Agnostic mind

But only if you've HEARD about Islam, and reject it, then you're going to hell? So what if you're confused about what to follow, and you're a very skeptic person? Like I was, and still am. What if you don't just read something and believe it just because someone else says it's true? What if you're not gullable? What if you want proof to find out for yourself? What if you're confused about which choice to make?

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Ah, the very core of the problem for people with a fact driven mind (my problem). We require proof. It is difficult to just accept. No religion seems to fit because none have proof.
God blesses us with this logical mind. Should we then be punished for the inability to accept things that we cannot back with logic? I think that would be cruel. Is God cruel?

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This has lead me to some questions and assumptions.

One of the assumptions is that athiests don't have the problem with all these questions, because they are running on pure logic, and that logic says that there is no god. If any athiests disagree, please correct this for me.

One question is if these questions are what an agnostic ponders? Is there another reason besides any of these questions that an agnostic would be an agnostic? Am I an agnostic? I feel like the computer/robot on a low budget movie I saw once, "need more input! need more input!"
Sometimes I would describe my thinking as confused, and othertimes not as confused, just unconvinced(need more input!).

I wonder if all agnostics think roughly the same way about these things. Or if some are confused, while others just unconvinced. Is it confusion or a lack of logic?

I think Snakelegs being an agnostic, would be a great person to contribute if she would like.

I have a friend who is an Atheist (He's ex-Muslim) but why he is soooooooo Anti-ISlam? Being an Atheist shouldnt make a person anti-Religion, am I right?

I guess by the strictest sense of the definition, I would be classified as agnostic. Based on my unwillingness to commit to any one belief. But in the back of my mind I feel that God does exist, and that I have a connection to him.
If any of that makes sense.

GARY said:

I wonder if all agnostics think roughly the same way about these things. Or if some are confused, while others just unconvinced. Is it confusion or a lack of logic?

I think Snakelegs being an agnostic, would be a great person to contribute if she would like.

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hi gary,
i would guess that every agnostic is different - we are sort of like the anarchists of religion. so what i say will only be about me. i was raised in no religion and have never belonged to one. i don't really like the idea of organized religion. i don't think god belongs to any religion.
i've never really concerned myself much with religion and have only recently become somewhat interested in comparative religions.
i do not believe that there is One True Religion (one size fits all). i think ultimately, an individual's relationship with god is just that - individual - even within the same religion. i think all religions are true - for their followers - and they all have some good things to offer. on some level their differences are not as different as they seem to be on the surface.
i believe that god is unknowable and will always remain a mystery. i am quite comfortable with this because i prefer questions to answers. i am not confused about it and see no reason to be, because i don't believe in a subject called Truth. i think truth is different for each person and doesn't exist as an absolute. there is no "right" and "wrong" when it comes to religion, or belief systems.
the idea of "proof" when it comes to religion is rather absurd.
i don't understand atheists - how a person can believe in not believing. some atheists are quite missionary about it too.
personally, i think god is one, but this is more for philosophical reasons. some religions break it down into attributes and worship (or seem to worship) the attributes, but that really doesn't make any difference - it's still god - just a different way of seeing.
hmmm.... i guess that's enough for now.
there's nothing wrong with confusion - shows you're thinking. better confusion that Knowing the unknowable.

GARY said:

I guess by the strictest sense of the definition, I would be classified as agnostic. Based on my unwillingness to commit to any one belief. But in the back of my mind I feel that God does exist, and that I have a connection to him.
If any of that makes sense.

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hadn't read this one yet when i wrote the last post.
yes, i also feel a connection to god and much more so, as i get older. especially when you ponder the many miracles and great beauty in nature. or when you listen to music.

I have a friend who is an Atheist (He's ex-Muslim) but why he is soooooooo Anti-ISlam? Being an Atheist shouldnt make a person anti-Religion, am I right?

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I would certainly claim that Atheists are not anti-religion at all and I think your friend most probably has personal issues with regards to Islam based on his own experience.

As an atheist I attribute religion to playing a major role in forming great civilizations that we see today, I also consider religion fastly approaching it's sell by date.

root said:

I also consider religion fastly approaching it's sell by date.

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i guarantee you that wont be happening

north_malaysian said:

I have a friend who is an Atheist (He's ex-Muslim) but why he is soooooooo Anti-ISlam? Being an Atheist shouldnt make a person anti-Religion, am I right?

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i've seen people like this - the ex's. they leave their religion and then spend the rest of their lives hating their former religion and call themselves "enlightened". there are all kinds of websites of "formers". they are actually just as devoted as they were when they were believers and spend hours preaching about the evils of their former religion.
seems silly to me.

this is the way i see it.
there can be only one God.
it is up to the individual to find out about this God and accept the truth. Finding God should be done with an open mind and since there is only one God there can be only one true religion. no one religion has been around, unchanged since the begining of time, so you have to look around and find what fits your perception best. it is not as simple as "ill look for a religion which is easy to follow", you have to examine each religion and find your own truth.
may we all be guided.

Mazed - i guarantee you that wont be happening

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I am not speaking within our life-time, after our respective deaths we cannot hold any guarantee.

root said:

I am not speaking within our life-time, after our respective deaths we cannot hold any guarantee.

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if you get to know some of the muslims i know, you will realise that islam will not be dying out anytime soon. BUT our belief is that at the end of time a time will come where not a single person will even say "Allah", his name will be lifted off earth. But like i said, i doubt thats anytime soon but who knows root, no-one but God himself can tell the future. So u might be right... but if you are then expect the end of time to also approach !

eace:

GARY said:

This has lead me to some questions and assumptions.

One of the assumptions is that athiests don't have the problem with all these questions, because they are running on pure logic, and that logic says that there is no god. If any athiests disagree, please correct this for me.

One question is if these questions are what an agnostic ponders? Is there another reason besides any of these questions that an agnostic would be an agnostic? Am I an agnostic? I feel like the computer/robot on a low budget movie I saw once, "need more input! need more input!"
Sometimes I would describe my thinking as confused, and othertimes not as confused, just unconvinced(need more input!).

I wonder if all agnostics think roughly the same way about these things. Or if some are confused, while others just unconvinced. Is it confusion or a lack of logic?

I think Snakelegs being an agnostic, would be a great person to contribute if she would like.

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Islam is a logical religion..how many times does Allah tell us to 'reflect' to 'ponder His Signs' ..He reminds us time and time again that we should use our God-given faculties of reasoning, analysing etc to arrive at the truth..

Athiests dont..they would only believe in God if they saw him..they have a see-it-to-believe-it attitude which is only harmful to themselves...they dont use their minds nor do they reflect..their minds are dormant.

I wonder if all agnostics think roughly the same way about these things. Or if some are confused, while others just unconvinced. Is it confusion or a lack of logic?

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The only thing that all agnostics have in common is that they are agnostics.
I’m neither confused nor unconvinced.

I basically have two beliefs.
There is a god.
No one has any knowledge about him.

Fi_Sabilillah said:

:salamext:

It's that simple. Yet people think that Allaah has a son, or daughter, or dad? Or that He has associates which are made out of clay etc? What kind of logic is that.. but that is the difference between islam and any other form of belief.


Allaah Almighty knows best.


Peace/

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it is only christianity who has these beliefs.

snakelegs said:

it is only christianity who has these beliefs.

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Actually this concept is quite prevalent in polytheistic religions especially Hinduism. It is also found in ancient greek and roman religions.

north_malaysian said:

I have a friend who is an Atheist (He's ex-Muslim) but why he is soooooooo Anti-ISlam? Being an Atheist shouldnt make a person anti-Religion, am I right?

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he never was a real muslim in the first place, if he is athiest now.

ABWAN said:

Actually this concept is quite prevalent in polytheistic religions especially Hinduism. It is also found in ancient greek and roman religions.

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hmmmm. i didn't know this, but i think you are right. i stand corrected.

so nakelegs and wilberhum you believe in the existence of God..yet you believe he took a grand vacation and left us to do as we please on earth?

scentsofjannah said:

so nakelegs and wilberhum you believe in the existence of God..yet you believe he took a grand vacation and left us to do as we please on earth?

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no - i simply don't know or understand many things. i can't pretend to know why god does what he does. (or doesn't). this is one of many things i wonder about.