Uncertainty in a World of Certainty

Is being an Agnostic a way of hedging one’s bets, spiritually speaking? Is it the lazy way of avoiding picking a spiritual path? Is uncertainty acceptable in a country where it is common practice to speak in tone that suggest that the speaker is the bearer of absolute truth?

As an agnostic, I’ve heard my lack of belief referred to as both cowardly and lazy. I would say being obstinate in one’s on belief, despite a lack of evidence, or evidence to the contrary, is not bold, nor does it require effort. When millions and millions of people share a belief, standing up to be counted amongst them is certainly not an act of bravery. Being too stubborn to ask questions, or to consider the view of skeptic is lazy. It’s easier to have blind faith than it is to question that which is a commonly practiced belief system.

People of faith are critical of those who are faithless because they dare to question religious doctrine, and cast doubt upon the notions of sanctity and holiness. We agnostics see the flaws and the inconsistencies that exist in belief systems. It is not laziness to say “I do not believe.” It’s not cowardice.

To say “I don’t know” is an honest answer. It takes a degree of courage to stand apart from the crowd. Make no mistake, to be a person of faith is to be part of the majority. To be an Agnostic is to be part of a small community of skeptics. To be always seeking answers is not lazy. Uncertainty in world full of people who are certain they have The Answer is more difficult that one might assume.

Easter and Apostasy

Good Friday and Easter mean something different for me than many people. I grew up in a very Christian household. The name of blog correctly suggest I am no longer a practicing Christian. I am, in fact, a dedicated non-religious person. Which means I could be called an Apostate, rather than just Agnostic. While I am not an Atheist, I also do not believe in any of the mythology associated with any religion, Christian or otherwise.

Easter, of course, is the day that commemorates one of the most famous of miracles associated with Christianity, so it is always a time I reflect upon my years of freedom from the tenets of oppressive religious dogma. After all, religions are, if nothing else, a set of rules by which a person must abide to achieve salvation, enlightenment, or any other rewards associated with piety.

Need an example that religions create a sense of guilt and fear among their believers? Go to a church on Easter Sunday. Every church I ever went to as child and adolescent was packed full for every service on Easter, even if it had been deserted on a Sunday the previous month. People flock to churches on Easter to make up for the sin they perceive they’ve committed on the Sundays leading up to it: not going to church instills a sense of guilt that compels them to go at least once a year (maybe twice, on Christmas).

I realize that this is largely a reflection of the Christian population at large, not with Christianity itself. But the tradition of church non-attendance coupled with occasional guilt-driven attendance is one of many reasons I have long since parted ways with Christianity, and ultimately from believing in God.

This Blog Does Not Have Answers

Modern religions claim to have answers. Their proponents claim that they have access to the one true god, or gods, diet, lifestyle, moral code, dress code, and any number of aspects of our existence. Someone is wrong, obviously, and religious zealots believe it is everyone who doesn’t believe as they do. Prophets and priests claim they have the answers, and demand obedience, money, piety, and fealty in exchange for them. Millions gladly give these things to them. This is not a new, or undocumented phenomenon.

An agnostic, however, believes something different. An agnostic believes that we, humanity, cannot possibly have the answers surrounding who god is, or even whether or not a god exists. The world of the agnostic is that of unanswered questions, and therefore, endless possibilities.

This blog does not have answers, only questions. Asking questions is uniquely satisfying, even if we are asking questions that do not have an answer.