Did you become an agnostic during your transition?

I'm curious.

I identified a Christian when I was younger, even though I never was one, but I did believe in God. When I realized that God was just a belief of my desires for the universe, I swiftly transitioned to atheism without any hiccup. I may have gone through a period of doubt, but my faith in God was strong until it was all eradicated all of a sudden.

What about you? Sorry, GameSpot only allows for five choices. Otherwise, I would have split the fifth choice into two choices.

Growing up I didn't believe in god, I started to believe when I was 13. Throughout high school my faith started to dwindle, as I disagreed with some of the messages the church or bible gave. I am now a non-believer. I don't classify myself as an Athiest or Agnostic, I don't believe in anything, but i still respect people if they do.

Agnostic, in simple terms, means doubting the existence of God but not flat out denying it, right?

If that's the case, I don't see how it's possible to be agnostic. If I doubt that my friend has 1 million dollars, I believe that it is possible butI can't know for sure. If I believe that it's possible, then I believe in his wealth. Similarly, if someone doubts that God exists, they are still acknowledging that it's possible, which means that they still hold some belief in Him.

But if my initial definition is wrong, just ignore everything I said.

Agnostic, in simple terms, means doubting the existence of God but not flat out denying it, right?

If that's the case, I don't see how it's possible to be agnostic. If I doubt that my friend has 1 million dollars, I believe that it is possible butI can't know for sure. If I believe that it's possible, then I believe in his wealth. Similarly, if someone doubts that God exists, they are still acknowledging that it's possible, which means that they still hold some belief in Him.

But if my initial definition is wrong, just ignore everything I said.

ROFLCOPTER603

What I believe in has changed over the years, but I've never labeled my religious beliefs.

I'm most definitely not atheist. I feel like I'm much more than agnostic, yet not overly religious. I don't know. :P

If you dont mind me asking how was it eradicated all of a sudden?Capitan_Kid

If you dont mind me asking how was it eradicated all of a sudden?Capitan_Kid

[QUOTE="Capitan_Kid"]If you dont mind me asking how was it eradicated all of a sudden?Genetic_Code

I'm still a Christian, not a very good one, but still a Christian.

You can believe in God and still believe in scientific theories. In fact I read not too long ago that the Pope has accepted the Big Bang Theory. I dont see a reason why God cant be behind the science.

Capitan_Kid

you've got gnostic theists and gnostic atheists, those who say affirmatively there is or isn't a god. then you've got agnostic theists and agnostic atheists, who don't claim they can know for sure either way.

I was raised in a strong christian home so I believed that until about 8th grade when I became doubtful and began identifying as an agnostic.

As an atheist-to-theist, yes.

1st, atheist can claiming the world is cruel and complained God didn't do anything.
2nd, I think God cannot proven exist or not. And I think demanding God to do my bidding is just rediclulous.
3rd, finally flipped a coin and become a believer. I suddenly have faith in God. And I fully established that believe in God or not has no effect on me before I made my choice.

magicalclick

I never fullybelieved. My ancestors were christian and many became Methodist as in the working man's Christianity, but I never fullybelieved. Some go to church and some don't but they don't argue, because they aren't idiots. They know there is no way to prove it. Some still go to church every Sunday but I think it's forthe social function, I think that's why most people go, that's what a church is anyway, it's a community center.

I say never fully believed in it as in the possibility sits in the back of mind and Idorecall myself occasionally referring back to it or consulting faith, but I highly doubt it. I accept it as a possibility, but ultimately it'sirrelevant, because it's legendary. I don't feel the need disprove it. Why? For what? Just seems like a tremendous waste of time just say "I'm right" That and I'm not a dick, I'm not gonna be the one to ruin it for everyone else. Perhaps most people only behave because they believe in the punishment for sins. Maybe disproving it would do more damage than good.

You can either believe, be a know-it-all or just be agreeable. But that all depends what youprefer, tact or turmoil.

raised christian and throughout youth I didn't really question it, but I never feared God or anything. Then in high school I began realizing what a load of phooey organized religion and god were and now I believe in nothing. You might call me a misanthrope, cynic or nihilist.

I urinate on stuff because I like to urinate on things. I think I was always an Atheist. Such is life.

Transition? That sounds like a cult term...

I've always been sort of agnostic.

I believe i did go through some agnostic phase, but i was like 10 maybe 11 when I rejected the notions of all mighty supernatural beings being real.

anyways if you are a theist going on atheist don't you have to like question god's existence in order to reject it. It seems kind of silly to believe in god one second and in the next be like god is the figment of someones imagination. It makes it seem like you are easily swayed and intellectually weak.

During my what now? Transition?

I believed in God for a while, then didn't, then did a bit.

I cannot remember a time when I ever actively had faith in anything. I went to Sunday school, first communion, confirmation, and everything in between at my mom's side's Lutheran church, but I haven't been back since I was confirmed because it just has never been for me.

I can remember feeling confused and asking questions as a child and getting no answers, and I've been turned off ever since.

The only time I ever felt even vaguely spiritual was when I went through a phase of wanting to convert to Judaism when I was 14-15 years old.

The only transitional period I had was going from being apathetic/not faithful to putting a label on it: agnostic atheist.

I believe i did go through some agnostic phase, but i was like 10 maybe 11 when I rejected the notions of all mighty supernatural beings being real.

anyways if you are a theist going on atheist don't you have to like question god's existence in order to reject it. It seems kind of silly to believe in god one second and in the next be like god is the figment of someones imagination. It makes it seem like you are easily swayed and intellectually weak.

SirWander

Agnostic, in simple terms, means doubting the existence of God but not flat out denying it, right?

If that's the case, I don't see how it's possible to be agnostic. If I doubt that my friend has 1 million dollars, I believe that it is possible butI can't know for sure. If I believe that it's possible, then I believe in his wealth. Similarly, if someone doubts that God exists, they are still acknowledging that it's possible, which means that they still hold some belief in Him.

But if my initial definition is wrong, just ignore everything I said.

ROFLCOPTER603

Agnosticism is the idea that you can't really know for sure, if "some" God exists or not, and if there is one, what is his nature.

At least that's how I see it.

Given that the definition of agnostic varies from one person to another, I dont know what I am.

5th grade - Didn't know what a Christian was. I asked my mom, she said we were Christians. My response? "Oh, okay." 6th grade - I believed the Bible to be true and simply believed what I was told about it. High school - I had a lot of doubts as I wrestled with the claims of Christianity. Though extremely active in the church, I was a theistic evolutionist who believed in an almost completely naturalistic explanation of the universe. The only two miracles that I believed were God creating everything by way of evolution and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 1st-3rd year University - I rejected my previous naturalistic views and became a strict Young Earth Creationist. I would have put most Fundamentalists to shame with devotion and desire to see my views made supreme. 4th year University to present - I turned away from Young Earth Creationism in favor of a near apathetic view - God created and I do not care how or by what process. Essentially, I became more humble with regards to my understanding of Scripture and simply wish to learn it better and express to others what I have learned. Also during this time I became a Calvinist. In other words, I transitioned from one type of theist into another type of theist ... and then another type of theist.mindstorm

Calvinism? Isn't that the idea that God creates all people fully knowing what they will do and has already decided which ones he's going to save when he creates them?
Couldn't you have picked a more horrible doctrine to follow?

Given that the definition of agnostic varies from one person to another, I dont know what I am.

sonicare

Agnosticism tecnically is the denial that you have knowledge to make a decision. That's the basic version.

Gnosis = knowledge in greek

A-gnosticism = doesn't have the knowledge

Hmm, no. My story is a little bit different. A few years back, I had some thoughts/discoveries on sexuality... homosexuality in particular.
It depressed me to see that if god were real, then he must be quite evil to let these people go to hell over the way they were born.
Stranger yet, was the thought that perhaps these people won't... but he seemingly turns a blind eye to the churches and people who pass on the belief that they do.

If god truly existed, and felt that they were no less his children than anyone else, then why would he allow so many people to discriminate, and let these people feel like they're going to go hell... all in his name?

I simply didn't have the strength to think believe that so many people could be wrong, and that god would allow it to be so.
These thoughts lead me straight to thinking more like a nihilist than anything. After going through a phase where I felt quite sad about the whole thing, I eventually started identifying as atheist.

I was agnostic to begin with, despite being "raised" a Christian (I still never went to Church though). Actually, scratch that, after sleeping over at a friend's house when I was little, I did go to Church and I remember it feeling very weird even at that age.

As far as I was concered, however, I was Christian because I celebrated Christmas, and Jews were Jewish because they celebrate Chanaka

I don't think I considered myself atheist, though, until the last few years. Even then I am a pretty casual atheist; I do not deny the existence of God, but I don't believe in him at all.

[QUOTE="mindstorm"]5th grade - Didn't know what a Christian was. I asked my mom, she said we were Christians. My response? "Oh, okay." 6th grade - I believed the Bible to be true and simply believed what I was told about it. High school - I had a lot of doubts as I wrestled with the claims of Christianity. Though extremely active in the church, I was a theistic evolutionist who believed in an almost completely naturalistic explanation of the universe. The only two miracles that I believed were God creating everything by way of evolution and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 1st-3rd year University - I rejected my previous naturalistic views and became a strict Young Earth Creationist. I would have put most Fundamentalists to shame with devotion and desire to see my views made supreme. 4th year University to present - I turned away from Young Earth Creationism in favor of a near apathetic view - God created and I do not care how or by what process. Essentially, I became more humble with regards to my understanding of Scripture and simply wish to learn it better and express to others what I have learned. Also during this time I became a Calvinist. In other words, I transitioned from one type of theist into another type of theist ... and then another type of theist.Cataclism

Calvinism? Isn't that the idea that God creates all people fully knowing what they will do and has already decided which ones he's going to save when he creates them?
Couldn't you have picked a more horrible doctrine to follow?

Also of note, do not let this be confused with hyper-Calvinism.