#Agnosticism

[ao3demographicssurvey2024]

In the AO3 Demographics Survey 2024 - an unofficial demographics survey of 16,131 AO3 users - 17% of respondents identified as Christian, while 69% identified as having no religion.

To see more analysis, including a list of the common write-in answers for this question, please view the full results on AO3.

[positivelyatheist]

Just knowing the truth doesn’t guarantee a person is smarter. It’s how they arrived to their conclusion is what makes them smart. Someone who was raised in a truth and never questioned it isn’t smarter than someone who was raised in a falsehood and never questioned it. They’re both equally trusting the people that raised them.

This is why we MUST give children the freedom to explore different beliefs and views. They’ve got to diversify the ecosystem within their mind. Raising them to have the mind of a monocultured lawn will make them struggle when meeting those of other beliefs, even if you raised them to believe many true things.

[9q3]

every year someone on this hellsite invents a new way to dehumanize and trivialize people who do not believe in religion or supernatural things and then it gets hundreds of notes its sooo amazing lmao

[cieldunoir]

More pictures of Tobias that make me weak in the knees 😌

[chainofclovers]

Due to word limits, a few explanations:

"Raised religious" = raised in a home where one or more religions were practiced, with at least one parent or guardian who ascribed to those belief systems and practices and taught them to you.

"Raised without religion" = raised in a home in which no one practiced religion but no one was a convicted atheist, either.

"Raised atheist" = raised in a home where at least one parent or guardian who was an atheist taught you that belief system. "Conviction" = religious conviction that matches the religion you were raised in.

"Rel" = religion.

This poll is specifically for agnostic people as opposed to people who practice a specific religion or people who are atheist. If you consider yourself agnostic, please take the poll! I'm curious to learn more--in a very surface-level tumblr poll sort of way--about the way beliefs change over time, whether gradually or suddenly. Feel free to elaborate on your experience with agnosticism, atheism, and religion in the tags.

[sinful-skeptic]

Religious conservatives love talking about trans people “mutilating their genitals” and then go off to circumcise their children without their consent 😇

[magnetothemagnificent]

How can you be religious and atheist? Genuinely curious, never heard that before, the two kinda sound like the opposite don't they? I get being secular and theist because secular culture doesn't stray far from religious culture (at least speaking for American Christianity), but wouldn't being atheist kinda negate the need for religion?

Well, first of all, *I'm* not atheist. I very much believe in G-d at the moment, but it's not something I worry about too much and it's not really something I think too deeply about.

But there are lots of religious people who *are* atheist. To be religious is to take part in religious practices and rituals. You don't have to believe in G-d (or and god) to do that.

I can't speak for other religions, but Judaism is very practice-based and community based. Many Jews are religious and wholeheartedly participate in religious life.....while being agnostic or atheist. When we practice Judaism, we don't just practice Judaism just for a belief in G-d. We practice it for our community, for our ancestors, for our heritage, for ourselves, for the land, and for the world. There are Jews who are religious because it comforts them, or because they're honouring those who perished for the chance to be religious, or because they believe it contributes to a more just world, or because they value their community.

And in Judaism, belief in G-d also varies- there are those that believe in an all-knowing powerful deity, or a comforting spirit, or believe that G-d manifests as gravity and atoms, or believe that G-d exists as the spirit of living things, or as the invisible force behind incredible phenomena. G-d can be a loving spouse, a grandparent, a parent, a stranger, and a friend. Or G-d can be impossible to even attempt to compare to human concepts. Even among believers in G-d, the way we conceptualize G-d isn't uniform.

[positivelyatheist]

Forest Creature: You’re a person who knows everything aren’t you?

Snufkin: Little one, if you worship someone too much, you’ll end up losing your freedom.

[9q3]

I'm actually sick and tired of so-called "atheists" who suddenly become theistic when ONE good thing happens to them. Like if you're only an atheist because of bad things happening to you, you're not a legit atheist, you're just going through a depressive episode. Want to be a legit atheist? actually deconstruct the religion you were raised in and discover that this godless world is as good and bad and nuanced as reality!

[texaschainsawmascara]

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. (2023)

[thepersonalwords]

Spiritual leaders, priests and prophets are lamps burning in the dark, seeking meaning for humanity.

Bangambiki Habyarimana, Pearls Of Eternity

[h0bg0blin-meat]

So I've been finding a lot of people misunderstanding agnosticism and atheism and that how these two can be mutually inclusive and yet make coherent sense, so here's a very simple explanation for yall.

Agnosticism: Uncertainty about the existence of the supernatural or God(s) (usually)

Gnosticism: Certainty about the existence of the supernatural or God(s) (usually)

Agnostic theism: Uncertain about the existence of the supernatural or God(s) but still choosing to believe in them. E.g.: Nasadiya Sukta from Rig Veda.

Gnostic theism: Certain about the existence of the supernatural or God(s) and choosing to believe in them.

Agnostic atheism: Uncertain about the existence of the supernatural or God(s) but choosing not to believe in them until solid evidence is presented.

Gnostic atheism: Certain about the non-existence of the supernatural or God(s) and choosing not to believe in them. E.g.- Many anti-theists.

[sinful-skeptic]

I think it’s weird how there’s a double standard when it comes to atheists. So if i tell a religious person that i’m atheist, they’ll start interrogating me about my life. They would just assume that my atheism is because of some trauma that happened to me.

And then they would assume that atheists know everything about the universe. They would show you a phenomenon or whatever and tell you to explain it. And if you don’t know, they’ll think it’s a “gotcha” moment. Yet they allow it when people who identify with their religion barely know anything about it.

Like you can’t expect an atheist to debate with you anytime. We’re not omnipotent. We don’t know every single thing about the world, just like they don’t know every single thing about their religion. They’re holding us on a higher standard. And the reason is obvious.