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LAMBOFGODGIRLY
Guest
Does anyone know how one should handle an Agnostic? My cousin’s boyfriend says that’s what he is, but we are not exactly sure. We are concerned about how to approach him on this.
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Mirdath
Guest
With common courtesy and respect? I am agnostic and don’t really know what other advice to give – could you perhaps be a little more specific as to what in particular you want to ‘handle’?
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LAMBOFGODGIRLY
Guest
We have absolutely no clue as to what they believe or don’t believe? Thank you so much for replying!
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Cluny
Guest
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We have absolutely no clue as to what they believe or don’t believe?**
Are you assuming that all agnostics belive–or don’t believe–the same things? That they are uniform?
We have absolutely no clue as to what they believe or don’t believe?**
Are you assuming that all agnostics belive–or don’t believe–the same things? That they are uniform?
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LAMBOFGODGIRLY
Guest
I personaly have no clue what so ever as to what they belive…totally clueless. I mean I guess I want to know if they belive in the bible or Jesus, or God. I just don’t know what at all
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Eucharisted
Guest
Agnostics are people who, whether they believe in God or not, don’t believe God’s existence can be proven or disproven. It is indifference toward the great question of whether God exists or not and toward the philosophical proofs of God’s existence. We must treat all people charitably.
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LAMBOFGODGIRLY
Guest
Ok, well that is good then! He just doesn’t have proof yet. Maybe through my cousins Faith he will have proof. He has the biggest heart of all, and I know he will come to find God in his own way. I told her as you told me before, to pray and have faith!
God Bless,
Alisha
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Eucharisted
Guest
Tell him about the Passion of Jesus. If his heart is big, he might be won over with compassion for Jesus.Ok, well that is good then! He just doesn’t have proof yet. Maybe through my cousins Faith he will have proof. He has the biggest heart of all, and I know he will come to find God in his own way. I told her as you told me before, to pray and have faith!
God Bless,
Alisha
Yes, we must always pray, hope, and not worry!
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Cluny
Guest
Maybe through my cousins Faith he will have proof.
Not necessarily. Faith is not proof.
As one priest put it, faith might be believing in something you cannot prove, but it’s not believing without a reason.
To me trying to “prove” God by the scientific method is as silly as trying to thus “prove” a Beethoven symphony, Shakespearean sonnet, or classical statue.
Music, literature, art, and faith all speak to us on an etnirely different level from the mere physical quantifying of science (which is ultimately all it is, as it deals with what is observable and can be measured).
Not necessarily. Faith is not proof.
As one priest put it, faith might be believing in something you cannot prove, but it’s not believing without a reason.
To me trying to “prove” God by the scientific method is as silly as trying to thus “prove” a Beethoven symphony, Shakespearean sonnet, or classical statue.
Music, literature, art, and faith all speak to us on an etnirely different level from the mere physical quantifying of science (which is ultimately all it is, as it deals with what is observable and can be measured).
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Mirdath
Guest
Agnosticism actually comes in a couplefew different flavors. First there’re what you might call ‘strong agnostics’, who think that the question of the existence of the divine is unanswerable by means of human investigation. Then there are those who are simply unconvinced either way. And lastly you have those who just don’t care – my nickname for this school of unthought is ‘apatheism’ 
The only thing two agnostics will necessarily have in common (beyond being carbon-based bipeds &c) is that they do not know if the divine exists. It’s not a belief, it’s the polar opposite: skepticism. To break it down a bit further, consider how you don’t believe in Brahma or Ahura Mazda or Amaterasu – you’re applying skepticism to Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, and Shinto in this case. It’s the same principle used by agnostics, with the only difference between you and us being that we apply the same standard to YHWH and find no more proof for him than for any of the others.
So no, we don’t exactly believe in God; our opinions on Jesus and the Bible vary wildly. Remember agnosticism isn’t an organized belief system – trying to make general statements is like herding cats
If you’d like to hear my thoughts on those matters I’d be happy to go into them, with the caveat that your cousin’s boyfriend likely has completely different opinions (another reason for not putting it out right here is it’s probably going to derail the thread!).
As to how to get along with an agnostic socially: it’s not that hard, we’re perfectly normal human beings and we don’t usually bite Even if religion happens to come up a lot in dinner-table conversation, we don’t necessarily shrink away hissing and try to stay out of the sunlight!
There are some things to keep in mind when talking religion with a non-theist (atheist or agnostic). I realize your faith calls you to proselytize, but the usual methods will not work and will only serve to alienate him. When you’re talking to someone of a different faith, you have the common ground that you both believe in the divine: here, you don’t. Cluny is quite correct about faith and proof. Additionally, considering how widespread Christianity is, he’s almost certainly heard it all before
St Francis said it well: ‘preach the gospel always, use words when necessary’. In this situation they likely aren’t necessary, and could cause more harm than good. So keep that in mind, look to St Monica for other inspiration, and just try to get along with the guy!
The only thing two agnostics will necessarily have in common (beyond being carbon-based bipeds &c) is that they do not know if the divine exists. It’s not a belief, it’s the polar opposite: skepticism. To break it down a bit further, consider how you don’t believe in Brahma or Ahura Mazda or Amaterasu – you’re applying skepticism to Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, and Shinto in this case. It’s the same principle used by agnostics, with the only difference between you and us being that we apply the same standard to YHWH and find no more proof for him than for any of the others.
So no, we don’t exactly believe in God; our opinions on Jesus and the Bible vary wildly. Remember agnosticism isn’t an organized belief system – trying to make general statements is like herding cats
If you’d like to hear my thoughts on those matters I’d be happy to go into them, with the caveat that your cousin’s boyfriend likely has completely different opinions (another reason for not putting it out right here is it’s probably going to derail the thread!).As to how to get along with an agnostic socially: it’s not that hard, we’re perfectly normal human beings and we don’t usually bite
Even if religion happens to come up a lot in dinner-table conversation, we don’t necessarily shrink away hissing and try to stay out of the sunlight!There are some things to keep in mind when talking religion with a non-theist (atheist or agnostic). I realize your faith calls you to proselytize, but the usual methods will not work and will only serve to alienate him. When you’re talking to someone of a different faith, you have the common ground that you both believe in the divine: here, you don’t. Cluny is quite correct about faith and proof. Additionally, considering how widespread Christianity is, he’s almost certainly heard it all before
St Francis said it well: ‘preach the gospel always, use words when necessary’. In this situation they likely aren’t necessary, and could cause more harm than good. So keep that in mind, look to St Monica for other inspiration, and just try to get along with the guy!
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ricko
Guest
You might ask him to consider how the Earth just happens to be the correct distance from the Sun. Any closer and it would be like Venus. Farther away and the Earth would be like Mars, neither one supporting life. The Earth also has the right combination of gases to support life and the means to replenish oxygen from the plants and some animal life. The green plants also provide food. We have the clouds to shield us from the Sun and to provide rain and clean water. We have a magnetic field around the Earth that provides protection from solar winds and allows us to use that field to navigate the Earth. The ozone layer is another protection to protect us from cosmic particles. The Earth tilts on its axis to bring us the four seasons. The Moon provides beauty at night along with the stars and also stabilizes the Earth’s rotation. The Earth provides not only food in the form of plants and animals but also beauty in the form of flowers, sunsets and beautiful blue skies. The Earth is self sustaining in making fresh air and water for its living creatures. Now you ask your friend to consider the odds that all of these things are coincidence and they all work together to provide us a home. The lost of any one thing above could end all life on the Earth, yet there they are, giving us the good Earth. How could all of this JUST happen?
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SpiritMeadow
Guest
I agree with your first sentence as a reasonable definitional statement. Basically it means that the person believes that the question of God is unknowable. It is not at all indifference. I suspect many many agnostics have searched far and wide for an answer that was proveable. The conclude, quite rightly, that there is none. It is faith.
I see no reason to approach such a person at all on the issue. People come to faith or not by things that cannot be predicted nor orchestrated. You can’t be talked into it. I suspect the best to do is to live a good life. The example draws more adherents than any words can, since in the end, it is not a question of proof, but of faith.
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SpiritMeadow
Guest
Any Astronomical Physicist would say Yes it could just happen. Given the immensity of the Universe, there are in all likelihood millions of planets that sustain life. I doubt approaching an agnostic as a non-evolutionist or non Big Bang adherent, would be helpful frankly, but perhaps I’m wrong.
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Namesake
Guest
And it will all end in a few billion years when the sun dies.
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Swan
Guest
As a former Christian, now agnostic, I agree strongly with the above. At this point in my life, I tend to avoid discussions of religion with all but a few folks. There are several reasons: I’ve heard it all before; it’s a touchy subject; it’s very personal. If people insist on pushing the subject on me, I will just disengage and avoid further contact. Respect this person’s privacy and let the subject alone.
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Greg27
Guest
I think agnosticism may be accurately described as a stance you adopt when you feel the cases for atheism and theism have not been made ‘beyond reasonable doubt’, to use a legal term. If you approach an agnostic with common decency and respect for conscience, they will act in kind.
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