The Power of Christianity

[AlfredJPruffock]

Beware of the man who say he knows.

Krishnamurti

He who knows does not speak
He who speaks does not know

Lao Te Zu

[Chico]

LG I do not want to be pedantic but you defined an agnostic mindview. That is you see no reason to believe in God or anything else for that matter at this point in time. The atheist on the other hand states that there can be no God period - the atheist presumes to have all knowledge and as such denies that there is a God.

Dictionary definition - "One who disbelieves or denies the existence of God or gods." dictionary.com

So atheism is a belief system in as such that it asserts something that it cannot be proved i.e. God does not exist

[AlfredJPruffock]

LG I do not want to be pedantic but you defined an agnostic mindview. That is you see no reason to believe in God or anything else for that matter at this point in time. The atheist on the other hand states that there can be no God period - the atheist presumes to have all knowledge and as such denies that there is a God.

Dictionary definition - "One who disbelieves or denies the existence of God or gods." dictionary.com

So atheism is a belief system in as such that it asserts something that it cannot be proved i.e. God does not exist

But if there is a God then he created atheists too as part of the divine creation , so thats fine.

[AlfredJPruffock]

What a ridiculous idea.... a) she's female and b) she's not a Giant Alien Lizard.

So who is the head of the Masons ?

[AlfredJPruffock]

Do you mean the titular head or the real head?

Indulge me ZG ... both please.

[AlfredJPruffock]

For agnostics and followers of other beliefs I afford the same respect they afford me. Otherwise

Any system based on acceptance of capacity differences to establish status must inevitably lead to a hierarchical society, and so breed class war. . . .

What is it that gives dignity to man?

Self-knowledge--the knowledge of what you are?

The follower is the greatest curse.


-- J. Krishnamurti, Krishnamurti, A Biography
by Pupul Jayakar, pp. 146-7


Dont follow leaders and watch the parking meters.

Robert Zimmerman

[The Lone Gunman]

from wikipedia

Atheism, in its broadest sense, is characterized by an absence of belief in the existence of god(s), thus contrasting with theism. This definition includes both those who assert that there are no gods and those who have no beliefs at all regarding the existence of gods. However, narrower definitions often only qualify the former as atheism, the latter falling under the more general (but rarely used) term nontheism.

Although atheists often share common concerns regarding evidence and the scientific method of investigation and a large number are skeptics there is no single ideology that all atheists share. Additionally, many atheists are not entirely without religion; there are atheists who are religious or spiritual despite their lack of belief in god(s) — though many of these would not describe themselves as atheists.

Agnosticism is the philosophical view that the truth values of certain claims—particularly theological claims regarding the existence of God, gods, or deities—are unknown, inherently unknowable, or incoherent, and therefore, (some agnostics may go as far to say) irrelevant to life. The term and the related agnostic were coined by Thomas Henry Huxley in 1869, and are also used to describe those who are unconvinced or noncommittal about the existence of deities as well as other matters of religion. The word agnostic comes from the Greek a (without) and gnosis (knowledge). Agnosticism, focusing on what can be known, is an epistemological position (dealing with the nature and limits of human knowledge); while atheism and theism are ontological positions (a branch of metaphysics that deals with what types of entities exist). Agnosticism is not to be confused with a view specifically opposing the doctrine of gnosis and Gnosticism—these are religious concepts that are not generally related to agnosticism.

Agnosticism is distinct from strong atheism (also called positive atheism), which denies the existence of any deities. However, the more general variety of atheism, weak atheism (also called negative atheism, and sometimes neutral atheism), professes only a lack of belief in a god or gods, which is not equivalent to but is compatible with agnosticism.

Agnostics may claim that it isn't possible to have absolute or certain spiritual knowledge or, alternatively, that while certainty may be possible, they personally have no such knowledge. In both cases, agnosticism involves some form of skepticism towards religious statements.

HTH.

[Chico]

As wikipedia has blurred the distinction between atheism and agnosticism would you then classify yourself as a weak atheist or a strong one, LG?

[The Lone Gunman]

As wikipedia has blurred the distinction between atheism and agnosticism would you then classify yourself as a weak atheist or a strong one, LG?

Difficult question, but I am convinced there is no God. Will that do?

[Reverend Lovejoy]

"Well, uh, before you make any rash decisions, let me just remind you that the church is changing to meet the needs of today's young Christians."