Geometry.Net - Religion: Agnosticism

AGNOSTICISM
Agnostic references and resources, brief biographies of famous agnostics, quotations.
http://www.religioustolerance.org/agnostic.htm

Extractions: AGNOSTICISM: UNCERTAINTY ABOUT WHETHER GOD EXISTS Click below to visit our sponsors. " Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call to her tribunal every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded fear ". Thomas Jefferson Agnosticism is a concept, not a religion. It is a belief related to the existence or non-existence of God. An agnostic is a person who feels that God's existence can neither be proved nor disproved, on the basis of current evidence. Agnostics note that some theologians and philosophers have tried to to prove, for millennia, that God exists. Others have attempted to prove that God does not exist. Agnostics feel that neither side has convincingly succeeded at their task. Are they Theists? No, because Agnostics do not believe in a God, or a Goddess, or in multiple Gods, or multiple Goddesses or in a pantheon of Gods and Goddesses. However, some Agnostics consider themselves to be
Agnosticism / Atheism - Skeptical Inquiry, Freethought, & Religious Philosophy
agnosticism Atheism where you can learn more not only about agnostics and atheists, but also freethought, religion, philosophy, skepticism,
http://atheism.about.com/

Extractions: zJs=10 zJs=11 zJs=12 zJs=13 zc(5,'jsc',zJs,9999999,'') About Agnosticism / Atheism Atheism Essentials ... Help zau(256,140,140,'el','http://z.about.com/0/ip/417/C.htm','');w(xb+xb+' ');zau(256,140,140,'von','http://z.about.com/0/ip/496/6.htm','');w(xb+xb); Sign Up Now for the Agnosticism / Atheism newsletter! What should the top priority be for federal prosecutors: terrorism? Drugs? No, the top priority for federal prosecutors and the FBI is, at last in the Miami area, obscenity . Yes, the prosecution of otherwise legal pornography is more important than terrorists, drug dealers, espionage, child pornography, or anything else. Read more... Sex sells, which means that sex can sell a lot of books. Sex is also a fundamental part of who we are as human beings, which means that we should try to understand it better. Naturally, there are all sorts of books out there dealing with sex and sexuality: sex in religion, sex in advertising, sex in culture, sex in the family, etc. Reviewed here are books dealing with sexuality, pornography, erotic matters, debates over the role of sex and sexuality in society, and more. Read More: Books on Sex, Sexuality, Pornography, Erotica, Nudity
Agnosticism
An article from BibleBelievers.Net rejecting agnosticism as neither logical nor philosophical.
http://www.biblebelievers.net/FalseTeaching/kjcagnos.htm

Extractions: By A. McD. Rewood T HE natural attitude of a thinking mind toward the supernatural is that of skepticism’ skepticism, not agnosticism. The skeptic halts at the cross-roads, to take his bearings; but at the sight of a cross-road the agnostic gives up his journey altogether. True skepticism connotes intellectual caution, but agnosticism is intellectual suicide." With these words Sir Robert Anderson opens one of his chapters in his In Defence, a book which we commend to everyone who suffers from mental doubts. What is Agnosticism?
What Is Agnosticism?
A history of the development of agnostic thought written by HJ Blackham.
http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/h_j_blackham/agnostic.html

Extractions: PAID ADVERTISEMENTS What Is Agnosticism? (1981) H. J. Blackham [This article was originally published in "Free Inquiry," Summer, 1981, pp. 31-33.] Winds of Doctrine As a definition of the limits of knowledge, "agnosticism" needs to be understood historically. Summarily and roughly, philosophy at the time of Plutarch (first century A.D.) offered six positions: on the one hand, a dogmatic Idealism or Materialism: on the other, skepticism, pragmatism, eclecticism, or fideism. The names of Plato and Democritus can be put at the head of the dogmatic traditions: Pyrrho has lent his name to fundamental skepticism; Isocrates made immensely influential a pragmatic view of philosophy; and Plutarch himself was the preeminent representative of a rational and ethical eclecticism. Perhaps Tertullian, if not Saint Paul, represents the constraints of fideism after Christian faith came into contact and conflict with Greek gnosticism. The case for each of these positions was spelled out in verbal argument. Plato, in the
Agnosticism 101: What Is Agnosticism? Index Of Documents And Articles
Definition and history of the concept of agnosticism, comparisons with atheism, and examination of its origins.
http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/ath/blag_index.htm

Extractions: zJs=10 zJs=11 zJs=12 zJs=13 zc(5,'jsc',zJs,9999999,'') About Agnosticism / Atheism Atheism Essentials ... Help zau(256,140,140,'el','http://z.about.com/0/ip/417/C.htm','');w(xb+xb+' ');zau(256,140,140,'von','http://z.about.com/0/ip/496/6.htm','');w(xb+xb); Sign Up Now for the Agnosticism / Atheism newsletter! If there is anything as misunderstood and misrepresented as atheism, it must be agnosticism. There are many misconceptions about agnosticism, agnostics, and the reasons why anyone would adopt a position of agnosticism in the first place. This is unfortunate, because whether agnosticism is conceived of as a philosophy or simply an isolated position on the existence of gods, it is eminently reasonable and defensible. The definition of agnosticism is one of the more contentious issues - even many agnostics continue to hold to the idea that agnosticism represents some sort of "third way" between atheism and theism. Not only evidence from standard dictionaries but also a careful comparison between agnosticism and other ideas like theism and atheism reveal that calling oneself an agnostic by no mean excludes being either an atheist or a theist.
Evangelical Agnosticism
This article by William Henry Young provides some history about agnosticism since 1869 and suggests reasons for the introduction of the term evangelical
http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/william_young/evangelicalagnosticism.html

Extractions: PAID ADVERTISEMENTS The Summer 1981 FREE INQUIRY contained the article " What is Agnosticism? " by H. J. Blackham. It dealt primarily with intimations of agnosticism among skeptical philosophers before 1869, when Thomas Henry Huxley invented the term as a label for his personal approach to religious and philosophical questions. This article will provide some history about agnosticism since 1869 and will suggest the reasons for the introduction of the term evangelical agnosticism . It will not deal with the relationship between the words agnosticism skepticism rationalism , and other related terms in the freethought tradition. Huxley's account of his invention of the word agnostic was written in an essay entitled "Agnosticism" some twenty years after he coined the term. At this time he was sixty-four years old and his place in the Victorian establishment was very secure. He was an original and influential member of the London School Board, president of the Royal Society, and a trustee of the British Museum. Called "Darwin's Bulldog," Huxley was renowned for his spirited defense of many scientific ideas that were unpopular with the religious establishment. He wrote: When I reached intellectual maturity and began to ask myself whether I was an atheist, a theist, or a pantheist; a materialist or an idealist; a Christian or a freethinker; I found that the more I learned and reflected, the less ready was the answer; until, at last, I came to the conclusion that I had neither art nor part with any of these denominations, except the last. The one thing in which most of these good people were agreed was the one thing in which I differed from them. They were quite sure they had attained a certain "
Dennis's Philosophical Pages / About Agnosticism
Dennis Halnon provides an explanation of what agnosticism is, what it means, and what it implies.
http://webpages.charter.net/djhalnon/ag.html

Extractions: If you've read my other "philosophy" pages , you've probably discerned that I do not believe in any religion. You'd be correct. I am, properly speaking, an Agnostic. Here is my explanation of what is meant by "agnosticism." In this essay, the term "theistic" refers to any metaphysical philosophy, or religion, with at least one deity at its heart. Such deities may be metaphorical, or representations of natural forces, or actual Supreme Beings of some kind. The term "non-theistic" refers to any metaphysical philosophy, or religion, which does not have any deities at its core. Such philosophies consider the existence of deities to be irrelevant to the message they convey. This is contrasted with "atheism," which is an assertion that there cannot be any deities of any kind. I'll mention atheism in more detail, below. What Is Agnosticism?
Agnosticism
Brief description of agnosticism from the Victorian Web by Everett Landow.
http://www.victorianweb.org/religion/agnos.html

Extractions: his word, which has in the twentieth century come to signify little more than passive disbelief , was invented by Thomas Henry Huxley at Cambridge in the 1860s. According to Charles Blinderman, Professor Emeritus at Clark University, "The word seems to have been invented by him towards the end of the '60s, at an early meeting of the Metaphysical Society. He did not use the term until post-1870." Huxley, Darwin 's great advocate, coined the term, he says, because everyone else was an "-ist" of one kind or another, and he had no label to apply to his own beliefs. He meant to distinguish himself from those whose faith provided answers to the most profound questions: Does God exist? How can we know Him? (Why isn't He revealed more unambiguously in the scriptures?) Why would He create evil, and why would He allow the good to suffer and the wicked to flourish? Does He intervene miraculously in this world? Thomas Henry Huxley . Portrait bust in Natural History Museum, London. Photograph by
Agnosticism (1889)
aleph0.clarku.edu/huxley/CE5/AgnX.html More results from aleph0.clarku.edu CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA agnosticismVisit New Advent for the Summa Theologica, Church Fathers, Catholic Encyclopedia and more.
http://aleph0.clarku.edu/huxley/CE5/Agn.html

Extractions: Active Skepticism J. Huxley, Diary of H. M. S. Rattlesnake Collected Essays V l.c. p. 253). The triumphant tone of this imaginary catechism leads me to suspect that its author has hardly appreciated its full import. Presumably, Dr. Wace regards Mahommed as an unbeliever, or, to use the term which he prefers, infidel; and considers that his assurances have given rise to a vast delusion which has led, and is leading, millions of men straight to everlasting punishment. And this being so, the "Trust and faith" which have "made the Mahommedan world," in just the same sense as they have [214] "made the Christian world," must be trust and faith in falsehood. No man who has studied history, or even attended to the occurrences of everyday life, can doubt the enormous practical value of trust and faith; but as little will he be inclined to deny that this practical value has not the least relation to the reality of the objects of that trust and faith. In examples of patient constancy of faith and of unswerving trust, the "Acta Martyrum" do not excel the annals of Babism. honest men. Now, though honest speech does not require that words should be used always and only in their etymological sense, it does require that they should not be used so as to affirm what the speaker knows to be false. Whilst, therefore, our Lord and His Apostles might use the word [to be possessed by a demon], or the phrase, [to have a demon], as a popular description of certain diseases, without giving in to the belief which lay at the source of such a mode of expression, they could not speak of demons entering into a man, or being cast out of him, without pledging themselves to the belief of an actual possession of the man by the demons. (Campbell
Atheism Agnosticism Alliance Web Ring
A webring created to form a single union of purpose between atheists and agnostics.
http://k.webring.com/hub?ring=atheist
The Atheism Web: Huxley On Agnosticism
Thomas Huxley describes how he came to originate the term 'agnostic'.
http://www.infidels.org/news/atheism/sn-huxley.html

Extractions: The Atheism Web Huxley describes how he came to originate the term 'agnostic' as follows: When I reached intellectual maturity, and began to ask myself whether I was an atheist, a theist, or a pantheist; a materialist or an idealist; a Christian or a freethinker, I found that the more I learned and reflected, the less ready was the answer; until at last I came to the conclusion that I had neither art nor part with any of these denominations, except the last. The one thing in which most of these good people were agreed was the one thing in which I differed from them. They were quite sure that they had attained a certain "gnosis" had more or less successfully solved the problem of existence; while I was quite sure I had not, and had a pretty strong conviction that the problem was insoluble. And, with Hume and Kant on my side, I could not think myself presumptuous in holding fast by that opinion. [...] So I took thought, and invented what I conceived to be the appropriate title of "agnostic". It came into my head as suggestively antithetic to the "gnostic" of Church history, who professed to know so much about the very things of which I was ignorant; and I took the earliest opportunity of parading it at our Society, to show that I, too, had a tail, like the other foxes. [Quoted in " Encylopaedia of Religion and Ethics ", 1908, edited by James Hastings MA DD]
AGNOSTICISM
Definition of Agnostic agnosticism is a concept, not a religion. It is a belief related to the existence or nonexistence of God.
http://tmsyn.wc.ask.com/r?t=an&s=hb&uid=24312681243126812&sid=343126
ATHEISM, AGNOSTICISM, HUMANISM
ATHEISM, agnosticism, FREE THINKING, HUMANISM, etc. horizontal rule bullet, agnosticism is not a religion or complete ethical system.
http://www.religioustolerance.org/at_ag_hu.htm

Extractions: ATHEISM, AGNOSTICISM, FREE THINKING, HUMANISM, etc. Click Here to Visit our Sponsors. One of the problems in the field of religion and ethical systems is that certain terms (e.g. Atheism, Agnosticism, Humanism) have multiple meanings. Perhaps the most impressive example of confusion are the terms "Witch" and "Witchcraft." They have at least 17 different definitions. The vast majority of adults in North America are theists: they believe in a God or supreme power. They may regard God as a unity (as in Judaism, Islam, and Sikhism) or a duality (a God and Goddess as in Wicca), a Trinity (as in most Christian faith groups), etc. But there is a growing minority of adults who have abandoned traditional organized religious beliefs about deity and define themselves in various ways: Agnosticism is not a religion or complete ethical system. It is simply a belief that we cannot prove either the existence or the non-existence of deity; (i.e. of one or more gods, one or more goddesses, or combinations of the above). Many Agnostics believe that we can never know about the existence of a deity. Others suggest that we cannot know anything about deity or deities at this time with the currently available evidence, but that this could conceivably change in the future. Atheism is also not a religion or a complete ethical system. It has two main definitions:
Nandonext - 404
Brian Stanley responds to agnosticism as a Christian, and claims it is an attempt to avoid the issue.
http://www.nandonext.com/issues/agnosticism.html
Secular Web Atheism, Agnosticism, Naturalism, Skepticism And
agnosticism, atheism, freethought, humanism, and rationalism on the Web
http://tmsyn.wc.ask.com/r?t=an&s=hb&uid=24312681243126812&sid=343126
What Is Agnosticism?
Library Modern H. J. Blackham What Is agnosticism?
http://tmsyn.wc.ask.com/r?t=an&s=hb&uid=24312681243126812&sid=343126
What Is An Agnostic?
Bertrand Russell on agnosticism
http://tmsyn.wc.ask.com/r?t=an&s=hb&uid=24312681243126812&sid=343126
Agnostic Church Home Page
Rationale for an Agnostic Church and an Agnostic Bible.
http://tmsyn.wc.ask.com/r?t=an&s=hb&uid=24312681243126812&sid=343126
Agnosticism, Book Of Shadows, And More
Dragon pictures, horoscope, college page, and favorite links.
http://www.angelfire.com/oh4/agnostic3/index.html
Council For Secular Humanism
Online home of the Council for Secular Humanism, serving secular humanists, atheists, agnostics, freethinkers, rationalists, skeptics, and all those
http://tmsyn.wc.ask.com/r?t=an&s=hb&uid=24312681243126812&sid=343126

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