Ummm, you do not sound like an "agnostic" to me at all, merely a deeply religious guy who has yet to find his spiritual home. Not sure you get the reason for this site..........

Hi nosferatu_cat. Since all of us here are free of the bounds of a strick religious doctrine, we have been allowed to take our minds in various directions....as you have probably noticed. For me, the belief that there can not possibly be any kind of god is unacceptably restrictive. And I use the word "god" in a vague sense. I see it as highly unlikely that humans are anywhere near the highest form of existence . I like to be open to the notion that if I use my own capabilities, there may be some insights to be gained. And if not, that is fine too. To me, being agnostic means being realistic.....there is no way to know for sure what my existential status is. I enjoyed reading your thoughts. They made good sense to me. So I consider you to be a very welcome addition to our group.

We are assembled here to avoid being reminded to respect faith based belief. Your stay here will be very unfriendly if you stick to that perception and try to push it. Since you are still new here we have respectfully made our points clear (I hope) but the friendly nature will not last long if you pursue this line of thinking and questioning.

You're right about some religions and their followers are not as obnoxious as others, but they all believe fairy tales, discourage reason, and indoctrinate children to follow mindlessly. If you wish to respect decent people that's fine, but religious beliefs are no more worthy of respect than flat earthers' beliefs or ancient alien theorists'.

On any social media you will see some over the tops remarks. While you raise a good point in that some people are more benign with their beliefs, a lot of what you see may be an expression of the frustration we feel from the totality of organized religion and the extent to which it permeates are lives essentially every day. And that does not include the major conflicts and tragedies around the world that surround organized religion. Seeing the trees for the forest is difficult when it is so overgrown. It is this frustration that has drawn us to this website. Please do not take it personal.

I’d say for as many flavors of religions, there’s an equal spectrum of opposition. It’s both an opposition to promoting a non-entity, and the endless claims of those ‘knowing’ what their fictitious entity desires, then attempting to force everyone to comply…

There is no longer an excuse for the adult belief in a god, anyone’s concept of a god, as there has never been the slightest proof. Anyone in modern times claiming to know more or better is lying to both themself and others. Lies do damage, and many around here have personally felt the pain and damage such lies promulgate.

The blending of ‘Agnostics’ and ‘Atheists’ remains a point of debate and contentension, but it appears one is close enough to the other to get along. I’ve been here since last November, and find it a source ..for about everything. But it can also get like a frying pan … and you know what they say about being in the kitchen

People have the right to believe whatever they wish, but I am under no obligation to revere, respect or acknowledge their hallucinations. Gods, saviours and holy ghosts are subject to scrutiny, skepticism and yes, ridicule.

My position is that all religions are bad; however, some groups cause more damage than others.

Fuck. That. Noise. Reason and empirical evidence are required here. Getting real, real tired of being told I have to "respect" faith. Faith is idiotic and lazy and causes no end of problems. Not interested in putting up with theists in a dedicated atheist space.

I am surrounded most of the time with people who are hostile to people like me (non-religious). When I come to a place like this, with a name like Agnostic.com, I want to be able to express myself freely. That's why I'm here. I will not attack a person, but I may attack their idiotic beliefs. Especially if they are the same (wrong) ideas I was taught from infancy on up. Ideas that have caused me lots of pain and a huge waste of large segments of my life.

I would say that people here have vastly different backgrounds. Some were born secular and some were raised, like myself, in cults. I get along fine with many religious people but have a completely different view toward those that want me to agree with their nonsense or to make their beliefs the law of the land. Sometimes we just can’t express out feelings without a certain amount of hostility bleeding through.

Well, I do not believe there is an almighty god period, because of the problem of suffering and death, etc. Such a god would be a monster for allowing untold millions to suffer the most horrific forms of death, including children. I think no such almighty omnipotent, omipresent, omniscient god exists. There may be higher forms of life than us, but not an almighty. I do not believe that makes me an atheist, because an atheist does not believe any god exists, period. But I am certain there is no almighty , and any religion that spews that is doing its society and culture a disservice. Even buddhism is starting to propagate an almighty.

You make a fair point, and if my hostility (as a nullifidian) toward religious faith in general, and organized religion in particular, makes it appear that I am unable to recognize distinctions, I apologize. As many (including yourself) have observed, the category of religion is a very broad term. It is much like the word ‘weapon,’ which ranges from non-lethal (such as pepper spray) to genocidal (hydrogen bomb). That said, nearly every religious system may be weaponized under radical extremism--of course, I'd be less concerned in the presence of an extremist Quaker than I would a radical Islamist.

You are correct that most of the "hostility" (really just not having any of it -- not necessarily the same as hostile) has to do with dogmatic / authoritarian / exclusivist religion.

The relatively benign forms, don't really need to be addressed as harms, at least not to nearly that extent. And in fact, we atheists have a good deal of common cause with them.

Not all unbelievers recognize this, some are damaged by / abreacting to toxic situations they have come out of. But many of us do understand.

Do not take it personally if it doesn't apply to you.