"Agnosticism" Defined 

  

A Progressive Living Definition

'Agnosticism' is a term coined by Thomas Henry Huxley in 1869 to denote a certain skepticism regarding the provability of any sort of metaphysical belief, especially beliefs regarding the existence of God. Asked whether God exists, an agnostic would respond: "There's no way to be certain one way or the other."

Atheism vs. Agnosticism

Atheists, unlike agnostics, believe that both logic and the preponderance of evidence weigh against the existence of God. Most, on rationalist grounds, are skeptical of theological claims.

Theism vs. Agnosticism

Theists, unlike both atheists and agnostics, believe that there exist sufficient grounds for belief in the existence of God. For some, faith suffices, while others believe in the literal truth of holy writ. Some find it hard to fathom how anything could exist without having been created, which would seem to imply the existence of a God or gods (of some sort). Agnostics and atheists would both argue that none of these forms of evidence are the sort that would hold up in either a court of law or in a laboratory, and atheists have pointed up the fact that the existence of God himself goes unexplained.

The debate is typically very much muddied throughout by issues that precede the debate concerning the existence of God, particularly those concerning the definition, or nature, of God. Also often confused are issues concerning the relationship between beliefs and evidentiary standards.

What we know of the socialization of religion suggests very strongly that, like political beliefs, religious beliefs are acquired at an early age by transmission from family and friends, and, once acquired, become so embedded in the mental model of the world employed by the individual that they are rarely questioned. (The questioning of fundamental beliefs of any kind can quickly produce a strong, and often very unpleasant, sense of disorientation.) The "web of associations" founded upon these fundamental beliefs is what seems to make them so resistant to rational analysis. For example, many seem to suppose a close tie between the existence of God and the existence of values; and, being certain of the importance and existence of values, are convinced of the importance and existence of God.

Agnosticism, Atheism, Theism & Values

For an essay on the relationship between religious beliefs and values, see this link. For other resources, see the links below.
 

Where Next?