Comments on: Agnostics and Spirituality

By: Robin

Robin — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 15:44:03 +0000

@Maureen, I totally agree.

By: Maureen

Maureen — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 17:55:17 +0000

I think that your friend has a narrow definition of ‘spiritual’ and, also, that she does not really understand the word ‘agnostic’.

To me, anyway, ‘agnostic’ allows that anything spiritual is unknowable – *not* that it is all wrong. Agnosticism allows that there is much that we don’t know & can’t know, that may still be possible.

Her definition of spiritual seems to require a belief, a ‘knowing’, a choice that ‘this is right’ or ‘that is right’ or ‘surely, we can all agree that something spiritual exists, even if we can’t agree on what that thing is’.

Her definition excludes the possibility of atheism. Agnosticism includes that as a possibility.

That’s the only difference I see between her definition of ‘spiritual’ and your definition.

By: Miss Britt

Miss Britt — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 23:39:13 +0000

I think your friend is confusing “agnostic” with “atheist”.

You clarified it well here. Agnostic simply means that you’re not sure. Atheist means you are sure that there isn’t a soul, God, etc. etc. etc. etc.

By: Robin

Robin — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 20:56:38 +0000

@Hilly, I appreciated your answer, I like how you see it.

By: Hilly

Hilly — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 20:54:43 +0000

Oh no, you didn’t seem arrogant at all. I was actually trying to agree with you in my own way!

By: Robin

Robin — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 20:53:51 +0000

@Hilly, I hope I didn’t come across arrogant in my post, I was just getting a little frustrated with a conversation that was going in circles and was giving me few answers.

By: Robin

Robin — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 20:53:02 +0000

@Grant, that works for me.

By: Robin

Robin — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 20:52:52 +0000

@B, that makes sense.

By: Hilly

Hilly — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 20:48:23 +0000

Okay well, I actually *am* a Christian and have never believed that my way is the only way in which you can achieve spirituality. I believe in God and Jesus not because of what I was taught and told but rather because of what I’ve learned and what I feel inside. My spirituality manifests itself with a belief that God is the supreme all-knowing and all-loving being that fills my heart and helps me to be a good person.

Conversely, my Dad has no religious beliefs whatsoever. He’s pretty much agnostic however because he’s been in a 12 Step Program (and sober) for 30 years now, he’s always had a deep sense of spirituality. Like many 12-Steppers, he says that to him G.O.D. means Good Orderly Direction and it’s just a sense of right and wrong that leads and guides him through life. He has morality and spirituality without believing in a specific deity.

I could go on and on about religion and spirituality since I am one of those Christians who is firm in her beliefs but never wants to force them on others. However, I don’t want to hog your comments so I will stop here.

By: Grant

Grant — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 18:25:34 +0000

I think you’re a godless heathen infidel defiler evil outcast unclean heretic doo-doo bubble and you’re going to burn Burn BURN in Hell. I’ll save you a seat in the good section.

Actually, the thing I dislike about the terms Atheist and Agnostic is that they sound like they were defined by Christians who worded the definitions in order to refute both more easily. So I just go with non-believer these days. Or Satanist if I want to piss off the missionaries banging on my door while I’m trying to watch cartoons.