The position that there are many different, contradictory definitions for the word "God", so one can't claim to be a theist OR an atheist until one knows which definition is meant. Furthermore, if the chosen definition is incoherent and makes no predictions that can be empirically tested, then it doesn't matter whether one believes in it or not, for how can something meaningless be true OR false? (this last part is also known as theological noncognitivism)
Ignosticism parable:
An ignostic was asked whether he believed in God, and said, "If you mean a big man in a cloud, as children conceive of God, then I am an atheist, for we have satellites now which would have surely seen such a creature if he existed. If you mean an all-encompassing God who is synonymous with the entire universe, then I am a theist... though I see no reason for having two words for the same thing. If you mean a vaguely-defined supernatural being whose existence cannot be tested, then I am a theological noncognitivist; it doesn't matter whether a meaningless thing is true or not, and I won't worry about it any more than I will about invisible pink unicorns."
An ignostic was asked whether he believed in God, and said, "If you mean a big man in a cloud, as children conceive of God, then I am an atheist, for we have satellites now which would have surely seen such a creature if he existed. If you mean an all-encompassing God who is synonymous with the entire universe, then I am a theist... though I see no reason for having two words for the same thing. If you mean a vaguely-defined supernatural being whose existence cannot be tested, then I am a theological noncognitivist; it doesn't matter whether a meaningless thing is true or not, and I won't worry about it any more than I will about invisible pink unicorns."
by Esn024 May 6, 2010
Get the ignosticism mug.An ancient religious movement that evolved out of nascent Jewish and Christian sects in the late 1st century A.D. Gnosticism is a very subversive set of ideas, and it's distantly related to other Abrahamic mystical traditions like Kabbalah, but was suppressed by the early orthodox Christians and Jews as a perversion of their beliefs.
Basically, Gnostics read the first chapters of Genesis in a very different way than is traditional, seeing the serpent that tempted Adam and Eve as good and viewing the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil as humanities first step into consciousness.
Because of this, Gnosticism posits that the god of the Hebrew Bible, Yahweh, is actually an evil bastard child of the lowest aeon called Sophia (Greek for "Wisdom") who disobeyed the higher aeons and fell from grace.
Gnostic cosmogonies are complex and convoluted and very diverse across different movements, but a basic description of it would be that basically Yahweh and his archons (Greek for "rulers") created the physical world and rule over it, trapping our souls within it to keep us from the light world, the world which is ruled by the aeons and a Supreme God who is fundamentally good and who possesses both masculine and feminine hypostases.
Many Gnostics believe this good God is the God of the New Testament and they generally regard Jesus as a savior who came into the world to rescue a fallen Sophia and bring humanity back into the light world through knowledge.
Basically, Gnostics read the first chapters of Genesis in a very different way than is traditional, seeing the serpent that tempted Adam and Eve as good and viewing the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil as humanities first step into consciousness.
Because of this, Gnosticism posits that the god of the Hebrew Bible, Yahweh, is actually an evil bastard child of the lowest aeon called Sophia (Greek for "Wisdom") who disobeyed the higher aeons and fell from grace.
Gnostic cosmogonies are complex and convoluted and very diverse across different movements, but a basic description of it would be that basically Yahweh and his archons (Greek for "rulers") created the physical world and rule over it, trapping our souls within it to keep us from the light world, the world which is ruled by the aeons and a Supreme God who is fundamentally good and who possesses both masculine and feminine hypostases.
Many Gnostics believe this good God is the God of the New Testament and they generally regard Jesus as a savior who came into the world to rescue a fallen Sophia and bring humanity back into the light world through knowledge.
Person 1: Wow! Did you hear about the discovery of the Nag Hammadi library?
Person 2: No, what does it contain?
Person 1: It contains a bunch of ancient books from Gnosticism!
Person 2: No, what does it contain?
Person 1: It contains a bunch of ancient books from Gnosticism!
by wugugugug September 13, 2020
Get the Gnosticism mug.Not knowing or admittedly not being capable of proving or disproving the existence of a superior being or beings.
Either used to show a person as "sitting on the fence" or somebody who is certain that the existence of a supernatural being can't be proven or disproven.
Agnosticism is merely the "ism" for "Agnostic".
Either used to show a person as "sitting on the fence" or somebody who is certain that the existence of a supernatural being can't be proven or disproven.
Agnosticism is merely the "ism" for "Agnostic".
Agnostic: In THIS universe everything appears to have a cause. What if something outside of this universe, where the same boundaries don't apply, happened to have an input to the development of ours, perhaps even being as minute as starting a large explosion? Could we call this influence "God" or could we call it Science? Can we even prove anything like this happened? It appears my Agnosticism has deleted the boundaries for common religious arguing.
Atheist: *brain broke*
Atheist: *brain broke*
by Imanon May 9, 2011
Get the Agnosticism mug.dude: What is the unified field theory?
Polythiest: GODS + GODDESSES DID IT!!!
Monotheist: GOD DID IT!!!
Atheist: IT DOESN'T EXIST!!!
Agnostic : I don't know.
Polythiest: GODS + GODDESSES DID IT!!!
Monotheist: GOD DID IT!!!
Atheist: IT DOESN'T EXIST!!!
Agnostic : I don't know.
by waffle October 3, 2003
Get the agnosticism mug.The only true sign of intelligence you will encounter from another human being.
A theist, or believer in God, will tell you that he ABSOLUTELY exists. An atheist (non-believer) will say he ABSOLUTELY doesn't.
Well, the last time I checked, it's been like 2000 years since God was reported to have talked to anybody, making it pretty difficult to prove. Besides which, all religion is predicated on faith (See also: Not supposed to be proven).
Prove he doesn't exist? Possibly the only thing harder to do. Besides the enormity of the task, there's the fact that anyone who ever took a logic class knows and that is that you can't prove a negative. You can only prove (sometimes) that something hasn't happened YET. It may still the next time.
So... you have a theist, an atheist and an agnostic... None of them really knows the truth about the nature of existence.
But only the agnostic is smart enough to admit it.
A theist, or believer in God, will tell you that he ABSOLUTELY exists. An atheist (non-believer) will say he ABSOLUTELY doesn't.
Well, the last time I checked, it's been like 2000 years since God was reported to have talked to anybody, making it pretty difficult to prove. Besides which, all religion is predicated on faith (See also: Not supposed to be proven).
Prove he doesn't exist? Possibly the only thing harder to do. Besides the enormity of the task, there's the fact that anyone who ever took a logic class knows and that is that you can't prove a negative. You can only prove (sometimes) that something hasn't happened YET. It may still the next time.
So... you have a theist, an atheist and an agnostic... None of them really knows the truth about the nature of existence.
But only the agnostic is smart enough to admit it.
by Madmann October 10, 2005
Get the Agnosticism mug.belief that one is unable to tell if god exists or does not exist. the refusal to decide while one is still living. not to be confused with atheism.
by awa1019 July 28, 2005
Get the agnosticism mug.One who doesn't know if god(s) exist. This includes strong agnostics, those who don't believe it's possible to know if god(s) exist, agnostic theists, those who believe in god(s), but aren't sure if they exist, and agnostic atheists (sometimes called weak atheists), those who lack belief in the existence of god(s) (note: excludes strong atheists, those who assert the non-existence of god(s)).
Person A: I'm an agnostic. I don't know if there are any gods, so I'm making no claims about their existence.
Person B: I'm an atheist and I hold this same view, as Person A's agnosticism doesn't assert the existence of any gods. In this case my atheism is the same as Person A's agnosticism, though if I was a strong atheist I would still be an atheist, but not an agnostic.
Person C: I'm an agnostic theist and I assert that a god exists, though I'm not entirely sure. My agnosticism is different from Person A's an Person B's as I assert the existence of at least one god.
Person D: I believe it's impossible to know if any gods exist, thus I am either theistic or atheistic in my views on the existence of god as a theist could believe it to be impossible to know if god(s) exist, just as an atheist could assert it's impossible to know if god(s) exist.
Person B: I'm an atheist and I hold this same view, as Person A's agnosticism doesn't assert the existence of any gods. In this case my atheism is the same as Person A's agnosticism, though if I was a strong atheist I would still be an atheist, but not an agnostic.
Person C: I'm an agnostic theist and I assert that a god exists, though I'm not entirely sure. My agnosticism is different from Person A's an Person B's as I assert the existence of at least one god.
Person D: I believe it's impossible to know if any gods exist, thus I am either theistic or atheistic in my views on the existence of god as a theist could believe it to be impossible to know if god(s) exist, just as an atheist could assert it's impossible to know if god(s) exist.
by alexjohnc3 February 24, 2007
Get the Agnosticism mug.