Friday, May 15, 2009

Agnostic, not Athiest

This article was a great read, especially the final section, as it hits close to home for me.
Link: Former fundamentalist 'debunks' Bible

I struggle with this a lot. I'm also agnostic and most people misinterpret that as atheist or devil-worshipper. For the record, an agnostic is "a person who claims that they cannot have true knowledge about the existence of God (but does not deny that God might exist)."


I really don't try to influence others about religious matters, and usually only try to explain that I'm not an athiest. In fact, my wife is a christian, and we obviously are very fond of one another. Not only that, one of her brothers is also a pastor. He's a good guy and we get along very well, regardless of our religious views. I don't challenge them on it, and we have some good discussions over it. I understand the desire for faith, but I just don't want any part of a god that is described in the bible as a narcissistic sadist who would promote intolerance. I prefer to believe that if there is a creator, he or she would prefer that we treat with dignity and respect. I don't try to press my beliefs on my children, as I think it is their responsibility to make that decision for themselves when the time comes.

Some have asked me if I feel sad not having a relationship with "god." To that I say, I have a lot of blessings and have endured a lot of hardships. I feel most of it were earned through my own actions and the rest were random occurances. It actually makes me feel better knowing that when bad things happen, that it was random and not due to some diety thinking I deserve it.


 

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