While theists can be 100% sure in their beliefs because of their faith, the nature of being atheist does not allow for that. We have yet to find any way to disprove god completely, just as theists have yet to find any way to prove god completely. Their faith lets them ignore that point, but our logic dictates that we have to leave that last 1% open to the possibility of a god.

While my atheism may not have originated because of evidence against god, it is now more than anything else how I support my belief. However this means that if I was ever presented with enough evidence to sway me towards belief in a higher power, I would follow that new logic. That, in my opinion, is the strength in being atheist, having the open mind to assess the evidence presented. It just happens that evidence against is stronger.

My point is we can’t be 100% positive against a god as theists can towards one, and that uncertainty makes us slightly agnostic, or as I think of it, as atheist as reasonably possible.

http://revver.com/video/225621/what-is-an-atheist/

I think there are similarities between deism and agnostic theism, but I do not think they are as closely linked as you suggest. There is nothing stopping an agnostic theist from looking a survivor of a tragedy and saying “God saved that person”. Being agnostic, they will not try to prove it or even say it is definitely a miracle, but they will still believe that God intervened.

Deism rejects supernatural occurrences such as miracles, preferring to believe that their God started everything off and only watches, never interfering. They will look at the survivor and say “that person was just lucky”.

is it possible to be simply straight agnostic (ie., to say, “I neither believe nor disbelieve because there’s no possible way to know for sure”).

Well agnosticism isn’t a position of belief, so the first half of your statement I take issue with. I think the closest definition I have found is that of either “undecided” or “apatheism”.

I think the issue of “undecided” about belief in God is tricky. It all depends on whether or not we can control this belief (which I don’t think we can). I have met few people who say “I don’t know what I believe” and I doubt this is true for any of them.

If you take atheism as nonbelief/disbelief of theism, then I cannot see how you can be on the fence about anything. It isn’t possible to “half believe in gods” without believing in some way in gods.

Perhaps I’ve got it wrong, and someone who really thinks they are completely “agnostic” could come along and explain though.

Where can I find the t-shirt? All google found was a bunch of cafe press stores.

I got it from AtheistNation.co.uk, and there are a few other stores I found for the USA. Searching Froogle usually finds loads.

Where can I find the t-shirt? All google found was a bunch of cafe press stores.

I had a question for you. You consistently refer to ‘agnostic atheists’ and ‘agnostic theists’, and I agree with your points. But my misunderstanding of nomenclature has me confused on one thing–

Isn’t ‘agnostic theism’ a subset/superset/pseudonym of deism? Based on my random perusal of wikipedia, deists have a belief that a deity exists, but believe there’s no way to know for sure/prove such a thing, and they also believe that there is no such thing as divine intervention whatsoever (or, in your terminology, they are ‘brights’). Basically, they lack the ultimate knowledge and the ability to empirically examine (agnostic) their belief (theists) in such deities.

How does deism fit in to everything, and is it possible to be simply straight agnostic (ie., to say, “I neither believe nor disbelieve because there’s no possible way to know for sure”). You make it sound as if you either believe or you do not, which I can’t necessarily comprehend; wouldn’t you say it’s possible to ’straddle the line’?

Personally, I am relatively certain that there are things that are simply beyond human knowledge (think back to the days when metor showers were thought to be supernatural) either at present, or always will be (such as multidimensional theories that are simply not provable via anything but math because of the idea that we’re locked in to our 3(4)-dimensional existence–even though we may one day find our way out of it!)

I’d be interested to hear your take on these things. Thanks!

does that make me agnostic, atheist, or agnostic atheist?

Depends on whether you think God’s existence can ever be known or not. Certainty, belief, and knowledge are all similar but still different things.

For example, I don’t think you can know God’s existence, I’m 100% certain that there are no gods, and I don’t believe in any because of this.

Being 100% certain about anything doesn’t mean you are always right or course :D, but given the circumstances I think gods are impossible.

I do not know for 100% certain that a god doesn’t exist, but the possibility is so remote (as is the possibility of a flying pink invisible unicorn) that I may as well state god(s) do not exist.

does that make me agnostic, atheist, or agnostic atheist?