Given the complete lack of evidence for any gods (including the ridiculous tripe in the bible) is it illogical to have a profile that proclaims agnosticism or do you think that agnosticism is a logical construct?
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Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.I suspect most of us here have concluded that there are no miracles, which is to say, no suspension of the laws of nature by a personal supernatural being. Absent any evidence for a personal God, that would remove the need for prayer, priests, houses of worship and the existence of practically all religions ever conceived.
The only remaining belief system for the agnostic would seem to be Deism, the belief that a Supreme being, or first cause, created the universe and then left everyone alone to go off and do something else. I am not averse to this belief, as it requires nothing of us: no clergy, no doctrine and most of all, no payments! To quote Thomas Jefferson, “It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.”
p-nullifidian
Level 8
May 17, 2021
1
Thanks Tommo, who better to post on polemics.
However, I can't let you aver you're not averse to deism when it "asserts that reason and observation of the natural world are sufficient to establish the existence of a Supreme Being or creator of the universe" quod non.
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Slipping in a scientist's resort to "first cause" cannot absolve you of your sin.
Say three hailstones of solar accretion disc and have an almighty how's your father and be free of this fall from grace known as agnosticism.
Personally, i don't think agnosticism is logically consistent. As an agnostic, to be consistent, I would have to be equally agnostic about all gods -- all thousands of them, equally, including ancient gods -- and not just the god i was born into, and I don't think most agnostics are, frankly. I think they are agnostic about the god they were born into and know about and worry about, and functionally atheist about all the other gods they don't know or don't care about. I don't think this is logically consistent. Bertrand Russell didn't think it was either, and wrote so. Now, as an atheist I am equally atheist about all gods, because, as you said, the complete lack of evidence for any of them. I can and do say this boldly. Others can agree or disagree with this position, but they cannot claim it isn't logically consistent. This, in a nutshell, is why I am, and have always been, an atheist.
David1955
Level 8
May 17, 2021
2
Quite, and agnostic about all things as well from an epistemological and ontological perspective.
I shall have to live up to my fourteen letter max neologism and dangle better bait for discussion.
@Polemicistical oh I thought the post was directly and succinctly asked. Others here might do likewise.
The reason for the creation of the term agnostic was to make a "politically correct" word for atheist.
New definitions were added to distinguish "knowing" from "believing"
If you simply don't believe in God that's enough to be an atheist.
If you don't "know" that there's a God then how in the F are you going to believe in that God?
Agnostic is just too complicated and cowardly for me.
Having no reason to believe something is adequate reason to not believe it.
Willow_Wisp
Level 8
May 17, 2021
2
As per the famous old aphorism -- "Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence".
I consider myself an atheist but if people are more comfortable saying god can't be disproven well I don't care as long as they don't try to force their view on me or mine. It's their life to waste if they want to.
I have to admit, in some ways I'm also a mild nihilist.
RichCC
Level 8
May 17, 2021
2
Regarding that phrase "Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence."
In fact, absence of evidence is evidence of absence; it is evidence, but not proof.
Thus, Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence is a fallacy and false.
I'm betting Evangelicals use this phrase in their sermons as part of their demonizing of non-believers.
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