Do you all really know what agnostic means?

So you think you can rewrite the dictionary?!

AGNOSTIC – Does not believe anything can be know about or proved about a god. Thus they can still believe a god exists. This description obviously fits a lot of Christians!

People who post thinking it will make them look clever invariably prove the exACT OPPOSITE!

I have been thinking of this alot. Types of agnosticismAgnosticism can be subdivided into several categories. Recently suggested variations include:

Agnostic atheism

Agnostic atheists are atheistic because they do not have belief in the existence of any deity, and agnostic because they do not claim to know that a deity does not exist.

Agnostic theism

The view of those who do not claim to know of the existence of any deity, but still believe in such an existence.Apathetic or Pragmatic agnosticism

The view that there is no proof of either the existence or nonexistence of any deity, but since any deity that may exist appears unconcerned for the universe or the welfare of its inhabitants, the question is largely academic.

Ignosticism

The view that a coherent definition of a deity must be put forward before the question of the existence of a deity can be meaningfully discussed. If the chosen definition is not coherent, the ignostic holds the noncognitivist view that the existence of a deity is meaningless or empirically untestable.[19] A.J. Ayer, Theodore Drange, and other philosophers see both atheism and agnosticism as incompatible with ignosticism on the grounds that atheism and agnosticism accept "a deity exists" as a meaningful proposition which can be argued for or against.

Strong agnosticism (also called "hard," "closed," "strict," or "permanent agnosticism")

The view that the question of the existence or nonexistence of a deity or deities, and the nature of ultimate reality is unknowable by reason of our natural inability to verify any experience with anything but another subjective experience. A strong agnostic would say, "I cannot know whether a deity exists or not, and neither can you."

Weak agnosticism (also called "soft," "open," "empirical," or "temporal agnosticism")

The view that the existence or nonexistence of any deities is currently unknown but is not necessarily unknowable; therefore, one will withhold judgment until/if any evidence is available. A weak agnostic would say, "I don't know whether any deities exist or not, but maybe one day, when there is evidence, we can find something out."

HistorySince Huxley first used the term, several writers have defended agnosticism as a philosophical viewpoint. A number of earlier thinkers and writings have explored agnostic thought.

[edit] In Hindu philosophyThe Rig Veda, the oldest existing canonical work on earth and the mainstay of Hindu philosophy that dates back to the second or third millennium BCE takes an agnostic view on the fundamental question of how the universe and God was created. Nasadiya Sukta (Creation Hymn) in the tenth chapter of the Rig Veda says:

Who really knows?

Who will here proclaim it?

Whence was it produced? Whence is this creation?

The gods came afterwards, with the creation of this universe.

Who then knows whence it has arisen?

Through out the history of Hinduism there has been a strong tradition of philosophic speculation and skepticism.

In Greek philosophyAgnostic thought, in the form of skepticism, emerged as a formal philosophical position in ancient Greece. Its proponents included Protagoras, Pyrrho, and Carneades. Such thinkers rejected the idea that certainty was possible.

Which one did you mean?

Gnostic = Knowledge. Prefix A = Without. Agnostic = Without knowledge

Theist = Belief in god(s). Prefix A = Without. Atheist = Without belief in god(s)

Gnostic/agnostic has to do with what you know. Theist/atheist has to do with what you believe.

Gnostic theist = Claims knowledge of god(s) and believes

Agnostic theist = Claims no knowledge of god(s) and believes

Agnostic atheist = Claims no knowledge for (non-existence of) god(s) and does not believe

Gnostic atheist = Claims knowledge for (non-existence of) god(s) and does not believe

Agnostic and atheist are not mutually exclusive.

ag·nos·tic   /ægˈnɒstɪk/ Show Spelled

[ag-nos-tik] Show IPA

–noun

1. a person who holds that the existence of the ultimate cause, as god, and the essential nature of things are unknown and unknowable, or that human knowledge is limited to experience.

2. a person who denies or doubts the possibility of ultimate knowledge in some area of study.

Straight from the dictionary...... you have some sort of alternate meaning perhaps?

Noun: A person who believes that nothing is known or can be known of the existence or nature of God or of anything beyond material phenomena; a person who claims neither faith nor disbelief in God.

Dude, that's right off of google.

@Londron, Ah, good point.

gnostic: to know

a : without

Agnostic: without knowledge on the subject therefore not making a decision based on information.

This person can be a theist or an atheist.

"Dude, that's right off of google."

Try google translate and tell me how accurate it is.

"@Londron, Ah, good point."

^^

But it does mean uncertain about God.

that you believe that humans cannot possibly ascertain the existence of metaphysical beings such as gods or leprechauns.

opposite is gnostics who claim to have all the knowledge they need.

It's the opposite of gnostic. Gnostic being the position that it's possible to know whether gods exist or not.

Some one that is neither atheist or Christian, but looks equally on both sides and wants to know the truth.