I am 54 years ole qne will be an agnostic until I die. I once was religious but I grew up. Nothing is going to change my mind. If sympathy there is one thing I know for certain is that I cannot know for certain. I guess I feel some sympathy for those who are certain and think they have all the answers in their rekigious belifes. But don't try to convince me to believe in what you believe. Don't persecute me or torture me in the beliefe that you can change me. I would never do that to you and that''s the minimum I would ask.
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Some people just can't accept Atheism and Theism are two sides of the same coin.
Both demand we 'take a stand" and 'get off the fence.'
We are constantly being scoffed at for not believing either way.
I'd say I'm Ignostic but I do enjoy speculating because my brand of no-belief trends toward the 'spiritual.'
So I speculate, and these stridently non-believing (a form of belief) atheists say I BELIEVE the things I'm speculating about!
You can't win, so I don't try. I just put my two cents in and join in on the debate.
It can be fun and intellectually stimulating when something new is injected, though usually it's the same old tired Atheist versus Agnostic stuff.
That's okay.
I'll live.
Storm1752
Level 8
Mar 16, 2020
2
I lean the same way, Storm. Rather than ask if gods exist I'd rather ask what it is which has given rise to and continues to support such belief. I don't believe whatever it may be is any kind of unified being external to ourselves. But I do believe there are depths within ourselves as a result of the way our brains, minds and consciousness are structured which can provide insight and creative inspiration, and these can enhance ones personal fulfillment and the meaning one finds in life.
Personally I have no problem attaching meaning and value to something that can't help me in a foxhole and can't secure for me a wondrous afterlife. But religious belief is the time honored way that people succeed in finding meaning and fulfillment in a life that is often unfair, painful or tedious. For those who can't find meaning in something 'more' without the traditional carrots and sticks, what does it matter to me if they do so by believing in things which are probably not true? I don't really think there is any shred of a chance that anything supernatural can exist. But I see no reason to discourage those who need to believe such things in order to achieve the peace of mind I enjoy without such beliefs. I don't need them to feel wrong in order for me to feel right.
Now some will argue that these superstitious hold-overs are holding us back. But while you can certainly find lots of YEC's whose obtuse beliefs in the face of solid empirical findings is dumbfounding, there are other Christian theological positions which do not have these toxic downsides. To see how Christians who identify as evangelicals can also embrace science in its entirety I encourage people to check out BioLogos. In both the articles and the forums you can see that this is true.
Of course some non believers will still want to argue that even Christians who can embrace science to that degree, still need to be pressed to drop their superstitions. I disagree. This where what you say about people who hold anti-theist beliefs which are every bit as unjustifiable as those of fundamentalist believers. Scientism really is a fundamentalist stance. I know I've heard from many atheist online who express faith that science will one day unlock the answers to every question. As if everything about us is ultimately decodable in terms of physics. I don't think so.
Funny, you say that that atheism and theism are two sides of the same coin, declare yourself agnostic, but then go on to bemoan the atheism/agnostic antipathy. I can't quite tell where you stand on the issue!
(Ooh, is that a secret agnostic trick? To leave me uncertain about where you stand? If so, well-played! 
)
Oh, I'm teasing! I don't have much patience for silly in-fighting either. I am atheist, and I think that agnosticism is a perfectly respectable position.
@AmyTheBruce It has much more to do with the person himself or herself, than whether or not they're one 'ism' or another.
Whatever belief system one adopts is used as a tool to separate--and in so doing elevate--oneself above others.
'Ists' feel a psychological/emotional need to think of themselves as 'special,' better, superior, more intelligent, etc., probably to achieve inner balance and equilibrium.
But the particular INDIVIDUAL decides how to best employ that special, esoteric knowledge to achieve contentment--whether or not to attack or accommodate, reject or accept, be a foe or a friend.
So one can identify with a certain group of 'like-minded' people, but it's often a solitary search for personal relevance and meaning.
Many people have a deep need to feel unique, not a member of a group.
I'm speaking for myself as well as others: my beliefs and opinions have evolved to fit my situation, and might be very different if my circumstances were.
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