Camille asked me what is Agnosticism. Here is what I think it is:
Dear Camille,
I will start by 2 quotes from one of my favorite Agnostics, Clarence Darrow:
“The fear of God is not the beginning of wisdom. The fear of God is the death of wisdom. Skepticism and doubt lead to study and investigation, and investigation is the beginning of wisdom.”
“The modern world is the child of doubt and inquiry, as the ancient world was the child of fear and faith.”
These quotes are from memory, I am sure these quotes are true in their entirety (at least in essence), as they are my favorite quotes, and I often recite them to myself.
[NOTE: the term in the West is generally used for referring to those who don’t believe in the main tenants of Christian faith - a belief in God, a belief in immortality, and a belief in a supernatural book. However, this philosophy can be applied in disbelief of any religion].
The term “Agnostic” simply means someone who is unsure of the existence of God. The term is synonymous with “Freethought”, or “Rationalism”. Agnostic is also someone who also believes that human mind is not capable to know whether there is a cause (or an absolute truth). Agnostics also tend to value personal choice, personal freedom, and so forth to such a degree that the vast majority of them refuse to join anything because they do not wish to be characterized by some label. This actually leaves them without any actual political means to defend their position in our society (and often in Guppshupp). (This from of belief is strictly distinct from Atheism).
Thomas Henry Huxley coined this term in the late 19th century. I have read a lot of books about this kind of approach to religious and spiritual matters, and it makes a lot of sense to me. In the process, I have learnt to appreciate the wonderful ideals and characteristics that other religions offer, both mythological and western. The main lesson is to look at things objectively, make your own judgements, and don’t believe in values that contradict your “emotional intelligence”. Emotional Intelligence is a set of skills one possesses to relate to other people, and the environment. It is as important as the knowledge of one’s trade. Some well known (at least to me) Agnostics are Clarence Darrow, Robert Ingersol , and believe it not, Albert Einstein. I have a good collection of books and essays on Freethought. If anyone is interested, I will be happy to list references. In fact, you will not find any books in a store in the category called Agnosticism, there are books on all natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, philosophy, theology, that make a strong case for Agnosticism (or a weak case for believing).
As you can guess, Agnosticism is not a religious movement, it is just a way of thinking about why we need religions. It is distinct from post Christian movements such as Christian Science, or Church of Scientology, etc. This type of belief allows me to practice (should I wish) all religions. I can go to a Synagogue, or a Mosque (of course undercover), Church, Mandar, Gurdawara, Temple, etc. Isn’t that beautiful?
There is a movement to form an Agnostic Church now, but I am opposed to that. It also is against the foundations of such a belief. Forming a Church will mean becoming like other movements.
On a personal note:
I haven’t left the beliefs that I was born with, I have just added a few more as I have grown older and more Agnostic. As a young kid, in the mid 70s, there were riots against Ahmadis in Pakistan and my family suffered a lot during that period. I started to question religion as a child because all the suffering (simply because of one’s beliefs) did not make any sense to me. On my way to becoming a grown-up, I inquired about and read about various philosophies, and I found Agnosticism. Now I am such a good Agnostic, that I don’t even believe in Agnosticism.