What do you believe?

What do you believe? If you don’t believe in God, where exactly do you stand?

When I ask you if God exists, I’m making the assumption that we are speaking about the God of the Bible—a Supreme Being responsible for bringing about all creation. If I asked a tribal hunter if God exists, he might think I’m speaking about a giant crocodile god — he might answer yes or no, and we might both be having a very different conversation. Regarding God, the Supreme Being of the Bible, there are three answers people give about whether they personally believe He exists—yes (theism), no (atheism), or I don’t know (agnosticism).

I spent many years shifting between being an atheist and an agnostic, with bouts of religion in-between. It wasn’t until I had spent many years studying arguments on all sides, obtaining a degree in philosophy coupled with years of independent study, that I came to the realization that I could conclude from logic and reason that God exists. Before then, I shifted views. I glommed onto notions based on popularity, social acceptability, and to a lesser extent, I found some of the arguments against God very compelling—until I came to understand the arguments for God, which I found even more compelling.

Along the way, I learned that agnostics come in two varieties. Remember, agnostics simply hold that they don’t know if God exists. It’s too simplistic to say an agnostic doesn’t care, or is so weak minded that he/she won’t risk offending anyone by taking a stand. Agnosticism is a faith that holds complex notions and principles. Some of the world’s greatest scientists are agnostics. Agnostics are either—those who cannot accept or deny God’s existence because they believe the answer is unknowable, or those who don’t have enough knowledge to decide.

Similarly, atheists come in two varieties. Remember, atheists claim and believe that God does not exist. It is a complex form of faith, and atheism also counts some highly intelligent people among its ranks. Atheists believe God does not exist because they find arguments against God’s existence very compelling, or they simply find no proof to support the notion of a deity. As such, varieties of atheists include those who believe there is ample evidence to squash the notion that God exists, and those who claim and believe that things don’t exist unless they have the proof.

Since I’ve personally been in all four of these positions, I know each is an assailable viewpoint. Even so, it’s fair to say all viewpoints are assailable. There are few beliefs, if any, which anyone holds with 100% certainty, even theism. Imagine if you asked an agnostic or atheists the following question. “If I could show you proof of God’s existence, would you change your mind?” Nearly everyone would agree that if you provided proof, he/she would change his or her mind. Only the most unreasonable people, those who profess their belief based on an agenda, would reject the possibility of being wrong when confronted with the prospect of proof.

When we form beliefs, we do so in two ways. We know something based on deductive reasoning, e.g., it must be the case that all dogs breathe air, because all animals breathe air, and dogs are a type of animal. Or we use inductive reasoning, e.g., after experts indexed Alaskan wildlife in Anchorage 30 years, they never encountered Pigmy Owls, therefore Pigmy Owls probably don’t live in Anchorage, Alaska. In the example of inductive reasoning, it’s possible that Pigmy Owls live in Anchorage, but scientists failed to detect them.

When we examine the two varieties of both atheism and agnosticism, it’s reasonable to ask if they are forming the core of their beliefs based on deductive (unassailable) reasoning, or inductive (probability). For brevity, here’s the breakdown of the basic views:

• Agnostics who believe God’s existence is unknowable.
  1. They claim to have higher knowledge that proves what is knowable or unknowable.
  2. God’s existence is unknowable (others cannot know either).
     1. All believers in God are wrong and all atheists are wrong.

• Agnostics who can’t form a belief because they don’t have enough information.
  1. They claim not to know because any of the following are true:
     1. They don’t understand the question.
     2. They are uncertain because there are compelling arguments on both sides.
     3. They never formed an opinion.
     4. They want more information before they decide.
  2. All of these are true:
     1. Believers in God might be right.
     2. Atheists might be right.
     3. The answer might be unknowable.

• Atheists who claim there is proof God does not exist.
  1. They claim to possess a special knowledge which allows them to:
     1. Refute all others by employing powerful evidence.
     2. Know competing arguments are unsound.
  2. They believe all agnostics are wrong and all theists are wrong.

• Atheists who deny things exist unless they have the proof.
  1. They claim nothing exists unless one of these apply:
     1. They have subjective evidence, like personal experience.
     2. They have sufficient objective evidence that others could not refute.
  2. They believe all agnostics are wrong and all theists are wrong.

In today’s world, we sometimes forget there is any truth, any actual right, or wrong. As you can see, these different belief systems are at odds with each other. They cannot all be right. Which are you? Are you a theist, an atheist, or an agnostic? Did you come to this belief through deductive or inductive reasoning? If you are an agnostic or atheist, what variety are you? Plato said, “the unexamined life is not worth living.” It’s equally true that the unexamined faith is not worth believing. What do you believe? Do you even know why?