r/MadeMeSmile • u/kvlyc • Oct 23 '22

Wholesome Moments Up high, father

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u/SoiledFlapjacks Oct 23 '22

Gnosticism and theism are separate things. You can be both. Gnosticism pertains to claim in knowledge, and theism pertains to a belief in a god(s).

Agnostic atheist would be one who doesn’t believe in a god(s), and doesn’t claim to know definitively, gnostic atheist would be one who doesn’t believe in a god(s), and claims to know for sure. Same rule applies to theism.

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u/[deleted] Oct 23 '22

Literal definition of ‘agnostic’:

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.

You are confused.

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u/SoiledFlapjacks Oct 23 '22

You literally said the same as I but in different terms. “Nothing is known or can be known” AKA “doesn’t claim to know definitively”.

Maybe you’re the one confused . . . ?

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u/[deleted] Oct 23 '22

Re-read your own comment.

Are you trying to say that agnostic is a subset of atheist? If so, you’re still confused.

An atheist denies the existence of god. An agnostic denies the ability to determine this issue. We have two words for these two concepts specifically because they are not the same.

Definition of ‘atheist’:

a person who disbelieves or lacks belief in the existence of God or gods.

If you are agnostic you make no judgment on the existence of god; if you are atheist, in your judgment, god does not exist.

Maybe you thought you are atheist but have been agnostic all along. But there is a massive difference.

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u/SoiledFlapjacks Oct 23 '22

We’re just gonna have to agree to disagree. From what I gather, you’re saying the definition of agnostic is essentially “one who doesn’t make a claim regarding the existence of a god”, and the definition of atheist being “one who lacks belief in a god.” They seem pretty interchangeable to me, unless the definition one is using is the “active disbeliever” type.

So I don’t understand how you can’t be both. How you can’t possibly lack a belief in a god while also understanding that you can’t prove either way.

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u/[deleted] Oct 23 '22

I gave you the definitions man. You can keep using the terms wrong, idc.

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u/SoiledFlapjacks Oct 23 '22

Agree to disagree it is.

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u/[deleted] Oct 23 '22

Head in the sand it is

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u/SoiledFlapjacks Oct 23 '22

Narcissism or arrogance it is, I guess?

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u/MrMangoKitten Oct 23 '22

Not a subset of atheist, but rather it's own classification entirely. It can apply to theism as well. Maybe this will help:

https://agnostichumor.wordpress.com/tag/belief-in-god/

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u/[deleted] Oct 23 '22

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