wearing hats on a Sunday morning and generally not bothering anybody, it would be fine. But its not always the case nowadays.

[Sqad]

mikey...LOL...I know! I know! and i agree with you, but some people on AB are totally intolerant of the need for others to gain reassurance and solemnity from religion.

[mikey4444]

I find Real Ale very effective for reassurance although its not much good for
solemnity !

[chakka35]

Nobody has yet explained to me what an agnostic is. My schoolboy Greek tells me that the word means "not knowing" ('a' = without; 'gnosos' =knowledge). This means that since no-one in the whole world can KNOW whether there is a God or not (as distinct from forming a rational opinion based on the lack of evidence) everyone on the whole planet is an agnostic including The Pope, the Archbish of Cant, Richard Dawkins and me.

This makes the term meaningless.

[jim360]

I've always thought the difference is based on how you answer the question "Is there a God?" :

Yes - Theist
No - Atheist
Don't know - Agnostic.

Thus, even while technically no-one "knows", people who have made up their mind about the answer are (a)theists, and those who have not are agnostics. I myself used to be agnostic, but am now atheist.

[jake-the-peg]

There are several sub catagories

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnosticism#Types_of_agnosticism

[Peter Pedant]

Jim you could call this the theist trichotomy

I agree - it is that simple.