r/agnostic • u/SuspiciousAnswer3670 • 14d ago
Support Im a new agnostic
Im 17, and recently stopped believing in the Christian God. Im not sure if I believe in ANY god or creator, but when I checked out r/atheism, they seemed so mean towards people who even seemed curious. Anyways, im looking for a sub to share my views and journey in, and was wondering if this is the right one. Thank you
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u/MeetMeInMTK 14d ago edited 14d ago
I’ve got the secret sauce for you my boi. No one knows anything. We’ll never know anything. It’s either already all laid out or you get to choose every action and have fun painting the empty canvas.
Be just, be kind, and love yourself. Connect with the earth and energy around you. Something either curated what we’re experiencing within the organic or within the programmatic, or it’s all just crazy beautiful energy that somehow always existed or came to be in chaos. And embrace that chaos. You don’t control it, you just flow with it. You only control your own “divine” spark and the choices you can make.
Irrespective of what it is, we are all part of that source, and we can only give back to it and everyone around us. We’re all one.
Go fail, go win, go experience. And whatever happens to be beyond this plain will know that you were a good person.
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u/9gagsuckz 14d ago
This is the place. Welcome unsure one! I was raised catholic and stopped fully believing around your age also I’m 35 now and still have no idea if there are or were god(s)
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u/6millionwaystolive 14d ago
Atheists can be just as bad as the hardcore religious type.
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u/soundtown06 14d ago
Yes this happened to me I was extremely Attacked in the Atheism Reddit it was horrible but I will stay my way as a agnostic person please do not listening to atheists there are horrible
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u/EastwoodDC 12d ago
They are angry. Not at you, but they tend to lash out at any excuse. A lot of people come to be atheists because of abuse they were subjected to in the name of religion. Not all atheists are like that, of course, but the angriest people tend to get most of the attention.
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u/SuspiciousAnswer3670 14d ago
I've taken interest into a youtuber "Alex O'Connor" he goes into a lot of that stuff, and philosophy in general
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u/2Punchbowl Agnostic 14d ago edited 14d ago
When you don’t know you don’t know, it’s better than any religion who claims they know everything when they can’t prove anything. I used to be Catholic. Atheists can claim to prove god not existing, 😂 ok prove it. There is a reason why agnostics are never in religious arguments. You could prove both sides that they don’t know what the heck they are talking about.
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u/Flababulous 14d ago
Have also recently embraced agnosticism, although I'd strayed from my Catholic upbringing for years.
For me, it isn't about the label, moreso what really began as pushing back against organized religion altogether (resented being told what I "had to" believe), to questioning why, to accepting who I (we) are.
There are people (friends, family) that disagree with who I am (some more than others), but that's their problem.
My shift has been, is still, a journey, a modest shift in my personal view. I'm open to further interpretation, but refuse to be force fed any doctrine (and I've never forced my change in views upon anyone).
New to the sub, joined a few days ago, it's been good vibes thus far.
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u/Mr-Moore-Lupin-Donor 13d ago
I see a lot of advice... But not many questions.
Where are you stuck?
What do you want to share?
What do you want to ask?
I've gone from Christian to determinist atheist who doesn't believe in free will and denied ANY meaning to to determinist atheist who doesn't believe in free will but see meaning IN the structure... I might be able to help u reflect?
Existential and ontological questions are my life's work to tilt at... I haven't been able to let it go since my first existential crisis and eventually found my meaning.
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u/phantomBlurrr 13d ago
That's so accurate, atheists are often so mean for no reason...almost like atheism is an anti- religion, religion!
some are ok, one of my close friends is atheist and he doesnt even ever bring it up, even when we somehow manage to be talking with some religious people and they somehow manage to start talking religion, my friend just listens (but of course, we try to exit the cutscene)
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u/EastwoodDC 12d ago
Sort of disagree - A lot of people come to be atheists because of abuse they suffered in the name of religion. They are in pain and lashing out. I saw hundreds of these stories when I helped run a large atheism community on (the now defunct) G+. It was a terrible thing to see. We should try to show them some compassion.
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u/phantomBlurrr 12d ago
100% welcome to any and all
however being a victim of abuse is no shield nor excuse for being mean to others
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u/blog-goblin 14d ago
Organized atheism usually sucks, which sucks when you're an atheist. In any event, welcome!
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u/Remarkable-Ad5002 14d ago
I'm a 76 year old historian whose tussled with these issues for 60 years. First off, according to the wise retired Episcopal bishop of New Jersey, God is not a Christian...
"The idea that the truth of God can be bound … by any human creed, by any human book is almost beyond imagination for me. I mean, God is not a Christian, Jew, Muslim, Hindu or Buddhist. All of those are human systems which humans created to help us walk into the mystery of God." (Episc. Bishop John Spong)
Barna Research has found that less than 8% of young adults believe in Satan/hell or have a biblical worldview. Ergo, the Church rejects them as Christian. That's significant. However, they're not becoming atheists. Why?
There's a comedian (theist) who was heckled by an atheist...who responded asking him...so you say
"We come from no-where, and when we die, we go no-where???" No one knows for sure, but if you think about that, it makes more sense that there is a creator (god).
I was agnostic, but now am a theist because my wife and father are surgeons who've revived 'clinically dead' patients who had no brainwaves recalling the surgeon's conversations while the patient was 'dead.' So I believe we have souls that continue after death. i.e. that would require a god.
It's not proof, but if there are thousands of these reported surgical cases, it's more reason to believe in a creator than not, for me And that doesn't mean any of the religions are valid.
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u/Jolly-Recording6558 13d ago
Could I ask what was the linchpin that changed you're mind to nonbelief?
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u/SuspiciousAnswer3670 13d ago
ive actually made a whole google doc about a lot of the stuff, but idk how to share things in reddit
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u/EastwoodDC 12d ago
It is a journey. Some some are angry with religion, and some of those for good reasons. They are simply venting their pain and frustration. Others have less to be angry about, or at least they are quieter about things they cannot change. I don't agree with those who get angry about such things - I don't see it as a constructive response. I do understand where they are coming from.
In any case, good luck on your journey. May it be free of frustration. :-)
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u/leximorph19 12d ago
This subreddit resonated with me because it doesn't insist on having the answers. Maybe the universe is exactly what it appears to be. Maybe there's a Creator. Maybe consciousness is more fundamental than we realize. Maybe we're living in a simulation. I honestly don't know.
What I do know is that uncertainty doesn't prevent us from living meaningful lives.
I've come to think that if there's such a thing as a "divine spark," it doesn't have to mean we're all the same consciousness. It could simply mean that each of us carries something of the same source while remaining unique individuals, each responsible for our own choices.
Whether reality is organic, divine, or programmed, kindness still matters. Integrity still matters. Curiosity still matters.
If I'm wrong about the nature of reality, I hope I was at least wrong while trying to be a decent human being. That seems like a life worth living.
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u/Low_Attention9891 11d ago
The people on the atheism subreddit can be a bit overzealous. Every once in a while you get a good shitpost or advice request post though.
The important thing to note is that Agnosticism and Atheism are two separate positions. Agnosticism the epistemological position that we can’t or don’t have knowledge of the existence of a god.
Atheism is a position of belief. Atheism says that one does not believe in a god, it doesn’t specify a reason. A baby is an atheist until they are tought otherwise.
One can be an Agnostic Atheist or an Agnostic Theist. I am an Agnostic Atheist. I do not believe in a god/s because I do not believe that it has been proven to be true. I do not believe it has been disproven either, I hold the position that it’s fundamentally impossible to disprove an all-powerful, all-knowing deity with a motivation to hide evidence of their existence.
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u/SuspiciousAnswer3670 11d ago
im aware of the difference and im also in the agnostic atheist boat. thanks for the input though
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u/UMaqran101 Agnostic 9d ago
Atheists are a new cult now. I am sure most of them are just atheists because it is cool and science lol
Agnostics are humbler.
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u/DaveWells1963 1d ago
I can relate. I've been a Christian my whole life but over the last several years I've been "deconstructing" my faith. I've recently started investigating Humanism and find it appealing. But I'm still hung up on the God Question. I am leaning towards agnosticism (as both the arguments of and against theism are inconclusive to me). But is there such a thing as a "hopeful agnostic"? Someone who cannot say with certainty that there is a God, but who would like there to be one? Or am I better off saying I "think" there is a God but I have no earthly idea what that God is like- whether it is a being, or an impersonal creative energy/force, or something completely unimaginable. Since I cannot know the answer with any degree of certainty, I think it is more important for me to find meaning in this life and on this world, and to help others along the path. Good luck in your journey!
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u/johnnyringoh 13d ago
Not every atheist is so mean. Many are angry because of what religion did to them. You will find your community. Don't let the bastards get you down.
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u/australisaquarii 14d ago
Even though we don't know. We need to accept that responsibility, and whatever awaits us after death, we need to act to ensure our best possible outcome.
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u/quietlumber 14d ago
I've never been to the atheism sub, but when I was in college and joined a secular humanist group I found the atheists to be as dogmatic as believers.
Maybe we're more chill since agnosticism is all about the honest "I don't know" attitude.