Monday, July 25, 2011

Why I'm Agnostic

This is my simplified explanation behind my own belief in agnosticism. I thought this would be a good starting point.
Argument 1: Proof

There is no proof that any religion is true. Though this is obvious to many, a like amount claims that there are proofs. (Please note that almost every argument/discussion I have ever had was with a Christian on the other end of it, so I'll probably focus a lot on them.) Some Christians have told me that the Bible is proof of God. That... Well, that is what they're trying to prove. You can't use that which you're trying to prove as any sort of proof. Historical facts about places and certain events, while some are true, they bear no proof towards a divine cause. However, in a similar concept, I cannot prove that any religion is false. That is why I remain an agnostic rather than becoming an Atheist. 

Argument 2: Faith

What is faith? A blind belief; a belief with only hope to back it up. Trust in what you cannot see. Faith is larger than many people like to think. We have faith in everything except for one thing, our own being's existence. Fun thing to think about, you can't prove that anything exists apart from your mind (thoughts, not the physical entity). It could all be an elaborate figment of your imagination, and you can't prove that statement false. Of course, we all have faith that that is untrue. If we didn't, we wouldn't give a damn about anything. But wait, if everything is faith, what's wrong with your faith? The answer: nothing. I just don't share it. I don't see why you have it, though.

Argument 3: Contradictions (in religions that preach an all-knowing, all-powerful God)

Perhaps, you've heard this paradox. If God is all-powerful, can He create a rock so large that He Himself cannot lift it? Don't worry, I won't try and use this as some sort of proof against God. But I do have some other, more understandable and logical, well, logic. If God is all-knowing, He can only create us with a self-perceived sense of free will. Upon creation, He knows exactly what we will do throughout our entire lives. He knows how everything will turn out. He willingly puts the evil people here, knowing what they'll do to so many. If He put them here in hopes that they will do something good, then He is stupid for knowing exactly what they will do and hoping for something different. We are all predestined by God, because he knows what we will do. In a universe with a being that is truly all-knowing, all forms of free will and independent thoughts are an illusion. Many people find this concept hard to grasp. I'm not sure why. I was in an argument with a friend recently, and he said that God put us here with free will. I told him that if God put you here and gave you a choice to do good or evil, knowing which you would choose, the other really wasn't a choice because it was your destiny to choose the other and you can't defy God. He pushed, saying that you had a choice. He doesn't understand the concept.

Feel free to discuss and argue.

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