Hey guys, for the most part I consider my spiritual, or maybe even religious. A while ago someone asked me if I was agnostic b/c I joined in a dinner prayer, that I knew, even though it wasn't my specific religion. I'm being vague to keep the conversation universal. LOL!!! So it got me thinking about it. I realized that in some ways I AM agnostic, or that I have agnostic tendencies at times. On the other hand MOST of the time I end up feeling quite spiritual. Well any responses? Can anyone relate???
Yea man I totally relate. I think that spirtuality and religion have a lot of overlap in terms of life, creation and morals. Hell, i even like to think that Jesus was the first white shaman and thats why he gets so much attention haha. Its perfectly fine to say "I just dont know" when talking about creation and supreme beings yet still feel some spirtual connection to the world around you. Again though, faith, spirtual connection, its all kind of the same thing. And how do you know really know if these things are bogus. Well...you dont. Its just kinda like a gut feeling or a sixth sense that overpowers logic. Also i can relate to you sayng "....or maybe even religious".....like you cant even believe that you arrived at that conclusion. Thats just how i interpretted it though.
^Yup that's how I meant it. Thanks for the cool post. I'm glad you can relate. This is my 1st time posting in Spirituality and Philosophy, so thanks for a cool 1st post. It seems that being somewhat agnostic is just a matter of being honest with yourself. After all, there is no end to what we don't know / understand. We might as well acknowledge what we really don't know...
@OP: Hey man how can you say that you're torn between belief and agnosticism! Just make a choice already, one or the other! j/k lol Actually I feel similarly. There are always countless mysteries of life, and mysteries of the universe. I choose to acknowledge these fundamental mysteries, rather than try to cover them up with artificial beliefs. Yeah sometimes I'm torn between thinking that life and the universe are infinitely complex and spiritual... either that or there's no real spiritual validity anywhere, and we're just walking biochemical reactions with no deeper meaning to be found... LOL But usually the infinitely complex, spiritual perspective tends to win out most of the time. Of course this is all madness anyways. lol
belief in god without religion is to me spiritual. agnostic is someone who isnt sure if there is a god or not. belief in god with specific practices is religious. atheist is someone who doesnt believe in any form of god. i consider myself spiritual and i even like alot of what jesus has to teach but i dont believe any part of the story was factual in any form. same for alot of others, i take the parts i like and leave the rest of it.
Agnosticism encompasses metaphysical and spiritual claims-in fact, it encompasses any claim that does not have evidence. People often misunderstand "agnosticism" and attribute it to a sense of insecurity where an individual is caught between belief and disbelief. Actually, agnosticism is statement of knowledge and not a belief like theism, deism, or atheism. Agnosticism is the admission of one's knowledge or understanding. A person who says that they are agnostic on the question of deities says that there is no evidence for a god--so the conclusion that there is no god or that there is one is "unknowable" currently. There can be agnostic atheists (vast majority of atheists are), and there is no contradiction in the name. I am spiritual in the sense that I can use my emotions to arouse a feeling of "spirituality" or appreciation of transcendence and enlightenment, however, I do not believe in the more orthodox interpretation of the word "spirituality" to mean something that is beyond the boundaries of the physical world. There's just no evidence of that.
I'd say I'm an athiest/agnostic... Which I actually think is pretty close to what you're talking about If I'm asked whether or not I believe in god, the answer is no. If I was asked if god exists, I'd have to say I don't know. That being said, I like to think I've let my life experiences shape my beliefs, like you seem to have. My father was Muslim, so it's not like organised religion was never present in my life. It just never (never, even as a child) made any real sense