How can anyone not be agnostic? ...I really don't understand?

There's no way to prove God exists, or that he doesn't exist. Religious people often say the -know- God exists, but they are confusing knowledge with belief. Atheists also can't really -know- God doesn't exist. Either way, it's belief, not knowledge.

It seems to me that if God does exist, then obviously he set it up this way on purpose. He wants us to find our own answers, so he gives us curiosity and the ability to figure things out, to learn from observation and experimentation, and he leaves us alone. I mean, he's God, he could just appear in the sky and tell us stuff! Instead he leaves us alone.

Since I can't definitively say God exists or doesn't exist, I honestly admit I can't really know. I believe what I choose to believe but I don't mislabel my beliefs as -knowledge-. I call myself agnostic, which only means 'can't know for sure'. To me, agnosticism is the only logically defensible position!

First, I'll make it clear that I agree with you - "I don't know" seems the best response.

But the reason why some people are not agnostic is because it makes them feel better to believe in God and what their religion teaches about this. It's uncomfortable for some people to not know. So they fool themselves into thinking they *can* know, and that's religion. It's also because religion makes a great appeal to emotion, and lots of people have a strong emotional response to it. In that emotion, rationality goes out the window. Again, the bottom line here is that it all makes people feel good, or secure, and if that's all that's really important to you, then what use do you have for truth?

Agnostics don't necessarily believe that religion might be true, I'm agnostic and I do not believe in anything that is ridiculous or obviously not true, I'm also not so arrogant as to say that I know for sure that there is nothing more to life than what can be proven right now.

"Fear" can be frightening, at first! "Fear" is not knowing! True, how can someone love something they cannot see, touch, feel, hear? When one decides to take that first step towards the "fear" of the unknown... it is easier than one realizes. Then the third or fourth step becomes awesome!!

There is nothing to fear except fear itself! Scientists are now able to find and research artifacts dating back to the time of Jesus' era... the shroud, bits of jewelry,clay, etc. Even back 2000+ years ago, they had ways of telling if a woman still had her "virtue"!

PROVED? My dear, NOTHING has been PROVED. That's why we still have this argument. Also, not all of Christianity believes that nonsense about the earth being 3000 years old. In fact, even the Young Earth Creationists believe it's a bit older than that.

If it were not for the evidence the Christians (and others) provide for me, I too would be agnostic. However it is the Massive bulk of contradictions and absurdities that make me atheist.

The same reason that you have plans for your weekend. Isn't it stupid to make any when you don't KNOW that you are going to be alive then? After all, you may die in your sleep tonight, right?

In other words people (including you) sometimes choose to believe things when there is no concrete proof for those things.

Agnostic isn't a seperate thing. You're an agnostic-atheist ('weak' atheism) or gnostic-atheist ('strong' atheism)

Some people simply believe that they know whether God exists or not.

They're wrong, of course, since there is no possible way for such knowledge to be obtained. But, people will claim to know all *sorts* of things they don't. It doesn't surprise me.

Being agnostic is perfectly acceptable. I think there is something more for sure, but I've never really liked any religion.