Agnostic theist and agnostic athiest question

  • Thread starter huginn
  • Start date
In summary, the conversation is about a disagreement over the definitions of agnostic theist and atheist agnostic. The speaker believes that agnostic refers to knowledge and theist refers to belief, while the other person believes that knowledge and belief are the same. The conversation also brings up the broader definitions of atheism and agnosticism, with atheism being the rejection of belief in deities and agnosticism being the view that the truth of certain claims, including the existence of deities, is unknown or unknowable.
  • #1
huginn
6
0
Hello

I have something of a disagreement with someone over semantics
I don't see a problem with someone being an agnostic theist as I see agnostic as a statement about knowledge and theist as a statement of belief which someone is clamming to be an oxymoron. His position is if you believe God exists then you must know God exists, I maintain is that you can't truly know

The other disagreement is atheist agnostic. He claims atheist is a a belied that God does not exist and its always been defined that way and agnostic is simply a lack of belief
He seems to think that knowledge equals belief

Just what are the former proper definitions and just what is the difference if any between knowledge and belief
 
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #2
We have many, many threads on this. If I have time, I'll look some up and post the defintions for you.

Here are the best that had been previously posted.

Atheism, in a broad sense, is the rejection of belief in the existence of deities.[1] In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities.[2] Most inclusively, atheism is simply the absence of belief that any deities exist.[3] Atheism is contrasted with theism,[4][5] which in its most general form is the belief that at least one deity exists.[5][6]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atheism

Agnosticism is the view that the truth value of certain claims—especially claims about the existence or non-existence of any deity, but also other religious and metaphysical claims—is unknown or unknowable.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnosticism
 

1. What is an agnostic theist?

An agnostic theist is someone who believes in the existence of a higher power or deity, but also acknowledges that the existence of this higher power cannot be proven or disproven. They hold a belief in a higher power while also accepting that there is no way to have absolute knowledge about its existence.

2. What is an agnostic atheist?

An agnostic atheist is someone who does not believe in the existence of a higher power or deity, but also acknowledges that the existence of this higher power cannot be proven or disproven. They do not hold a belief in a higher power while also accepting that there is no way to have absolute knowledge about its non-existence.

3. How is agnostic theism different from agnostic atheism?

Agnostic theism and agnostic atheism differ in their beliefs about the existence of a higher power or deity. Agnostic theists believe in the existence of a higher power, while agnostic atheists do not. However, both groups acknowledge that the existence of this higher power cannot be proven or disproven.

4. Can someone be both an agnostic theist and an agnostic atheist?

No, someone cannot hold both beliefs simultaneously. Agnostic theism and agnostic atheism are mutually exclusive, as they represent different beliefs about the existence of a higher power. However, someone can move between these beliefs or hold a combination of agnostic theist and agnostic atheist beliefs at different times in their life.

5. What is the difference between agnostic theism and strong theism?

Agnostic theism is the belief in a higher power while also acknowledging that its existence cannot be proven or disproven. Strong theism, on the other hand, is the belief in a higher power with the conviction that its existence can be proven through evidence and/or faith. Additionally, agnostic theists are open to the possibility of being wrong about their belief, while strong theists are certain in their belief.

Similar threads

  • General Discussion
3
Replies
89
Views
12K
Replies
6
Views
815
Replies
2
Views
2K
  • General Discussion
3
Replies
92
Views
15K
Replies
89
Views
14K
  • Art, Music, History, and Linguistics
3
Replies
95
Views
4K
Replies
7
Views
3K
  • General Discussion
Replies
30
Views
4K
  • General Discussion
Replies
17
Views
2K
  • General Discussion
Replies
2
Views
4K
Back
Top