The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines Agnosticism as the view that any reality is unknown and probably unknowable. It is a philosophical or religious position characterized by uncertainty about the existence of a God or Gods. What being Agnostic generally means is, that there is no way to prove or disprove that God has roamed the Earth.
Agnosticism has been criticized by other religions due to its close likeness to Atheism. The truth is although the two share some similarities, they are very different. Atheism is the belief that there are no deities and no after life. While Agnosticism remains relatively objective in its belief.
According to nytimes.com, Gary Gutting, a Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame, stated in an article entitled Debating God: Notes on an Unanswered Question, “love and understanding, even without knowledge, are tremendous gifts, and religious knowledge claims are hard to support.” Here he poignantly describes Agnosticism. He says subliminally that all religions have a point, but can they back up their claims?
I not only view Agnosticism as a religion, but it’s also a philosophy. Since the dawn of time essentially, a deity has been the forefront of all religion. Depending on what you believe, the deity is credited as being the creator of all mankind. Now the way Agnostics see that is, does it really matter who created what? Whether the Earth was created by someone or because of evolution, does it affect their daily lives?
Whether some view Agnosticism as a religion is solely their opinion. In fact the “established religions” are viewed by rival religions as false. However, the main question is, should that affect my view of Agnosticism? The answer to that is absolutely not. I am not going to say that being a Christian, Catholic, Muslim or Agnostic is the right thing. What I am going to say is that it pays to stay neutral.
Staying completely objective when I say this, Agnosticism is that neutral corner that most agree with. While it doesn’t exactly exalt the name of God or any symbols of religion (i.e. Jesus, Muhammad, or Buddha), it does not tear them down either.
In a video on youtube.com by YouTuber Chandler Keyes, she explains that everything in this world boils down to perspective and interpretation. She stated, “I am an Agnostic Theist. I believe in a God or Gods, but I do not claim to know there is a God. I really do think that if you use your common sense, there has to be something that put us here.”
In simpler terms, an Agnostic Theist is a person, such as myself, that believes that there is something that’s causing all of this. However, there is no point in stressing over trying to find the proof that one exists. Be it he or she, man or animal, there is something monitoring our every move.
To be fair the other forms of Agnosticism include: Agnostic Atheist, Pragmatic, Unlimited, Limited and Apathetic. Each of which have their own philosophy. For example Pragmatic Agnosticism is pretty straight forward. It believe there is no proof God ever existed or didn’t exist while Apathetic is more on the lines of not caring.
The moral of the story is, that if there is a God, no matter who or what it is, should we emphasize it? The answer to that is yours to determine. Whether or not one views Agnosticism as a religion or a philosophy, it is 100 percent up to that person. It doesn’t mean that you are doubting God, but you do have questions that may never be answered in this life at least.